HISTORICAL GS PAY SCALE
2015 GS Pay Scale
The 2015 General Schedule pay scale provides the official base salary rates for GS-1 through GS-15 and Steps 1 through 10. OPM's 2015 base schedule incorporated a 1% General Schedule increase and became effective in January 2015. The table below shows the official nationwide base rates before applicable locality pay.
2015 GS Pay Scale
The 2015 General Schedule (GS) pay scale is the nationwide base salary schedule for federal employees covered by the General Schedule. The official U.S. Office of Personnel Management schedule contains 15 grades, GS-1 through GS-15, with 10 steps within each grade.
OPM's official Salary Table 2015-GS incorporates a 1% General Schedule increase and became effective in January 2015. The figures below are annual GS base rates and do not include locality pay.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $18,161 | $18,768 | $19,372 | $19,973 | $20,577 | $20,931 | $21,528 | $22,130 | $22,153 | $22,712 |
| GS-2 | $20,419 | $20,905 | $21,581 | $22,153 | $22,403 | $23,062 | $23,721 | $24,380 | $25,039 | $25,698 |
| GS-3 | $22,279 | $23,022 | $23,765 | $24,508 | $25,251 | $25,994 | $26,737 | $27,480 | $28,223 | $28,966 |
| GS-4 | $25,011 | $25,845 | $26,679 | $27,513 | $28,347 | $29,181 | $30,015 | $30,849 | $31,683 | $32,517 |
| GS-5 | $27,982 | $28,915 | $29,848 | $30,781 | $31,714 | $32,647 | $33,580 | $34,513 | $35,446 | $36,379 |
| GS-6 | $31,192 | $32,232 | $33,272 | $34,312 | $35,352 | $36,392 | $37,432 | $38,472 | $39,512 | $40,552 |
| GS-7 | $34,662 | $35,817 | $36,972 | $38,127 | $39,282 | $40,437 | $41,592 | $42,747 | $43,902 | $45,057 |
| GS-8 | $38,387 | $39,667 | $40,947 | $42,227 | $43,507 | $44,787 | $46,067 | $47,347 | $48,627 | $49,907 |
| GS-9 | $42,399 | $43,812 | $45,225 | $46,638 | $48,051 | $49,464 | $50,877 | $52,290 | $53,703 | $55,116 |
| GS-10 | $46,691 | $48,247 | $49,803 | $51,359 | $52,915 | $54,471 | $56,027 | $57,583 | $59,139 | $60,695 |
| GS-11 | $51,298 | $53,008 | $54,718 | $56,428 | $58,138 | $59,848 | $61,558 | $63,268 | $64,978 | $66,688 |
| GS-12 | $61,486 | $63,536 | $65,586 | $67,636 | $69,686 | $71,736 | $73,786 | $75,836 | $77,886 | $79,936 |
| GS-13 | $73,115 | $75,552 | $77,989 | $80,426 | $82,863 | $85,300 | $87,737 | $90,174 | $92,611 | $95,048 |
| GS-14 | $86,399 | $89,279 | $92,159 | $95,039 | $97,919 | $100,799 | $103,679 | $106,559 | $109,439 | $112,319 |
| GS-15 | $101,630 | $105,018 | $108,406 | $111,794 | $115,182 | $118,570 | $121,958 | $125,346 | $128,734 | $132,122 |
Official source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Salary Table 2015-GS .
2015 GS Pay Increase
OPM's official Salary Table 2015-GS incorporated a 1% General Schedule increase and was effective in January 2015.
The 1% increase applies to the nationwide General Schedule base salary schedule. Locality pay was applied separately through the appropriate locality salary schedule.
How to Read the 2015 GS Pay Table
To find a 2015 GS base salary, locate the employee's grade in the first column and then move across the row to the appropriate step from Step 1 through Step 10. For current rates, see the 2026 GS Pay Scale; for current step progression information, see GS Step Increases. The amount where the grade and step intersect is the annual base rate.
For example, the official 2015 table lists GS-5 Step 1 at $27,982, GS-9 Step 1 at $42,399, GS-11 Step 1 at $51,298, and GS-12 Step 1 at $61,486.
GS Grades in 2015
The General Schedule contained 15 grades, from GS-1 through GS-15. Each grade contained ten step rates, providing a range of base salaries within that grade.
In the official 2015 nationwide base schedule, GS-1 Step 1 was $18,161. At the upper end of the table, GS-15 Step 10 was $132,122.
Browse Current GS Pay by Grade
- GS-1 Pay Scale
- GS-2 Pay Scale
- GS-3 Pay Scale
- GS-4 Pay Scale
- GS-5 Pay Scale
- GS-6 Pay Scale
- GS-7 Pay Scale
- GS-8 Pay Scale
- GS-9 Pay Scale
- GS-10 Pay Scale
- GS-11 Pay Scale
- GS-12 Pay Scale
- GS-13 Pay Scale
- GS-14 Pay Scale
- GS-15 Pay Scale
GS Steps in 2015
Each General Schedule grade contains 10 steps. Steps provide pay progression within the same grade, subject to the federal requirements governing within-grade increases.
The OPM 2015-GS table also publishes a within-grade increase amount for most grades. OPM lists the amount as varying for GS-1 and GS-2, while grades GS-3 through GS-15 have a uniform dollar difference between successive steps within each respective grade.
Browse Current GS Pay by Step
- GS Step 1
- GS Step 2
- GS Step 3
- GS Step 4
- GS Step 5
- GS Step 6
- GS Step 7
- GS Step 8
- GS Step 9
- GS Step 10
For current rules governing progression between steps, see the Within-Grade Increase Guide and GS Step Increases.
