United States · General Schedule (GS) · FY 2026
JUD-CIRCUIT Grade Salary
Circuit Judge — US Court of Appeals (Article III).
2026 salary range
$264,900 – $264,900
Annual base in USD ($). Excludes locality pay, allowances, and performance bonuses.
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $264,900 | $22,075 | $127 |
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 JUD-CIRCUIT base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for JUD-CIRCUIT, 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% | $354,807 | $354,807 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $365,430 | $365,430 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $387,655 | $387,655 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $361,509 | $361,509 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $346,648 | $346,648 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $310,092 | $310,092 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $319,920 | $319,920 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $313,456 | $313,456 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $327,920 | $327,920 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $318,807 | $318,807 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $313,218 | $313,218 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $316,423 | $316,423 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $351,204 | $351,204 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $324,264 | $324,264 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $311,602 | $311,602 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $322,993 | $322,993 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $323,787 | $323,787 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $323,575 | $323,575 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $318,277 | $318,277 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $317,006 | $317,006 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $321,642 | $321,642 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $345,747 | $345,747 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $342,039 | $342,039 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $337,112 | $337,112 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $312,608 | $312,608 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $315,046 | $315,046 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $311,655 | $311,655 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $349,880 | $349,880 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $316,370 | $316,370 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $322,940 | $322,940 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $357,615 | $357,615 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $312,979 | $312,979 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $315,152 | $315,152 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $322,092 | $322,092 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $316,741 | $316,741 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $330,251 | $330,251 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $324,291 | $324,291 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $338,065 | $338,065 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $313,191 | $313,191 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $312,397 | $312,397 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $341,695 | $341,695 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $320,608 | $320,608 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $334,118 | $334,118 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $324,370 | $324,370 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $323,814 | $323,814 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $323,920 | $323,920 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $311,310 | $311,310 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $312,264 | $312,264 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $343,734 | $343,734 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $354,224 | $354,224 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $348,529 | $348,529 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $317,959 | $317,959 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $311,708 | $311,708 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $314,648 | $314,648 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $315,973 | $315,973 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $314,701 | $314,701 |
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 JUD-CIRCUIT make in the United States federal government?
A JUD-CIRCUIT in the United States federal civil service earns between $264,900 and $264,900 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Is the JUD-CIRCUIT 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.