HISTORICAL GS PAY SCALE
2020 GS Pay Scale
The 2020 General Schedule pay scale provides the official base salary rates for GS-1 through GS-15 and Steps 1 through 10. OPM's 2020 base schedule incorporated a 2.6% General Schedule increase and became effective in January 2020. The table below shows the official nationwide base rates before applicable locality pay.
2020 GS Pay Scale
The 2020 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 2020-GS incorporates a 2.6% General Schedule increase and became effective in January 2020. 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 | $19,543 | $20,198 | $20,848 | $21,494 | $22,144 | $22,524 | $23,166 | $23,814 | $23,840 | $24,448 |
| GS-2 | $21,974 | $22,497 | $23,225 | $23,840 | $24,108 | $24,817 | $25,526 | $26,235 | $26,944 | $27,653 |
| GS-3 | $23,976 | $24,775 | $25,574 | $26,373 | $27,172 | $27,971 | $28,770 | $29,569 | $30,368 | $31,167 |
| GS-4 | $26,915 | $27,812 | $28,709 | $29,606 | $30,503 | $31,400 | $32,297 | $33,194 | $34,091 | $34,988 |
| GS-5 | $30,113 | $31,117 | $32,121 | $33,125 | $34,129 | $35,133 | $36,137 | $37,141 | $38,145 | $39,149 |
| GS-6 | $33,567 | $34,686 | $35,805 | $36,924 | $38,043 | $39,162 | $40,281 | $41,400 | $42,519 | $43,638 |
| GS-7 | $37,301 | $38,544 | $39,787 | $41,030 | $42,273 | $43,516 | $44,759 | $46,002 | $47,245 | $48,488 |
| GS-8 | $41,310 | $42,687 | $44,064 | $45,441 | $46,818 | $48,195 | $49,572 | $50,949 | $52,326 | $53,703 |
| GS-9 | $45,627 | $47,148 | $48,669 | $50,190 | $51,711 | $53,232 | $54,753 | $56,274 | $57,795 | $59,316 |
| GS-10 | $50,246 | $51,921 | $53,596 | $55,271 | $56,946 | $58,621 | $60,296 | $61,971 | $63,646 | $65,321 |
| GS-11 | $55,204 | $57,044 | $58,884 | $60,724 | $62,564 | $64,404 | $66,244 | $68,084 | $69,924 | $71,764 |
| GS-12 | $66,167 | $68,373 | $70,579 | $72,785 | $74,991 | $77,197 | $79,403 | $81,609 | $83,815 | $86,021 |
| GS-13 | $78,681 | $81,304 | $83,927 | $86,550 | $89,173 | $91,796 | $94,419 | $97,042 | $99,665 | $102,288 |
| GS-14 | $92,977 | $96,076 | $99,175 | $102,274 | $105,373 | $108,472 | $111,571 | $114,670 | $117,769 | $120,868 |
| GS-15 | $109,366 | $113,012 | $116,658 | $120,304 | $123,950 | $127,596 | $131,242 | $134,888 | $138,534 | $142,180 |
Official source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Salary Table 2020-GS .
2020 GS Pay Increase
OPM's official Salary Table 2020-GS states that the schedule incorporates a 2.6% General Schedule increase. The schedule became effective in January 2020.
The 2.6% figure refers to the nationwide General Schedule base salary schedule. Locality pay is applied separately through locality-specific OPM salary tables.
How to Read the 2020 GS Pay Table
To find a 2020 base salary, locate the employee's GS 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, OPM's official 2020 table lists GS-5 Step 1 at $30,113, GS-9 Step 1 at $45,627, GS-11 Step 1 at $55,204, and GS-12 Step 1 at $66,167.
GS Grades in 2020
The General Schedule contains 15 grades, from GS-1 through GS-15. Each grade has its own salary range and contains ten step rates.
In the official 2020 national base table, GS-1 Step 1 was $19,543. At the upper end of the standard base schedule, GS-15 Step 10 was $142,180.
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 2020
Each General Schedule grade contains 10 steps. Steps provide salary progression within the same grade, subject to the federal requirements governing within-grade increases.
