GS-15 Pay in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

$154,411 โ€“ $197,200 per year • 22.17% locality adjustment

2026 rates • $7,320 more than Rest of US at Step 5

GS-15 Salary Summary โ€” Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Entry (Step 1) $154,411/yr $5,939 biweekly
Mid (Step 5) $174,999/yr $6,731 biweekly
Top (Step 10) $197,200/yr $7,585 biweekly
Locality Adj. +22.17% +$31,757 at Step 5

Complete GS-15 Pay Table โ€” Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (2026)

Step Annual Monthly Biweekly Hourly Base Pay Locality Add
Step 1 $154,411 $12,868 $5,939 $73.99 $126,390 +$28,021
Step 2 $159,558 $13,297 $6,137 $76.45 $130,603 +$28,955
Step 3 $164,705 $13,725 $6,335 $78.92 $134,816 +$29,889
Step 4 $169,852 $14,154 $6,533 $81.39 $139,029 +$30,823
Step 5 $174,999 $14,583 $6,731 $83.85 $143,242 +$31,757
Step 6 $180,146 $15,012 $6,929 $86.32 $147,455 +$32,691
Step 7 $185,293 $15,441 $7,127 $88.78 $151,668 +$33,625
Step 8 $190,440 $15,870 $7,325 $91.25 $155,881 +$34,559
Step 9 $195,587 $16,299 $7,523 $93.72 $160,094 +$35,493
Step 10 $197,200* $16,433 $7,585 $94.49 $164,307 +$32,893

* Salary capped at Executive Schedule Level IV ($197,200). Actual calculated salary exceeds this cap.

Compare Nearby Grades in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

How does GS-15 Step 5 compare to adjacent grades in this locality?

GS-14
$148,766
GS-15
$174,999

Promotion from GS-14 to GS-15 at Step 5 in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is a raise of $26,233 per year.

GS-15 Federal Jobs in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Federal employees at GS-15 in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC locality area earn between $154,411 and $197,200 annually in 2026. This includes a 22.17% locality pay adjustment on top of the GS-15 base pay of $126,390 to $164,307.

The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC locality area covers North Carolina. At Step 5, a GS-15 employee here earns $7,320 more per year than the same grade and step under the "Rest of United States" rate (17.06%).

The biweekly pay for a GS-15 Step 1 in this area is $5,939, or approximately $73.99 per hour based on the standard 2,087-hour work year. Step increases are automatic with acceptable performance โ€” it takes 18 years to progress from Step 1 to Step 10.

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