2015 Within-Grade Increase Amounts
| Grade | 2015 WGI Amount |
|---|---|
| GS-1 | Varies |
| GS-2 | Varies |
| GS-3 | $743 |
| GS-4 | $834 |
| GS-5 | $933 |
| GS-6 | $1,040 |
| GS-7 | $1,155 |
| GS-8 | $1,280 |
| GS-9 | $1,413 |
| GS-10 | $1,556 |
| GS-11 | $1,710 |
| GS-12 | $2,050 |
| GS-13 | $2,437 |
| GS-14 | $2,880 |
| GS-15 | $3,388 |
2015 Base Pay vs. Locality Pay
For current guidance on the difference between these pay components, see GS Base Pay vs. Locality Pay. For current geographic salary tables, browse the 2026 GS Locality Pay directory.
The salaries in Salary Table 2015-GS are nationwide base rates. They do not include locality pay.
Employees covered by locality pay received rates based on the applicable OPM locality salary table for their official worksite. This means the actual payable salary for a GS employee could be higher than the nationwide base amount shown above.
Two employees with the same grade and step could therefore have different locality-adjusted salaries when their official worksites were covered by different locality pay areas.
Browse Current 2026 GS Locality Pay Areas
These links open the site's current 2026 locality salary pages for comparison. They are not 2015 locality salary tables.
- Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA
- Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM
- Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL
- Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
- Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL
- Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY
- Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT
- Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC
- Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI
- Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN
- Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH
- Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK
- Davenport-Moline, IA-IL
- Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH
- Denver-Aurora, CO
- Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA
- Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA
- Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA
- Houston-The Woodlands, TX
- Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN
- Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS
- Laredo, TX
- Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
- New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA
- Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
- Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
- Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV
- Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA
- Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC
- Reno-Fernley, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV
- San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
- Seattle-Tacoma, WA
- Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d’Alene, WA-ID
- St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL
- Tucson-Nogales, AZ
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC
- Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA
- Rest of United States
- State of Alaska
- State of Hawaii
How to Find Your Actual 2015 GS Salary
To determine the salary that applied to a particular federal position in 2015:
- Identify the employee's GS grade.
- Identify the employee's step.
- Determine the locality pay area applicable to the official worksite.
- Use the corresponding official 2015 OPM salary table.
- Check whether a special rate or another federal pay schedule applied.
If you only need the nationwide salary before locality pay, use Salary Table 2015-GS shown above.
2015 GS Base Pay Examples
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 5 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $27,982 | $31,714 | $36,379 |
| GS-7 | $34,662 | $39,282 | $45,057 |
| GS-9 | $42,399 | $48,051 | $55,116 |
| GS-11 | $51,298 | $58,138 | $66,688 |
| GS-12 | $61,486 | $69,686 | $79,936 |
| GS-13 | $73,115 | $82,863 | $95,048 |
| GS-14 | $86,399 | $97,919 | $112,319 |
| GS-15 | $101,630 | $115,182 | $132,122 |
Special Rates and Other 2015 Pay Schedules
The standard 2015-GS base table did not necessarily represent the final payable salary for every federal employee. Certain occupations or locations could be covered by special salary rates or another applicable federal pay schedule. For current guidance, see the Federal Special Rate Tables guide. Federal law-enforcement employees can also review the Law Enforcement GS Pay Scale guide.
When researching a historical federal salary, verify the employee's grade, step, occupation, official worksite and applicable pay schedule rather than assuming that the nationwide GS base rate was the final payable salary.
Compare Historical GS Pay Scales
Use these pages to compare national General Schedule base salary tables across years.
- 2026 GS Pay Scale
- 2025 GS Pay Scale
- 2024 GS Pay Scale
- 2023 GS Pay Scale
- 2022 GS Pay Scale
- 2021 GS Pay Scale
- 2020 GS Pay Scale
- 2019 GS Pay Scale
- 2018 GS Pay Scale
- 2017 GS Pay Scale
- 2016 GS Pay Scale
- 2014 GS Pay Scale
- 2013 GS Pay Scale
- 2012 GS Pay Scale
- 2011 GS Pay Scale
Related GS Pay Resources
2015 GS Pay Scale Frequently Asked Questions
What was the 2015 GS base pay increase?
OPM's official Salary Table 2015-GS incorporated a 1% General Schedule increase.
When did the 2015 GS pay scale become effective?
OPM states that Salary Table 2015-GS was effective January 2015.
How many grades were in the 2015 GS pay scale?
The General Schedule contained 15 grades, GS-1 through GS-15.
How many steps were in each GS grade?
Each General Schedule grade contained 10 steps, Step 1 through Step 10.
What was GS-5 Step 1 pay in 2015?
The official OPM nationwide base rate for GS-5 Step 1 was $27,982.
What was GS-7 Step 1 pay in 2015?
The official OPM nationwide base rate for GS-7 Step 1 was $34,662.
What was GS-9 Step 1 pay in 2015?
The official OPM nationwide base rate for GS-9 Step 1 was $42,399.
What was GS-11 Step 1 pay in 2015?
The official OPM nationwide base rate for GS-11 Step 1 was $51,298.
What was GS-12 Step 1 pay in 2015?
The official OPM nationwide base rate for GS-12 Step 1 was $61,486.
What was GS-15 Step 10 pay in 2015?
The official OPM nationwide base rate for GS-15 Step 10 was $132,122.
Does the 2015 GS base table include locality pay?
No. Salary Table 2015-GS contains nationwide base rates before applicable locality pay.
Official 2015 OPM Source
The salary figures on this page are based on the official U.S. Office of Personnel Management Salary Table 2015-GS.