President Biden has confirmed via executive order (EO) that 2023 General Schedule (GS) pay scales will rise by an average of 4.6%. This is the highest increase in nearly two decades.
For the locality of “WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE-ARLINGTON – (DC, MD,VA, WV, PA),” (DMV area) the latest GS pay scale table is shown below, which incorporates the 4.1% GS base pay increase and locality payment adjustment of 32.49%.
This brings the total pay increase for this geography to 4.86%, around 0.26% above the average 2023 GS total pay increase. The updated GS pay table for the Washington DC metro and nearby areas is shown below.
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| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $27822 | $28756 | $29679 | $30601 | $31525 | $32065 | $32981 | $33903 | $33940 | $34809 |
| 2 | 31284 | 32028 | 33064 | 33940 | 34323 | 35332 | 36342 | 37352 | 38361 | 39371 |
| 3 | 34135 | 35273 | 36411 | 37549 | 38687 | 39825 | 40963 | 42101 | 43239 | 44378 |
| 4 | 38317 | 39595 | 40872 | 42149 | 43426 | 44703 | 45981 | 47258 | 48535 | 49812 |
| 5 | 42870 | 44299 | 45729 | 47158 | 48588 | 50018 | 51447 | 52877 | 54306 | 55736 |
| 6 | 47789 | 49382 | 50974 | 52567 | 54159 | 55752 | 57344 | 58937 | 60529 | 62122 |
| 7 | 53105 | 54875 | 56645 | 58415 | 60185 | 61955 | 63725 | 65495 | 67265 | 69035 |
| 8 | 58811 | 60772 | 62733 | 64694 | 66654 | 68615 | 70576 | 72537 | 74498 | 76459 |
| 9 | 64957 | 67122 | 69287 | 71452 | 73617 | 75782 | 77947 | 80111 | 82276 | 84441 |
| 10 | 71531 | 73916 | 76301 | 78686 | 81071 | 83455 | 85840 | 88225 | 90610 | 92995 |
| 11 | 78592 | 81211 | 83830 | 86450 | 89069 | 91688 | 94308 | 96927 | 99546 | 102166 |
| 12 | 94199 | 97339 | 100479 | 103619 | 106759 | 109899 | 113039 | 116179 | 119319 | 122459 |
| 13 | 112015 | 115749 | 119482 | 123216 | 126949 | 130683 | 134416 | 138150 | 141884 | 145617 |
| 14 | 132368 | 136780 | 141192 | 145604 | 150016 | 154428 | 158840 | 163252 | 167663 | 172075 |
| 15 | 155700 | 160889 | 166079 | 171268 | 176458 | 181648 | 183500* | 183500* | 183500* | 183500* |
The pay adjustments above will take place from the first pay period beginning on or after Jan 4, 2023, which is Jan 15, 2023 for the biweekly pay period cycle.
What is the General Schedule (GS) and Locality Pay
The General Schedule (GS) is a system used by the federal government to classify and pay its employees. The GS system has 15 grades, ranging from GS-1 (the lowest) to GS-15 (the highest), and within each grade are steps ranging from 1 to 10, worth approximately 3% of the salary.
Each job is classified based on the level of difficulty, responsibility, and qualifications required. E.g. GS-2 and GS-3 are for entry level positions while GS-9 and GS-10 are for those with master’s degrees.
The base pay for employees on the GS are adjusted across-the-board annually in January (final figures are determined a week or two before the end of the year) to reflect nationwide changes in private sector wages.
Most GS employees are also eligible for locality pay, covering 55 geographic areas, which is based on surveys of pay levels for non-federal workers in a specific geographic area.
The President and Congress may make changes to the across-the-board and locality pay adjustments via executive order.
Covered areas for this locality pay table – Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA
See the areas (counties) covered by the Washington DC GS Pay table. These are in effect for 2023 and are reviewed on a regular basis as locality pay area definitions are updated.
District of Columbia
| PLACE NAME | FIPS |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia, DC | 11001 |
Maryland
| PLACE NAME | FIPS |
|---|---|
| Anne Arundel County, MD | 24003 |
| Baltimore city, MD | 24510 |
| Baltimore County, MD | 24005 |
| Calvert County, MD | 24009 |
| Carroll County, MD | 24013 |
| Charles County, MD | 24017 |
| Dorchester County, MD | 24019 |
| Frederick County, MD | 24021 |
| Harford County, MD | 24025 |
| Howard County, MD | 24027 |
| Kent County, MD | 24029 |
| Montgomery County, MD | 24031 |
| Prince George’s County, MD | 24033 |
| Queen Anne’s County, MD | 24035 |
| St. Mary’s County, MD | 24037 |
| Talbot County, MD | 24041 |
| Washington County, MD | 24043 |
Virginia
| PLACE NAME | FIPS |
|---|---|
| Alexandria city, VA | 51510 |
| Arlington County, VA | 51013 |
| Clarke County, VA | 51043 |
| Culpeper County, VA | 51047 |
| Fairfax city, VA | 51600 |
| Fairfax County, VA | 51059 |
| Falls Church city, VA | 51610 |
| Fauquier County, VA | 51061 |
| Frederick County, VA | 51069 |
| Fredericksburg city, VA | 51630 |
| King George County, VA | 51099 |
| Loudoun County, VA | 51107 |
| Manassas city, VA | 51683 |
| Manassas Park city, VA | 51685 |
| Prince William County, VA | 51153 |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 51157 |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 51177 |
| Stafford County, VA | 51179 |
| Warren County, VA | 51187 |
| Winchester city, VA | 51840 |
West Virginia
| PLACE NAME | FIPS |
|---|---|
| Berkeley County, WV | 54003 |
| Hampshire County, WV | 54027 |
| Jefferson County, WV | 54037 |
| Morgan County, WV | 54065 |
Pennsylvania
| PLACE NAME | FIPS |
|---|---|
| Adams County, PA | 42001 |
| Franklin County, PA | 42055 |
| York County, PA | 42133 |