United States · General Schedule (GS) · FY 2026
EX-III Grade Salary
Executive Schedule Level III — Under Secretary, senior Presidential appointee.
2026 salary range
$209,600 – $209,600
Annual base in USD ($). Excludes locality pay, allowances, and performance bonuses.
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $209,600 | $17,467 | $101 |
Hourly computed assuming 2,080 annual working hours. Actual hourly rates on official tables may differ slightly.
Locality pay — total after geographic adjustment
Most US federal employees receive locality pay on top of the EX-III base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for EX-III, applied to base step 1 and step 10 respectively.
| Locality Area | Adjustment | Step 1 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCBWashington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | +33.94% | $280,738 | $280,738 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $289,143 | $289,143 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $306,729 | $306,729 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $286,041 | $286,041 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $274,283 | $274,283 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $245,358 | $245,358 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $253,134 | $253,134 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $248,020 | $248,020 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $259,464 | $259,464 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $252,254 | $252,254 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $247,831 | $247,831 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $250,367 | $250,367 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $277,888 | $277,888 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $256,571 | $256,571 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $246,552 | $246,552 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $255,565 | $255,565 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $256,194 | $256,194 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $256,026 | $256,026 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $251,834 | $251,834 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $250,828 | $250,828 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $254,496 | $254,496 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $273,570 | $273,570 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $270,636 | $270,636 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $266,737 | $266,737 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $247,349 | $247,349 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $249,277 | $249,277 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $246,594 | $246,594 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $276,840 | $276,840 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $250,325 | $250,325 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $255,523 | $255,523 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $282,960 | $282,960 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $247,642 | $247,642 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $249,361 | $249,361 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $254,853 | $254,853 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $250,619 | $250,619 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $261,308 | $261,308 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $256,592 | $256,592 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $267,492 | $267,492 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $247,810 | $247,810 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $247,181 | $247,181 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $270,363 | $270,363 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $253,679 | $253,679 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $264,368 | $264,368 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $256,655 | $256,655 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $256,215 | $256,215 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $256,299 | $256,299 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $246,322 | $246,322 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $247,076 | $247,076 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $271,977 | $271,977 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $280,277 | $280,277 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $275,771 | $275,771 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $251,583 | $251,583 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $246,636 | $246,636 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $248,963 | $248,963 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $250,011 | $250,011 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $249,005 | $249,005 |
Locality data sourced from U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Locality Pay XML tables. Last refreshed 2026-04-20. RUS ("Rest of U.S.") is the default for areas not otherwise listed. Law-enforcement, special-rate, and capped schedules not shown — see the OPM tables for specifics.
Frequently asked
How much does a EX-III make in the United States federal government?
A EX-III in the United States federal civil service earns between $209,600 and $209,600 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Is the EX-III grade the same in every agency?
The base pay scale is set centrally by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and applied uniformly across eligible federal employers, but agency-specific supplements, locality pay, and bargaining agreements can produce meaningful differences in take-home pay.
Where does this data come from?
Directly from U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. Each page on FedSalary carries the retrieval date and a link back to the primary source.