GS-5 Pay in Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA

$41,453 โ€“ $53,889 per year • 19.12% locality adjustment

2026 rates • $813 more than Rest of US at Step 5

GS-5 Salary Summary โ€” Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA

Entry (Step 1) $41,453/yr $1,594 biweekly
Mid (Step 5) $46,980/yr $1,807 biweekly
Top (Step 10) $53,889/yr $2,073 biweekly
Locality Adj. +19.12% +$7,541 at Step 5

Complete GS-5 Pay Table โ€” Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA (2026)

Step Annual Monthly Biweekly Hourly Base Pay Locality Add
Step 1 $41,453 $3,454 $1,594 $19.86 $34,799 +$6,654
Step 2 $42,834 $3,570 $1,647 $20.52 $35,959 +$6,875
Step 3 $44,216 $3,685 $1,701 $21.19 $37,119 +$7,097
Step 4 $45,598 $3,800 $1,754 $21.85 $38,279 +$7,319
Step 5 $46,980 $3,915 $1,807 $22.51 $39,439 +$7,541
Step 6 $48,362 $4,030 $1,860 $23.17 $40,599 +$7,763
Step 7 $49,743 $4,145 $1,913 $23.83 $41,759 +$7,984
Step 8 $51,125 $4,260 $1,966 $24.50 $42,919 +$8,206
Step 9 $52,507 $4,376 $2,020 $25.16 $44,079 +$8,428
Step 10 $53,889 $4,491 $2,073 $25.82 $45,239 +$8,650

Compare Nearby Grades in Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA

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

GS-4
$41,991
GS-5
$46,980
GS-6
$52,372

Promotion from GS-4 to GS-5 at Step 5 in Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA is a raise of $4,989 per year.

GS-5 Federal Jobs in Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA

Federal employees at GS-5 in the Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA locality area earn between $41,453 and $53,889 annually in 2026. This includes a 19.12% locality pay adjustment on top of the GS-5 base pay of $34,799 to $45,239.

The Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA locality area covers Iowa. At Step 5, a GS-5 employee here earns $813 more per year than the same grade and step under the "Rest of United States" rate (17.06%).

The biweekly pay for a GS-5 Step 1 in this area is $1,594, or approximately $19.86 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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