OPM's 2020 base table lists the standard within-grade increase amount as $799 for GS-3, $1,004 for GS-5, $1,840 for GS-11, $2,206 for GS-12, and $3,646 for GS-15. For GS-1 and GS-2, OPM marks the WGI amount as varying.
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.
2020 Base Pay vs. Locality Pay
For current guidance on how these two components differ, see GS Base Pay vs. Locality Pay. For current geographic salary tables, browse the 2026 GS Locality Pay directory.
The figures in Salary Table 2020-GS are national base rates. They do not include locality pay.
OPM published separate 2020 salary tables for individual locality pay areas. These locality schedules combined the 2020 GS base rates with the applicable locality payment for each area.
For example, OPM's 2020 Cincinnati locality table incorporated the 2.6% GS increase and a 20.55% locality payment, with OPM reporting a 2.89% total increase for that locality schedule.
Likewise, the 2020 Atlanta locality table incorporated a 22.16% locality payment and showed a 3.04% total increase. These examples demonstrate why the national 2.6% base increase should not be assumed to equal every employee's total locality-adjusted increase.
Browse Current 2026 GS Locality Pay Areas
These links open the site's current 2026 locality salary pages for comparison. They are not 2020 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 2020 GS Salary
To identify the salary that applied to a particular federal position in 2020:
- Identify the employee's GS grade.
- Identify the employee's step.
- Determine the locality pay area for the employee's official worksite.
- Use the corresponding official 2020 OPM salary table.
- Check whether a special rate or another pay provision applied.
If you only need the nationwide salary before locality adjustments, use Salary Table 2020-GS shown above.
2020 GS Base Pay Examples
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 5 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $30,113 | $34,129 | $39,149 |
| GS-7 | $37,301 | $42,273 | $48,488 |
| GS-9 | $45,627 | $51,711 | $59,316 |
| GS-11 | $55,204 | $62,564 | $71,764 |
| GS-12 | $66,167 | $74,991 | $86,021 |
| GS-13 | $78,681 | $89,173 | $102,288 |
| GS-14 | $92,977 | $105,373 | $120,868 |
| GS-15 | $109,366 | $123,950 | $142,180 |
Special Rates and Other 2020 Pay Schedules
The standard 2020-GS base table does not necessarily show the final payable rate for every federal employee. Certain positions may have been covered by a special rate schedule, a law-enforcement schedule, or another federal pay authority. For current guidance, see the Federal Special Rate Tables guide and the Law Enforcement GS Pay Scale guide.
When researching a historical federal salary, verify the applicable occupation, agency, official worksite and pay schedule rather than assuming that the standard GS base table represented the employee's final 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
- 2019 GS Pay Scale
- 2018 GS Pay Scale
- 2017 GS Pay Scale
- 2016 GS Pay Scale
- 2015 GS Pay Scale
- 2014 GS Pay Scale
- 2013 GS Pay Scale
- 2012 GS Pay Scale
- 2011 GS Pay Scale
Related GS Pay Resources
2020 GS Pay Scale Frequently Asked Questions
What was the 2020 GS base pay increase?
OPM's official Salary Table 2020-GS incorporated a 2.6% General Schedule increase.
When did the 2020 GS pay scale become effective?
OPM lists Salary Table 2020-GS as effective January 2020.
How many grades were in the 2020 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 2020?
The official OPM national base rate for GS-5 Step 1 was $30,113.
What was GS-9 Step 1 pay in 2020?
The official OPM national base rate for GS-9 Step 1 was $45,627.
What was GS-11 Step 1 pay in 2020?
The official OPM national base rate for GS-11 Step 1 was $55,204.
What was GS-12 Step 1 pay in 2020?
The official OPM national base rate for GS-12 Step 1 was $66,167.
What was GS-15 Step 10 pay in 2020?
The official OPM national base rate for GS-15 Step 10 was $142,180.
Does the 2020 GS base table include locality pay?
No. Salary Table 2020-GS contains nationwide base rates. Locality-adjusted salaries were published in separate OPM locality salary tables.
Official 2020 OPM Sources
The salary figures on this page are based on official U.S. Office of Personnel Management 2020 General Schedule data.