SES-CERT Grade Salary
Senior Executive Service — agencies with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System (higher ceiling).
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $151,661 | $12,638 | $73 |
| 2 | $228,000 | $19,000 | $110 |
Locality pay — total after geographic adjustment
Most US federal employees receive locality pay on top of the SES-CERT base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for SES-CERT, 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% | $203,135 | $305,383 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $209,216 | $314,526 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $221,941 | $333,655 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $206,972 | $311,152 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $198,464 | $298,361 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $177,534 | $266,897 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $183,161 | $275,356 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $179,460 | $269,792 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $187,741 | $282,241 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $182,524 | $274,398 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $179,324 | $269,587 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $181,159 | $272,346 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $201,072 | $302,282 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $185,648 | $279,095 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $178,399 | $268,196 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $184,920 | $278,000 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $185,375 | $278,684 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $185,254 | $278,502 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $182,221 | $273,942 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $181,493 | $272,848 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $184,147 | $276,838 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $197,948 | $297,586 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $195,825 | $294,394 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $193,004 | $290,153 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $178,975 | $269,063 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $180,370 | $271,160 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $178,429 | $268,242 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $200,314 | $301,142 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $181,129 | $272,300 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $184,890 | $277,955 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $204,742 | $307,800 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $179,187 | $269,382 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $180,431 | $271,252 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $184,405 | $277,225 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $181,341 | $272,620 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $189,076 | $284,248 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $185,663 | $279,118 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $193,550 | $290,974 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $179,309 | $269,564 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $178,854 | $268,880 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $195,628 | $294,097 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $183,555 | $275,948 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $191,290 | $287,576 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $185,709 | $279,186 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $185,390 | $278,707 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $185,451 | $278,798 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $178,232 | $267,946 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $178,778 | $268,766 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $196,795 | $295,853 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $202,801 | $304,882 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $199,540 | $299,980 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $182,039 | $273,668 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $178,459 | $268,288 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $180,143 | $270,818 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $180,901 | $271,958 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $180,173 | $270,864 |
Frequently asked
A SES-CERT in the United States federal civil service earns between $151,661 and $228,000 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
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.
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.