United States · General Schedule (GS) · FY 2026
FS-5 Grade Salary
Foreign Service Class 5 — junior Foreign Service Officer.
2026 salary range
$56,120 – $80,013
Annual base in USD ($). Excludes locality pay, allowances, and performance bonuses.
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $56,120 | $4,677 | $27 |
| 3 | $57,803 | $4,817 | $28 |
| 4 | $59,537 | $4,961 | $29 |
| 5 | $61,323 | $5,110 | $29 |
| 6 | $63,163 | $5,264 | $30 |
| 7 | $65,058 | $5,422 | $31 |
| 8 | $67,010 | $5,584 | $32 |
| 9 | $69,020 | $5,752 | $33 |
| 10 | $71,091 | $5,924 | $34 |
| 11 | $73,223 | $6,102 | $35 |
| 12 | $75,420 | $6,285 | $36 |
| 13 | $77,683 | $6,474 | $37 |
| 14 | $80,013 | $6,668 | $38 |
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 FS-5 base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for FS-5, 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% | $75,167 | $107,169 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $77,418 | $110,378 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $82,126 | $117,091 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $76,587 | $109,194 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $73,439 | $104,705 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $65,694 | $93,663 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $67,776 | $96,632 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $66,407 | $94,679 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $69,471 | $99,048 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $67,540 | $96,296 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $66,356 | $94,607 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $67,035 | $95,576 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $74,404 | $106,081 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $68,696 | $97,944 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $66,014 | $94,119 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $68,427 | $97,560 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $68,595 | $97,800 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $68,551 | $97,736 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $67,428 | $96,136 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $67,159 | $95,752 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $68,141 | $97,152 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $73,248 | $104,433 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $72,462 | $103,313 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $71,418 | $101,825 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $66,227 | $94,423 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $66,744 | $95,159 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $66,025 | $94,135 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $74,123 | $105,681 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $67,024 | $95,560 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $68,416 | $97,544 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $75,762 | $108,018 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $66,306 | $94,535 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $66,766 | $95,191 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $68,236 | $97,288 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $67,103 | $95,672 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $69,965 | $99,752 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $68,702 | $97,952 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $71,620 | $102,113 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $66,351 | $94,599 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $66,182 | $94,359 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $72,389 | $103,209 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $67,922 | $96,840 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $70,784 | $100,920 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $68,719 | $97,976 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $68,601 | $97,808 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $68,624 | $97,840 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $65,952 | $94,031 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $66,154 | $94,319 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $72,821 | $103,825 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $75,044 | $106,993 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $73,837 | $105,273 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $67,361 | $96,040 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $66,036 | $94,151 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $66,659 | $95,039 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $66,940 | $95,440 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $66,671 | $95,055 |
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 FS-5 make in the United States federal government?
A FS-5 in the United States federal civil service earns between $56,120 and $80,013 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Is the FS-5 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.