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Iowa Des Moines General Schedule Payscale

109 federal employees †
$76,874 average yearly pay
+5% salary raise this year

The Des Moines Locality Area is a General Schedule locality primarily located within Iowa. Federal employees who work within the Des Moines locality area receive a locality adjustment of 17.68%, which is applied to the base General Schedule payscale.

Locality adjustment rates are set yearly by the OPM to account for higher costs of living within Des Moines, as compared to the Rest of U.S. locality raise (which is applied to all Federal employees not located within any other locality).

The chart below is the 2024 General Schedule pay table, with Des Moines' 17.68% locality raise applied to the base pay rates. These are the yearly pay rates that are applicable to most salaried federal employees within this region, based on their GS Grade and Step.


Note: We have projected the 2025 General Schedule payscale below based on last year's General Schedule base pay increase of 4.7%. We will publish the official General Schedule payscale for 2025 when it becomes available.
GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$26,131$27,009$27,876$28,742$29,609$30,117$30,977$31,843$31,878$32,688
GS-2$29,384$30,083$31,056$31,878$32,238$33,187$34,135$35,084$36,032$36,981
GS-3$32,061$33,129$34,198$35,266$36,335$37,403$38,472$39,540$40,609$41,678
GS-4$35,989$37,188$38,387$39,588$40,787$41,986$43,185$44,384$45,583$46,783
GS-5$40,265$41,608$42,950$44,291$45,633$46,976$48,317$49,659$51,001$52,343
GS-6$44,886$46,382$47,878$49,375$50,872$52,368$53,864$55,360$56,857$58,353
GS-7$49,879$51,541$53,204$54,867$56,530$58,193$59,856$61,518$63,181$64,844
GS-8$55,238$57,080$58,920$60,762$62,602$64,444$66,284$68,126$69,967$71,808
GS-9$61,011$63,045$65,078$67,112$69,145$71,179$73,212$75,247$77,280$79,314
GS-10$67,187$69,426$71,665$73,904$76,144$78,383$80,623$82,862$85,101$87,340
GS-11$73,818$76,278$78,739$81,199$83,659$86,119$88,580$91,040$93,500$95,961
GS-12$88,478$91,427$94,376$97,324$100,273$103,222$106,171$109,120$112,068$115,017
GS-13$105,212$108,719$112,227$115,734$119,242$122,748$126,257$129,763$133,271$136,778
GS-14$124,329$128,472$132,617$136,762$140,907$145,051$149,196$153,341$157,485$161,629
GS-15$146,242$151,116$155,991$160,865$165,739$170,614$175,488$180,362$185,237$190,111
GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$25,873$26,742$27,601$28,459$29,316$29,819$30,671$31,529$31,563$32,364
GS-2$29,093$29,785$30,749$31,563$31,920$32,859$33,798$34,737$35,676$36,615
GS-3$31,744$32,802$33,860$34,918$35,976$37,034$38,092$39,150$40,208$41,266
GS-4$35,634$36,821$38,008$39,196$40,383$41,570$42,758$43,945$45,133$46,320
GS-5$39,868$41,196$42,525$43,853$45,182$46,511$47,839$49,168$50,496$51,825
GS-6$44,442$45,923$47,405$48,887$50,368$51,850$53,331$54,813$56,295$57,776
GS-7$49,386$51,032$52,678$54,325$55,971$57,617$59,264$60,910$62,556$64,203
GS-8$54,692$56,515$58,338$60,160$61,983$63,806$65,629$67,452$69,275$71,098
GS-9$60,407$62,421$64,435$66,448$68,462$70,475$72,489$74,502$76,516$78,529
GS-10$66,522$68,739$70,956$73,173$75,391$77,608$79,825$82,042$84,259$86,476
GS-11$73,088$75,523$77,959$80,395$82,831$85,267$87,703$90,139$92,575$95,011
GS-12$87,602$90,522$93,441$96,361$99,281$102,200$105,120$108,040$110,959$113,879
GS-13$104,170$107,643$111,116$114,589$118,061$121,534$125,007$128,479$131,952$135,425
GS-14$123,098$127,201$131,305$135,408$139,512$143,615$147,719$151,822$155,926$160,030
GS-15$144,795$149,621$154,447$159,273$164,099$168,925$173,751$178,577$183,403$188,229
GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$24,596$25,422$26,238$27,054$27,870$28,348$29,157$29,972$30,005$30,774
GS-2$27,657$28,315$29,231$30,005$30,344$31,236$32,129$33,021$33,914$34,806
GS-3$30,177$31,184$32,190$33,196$34,202$35,208$36,214$37,220$38,227$39,233
GS-4$33,875$35,004$36,133$37,263$38,392$39,521$40,650$41,779$42,908$44,037
GS-5$37,900$39,164$40,427$41,691$42,955$44,219$45,483$46,747$48,010$49,274
GS-6$42,249$43,657$45,065$46,472$47,880$49,288$50,696$52,104$53,512$54,920
GS-7$46,948$48,513$50,078$51,643$53,207$54,772$56,337$57,902$59,467$61,032
GS-8$51,993$53,726$55,460$57,193$58,927$60,660$62,394$64,128$65,861$67,595
GS-9$57,426$59,340$61,254$63,168$65,082$66,996$68,910$70,824$72,738$74,652
GS-10$63,238$65,347$67,455$69,564$71,672$73,780$75,889$77,997$80,105$82,214
GS-11$69,480$71,796$74,112$76,427$78,743$81,059$83,374$85,690$88,006$90,321
GS-12$83,278$86,054$88,830$91,606$94,382$97,158$99,934$102,710$105,486$108,262
GS-13$99,029$102,329$105,630$108,931$112,232$115,532$118,833$122,134$125,435$128,735
GS-14$117,022$120,923$124,823$128,724$132,624$136,524$140,425$144,325$148,226$152,126
GS-15$137,649$142,237$146,825$151,413$156,001$160,589$165,177$169,765$174,353$178,941
GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$23,504$24,293$25,074$25,852$26,633$27,090$27,863$28,642$28,673$29,403
GS-2$26,429$27,058$27,933$28,673$28,997$29,850$30,703$31,556$32,409$33,262
GS-3$28,838$29,799$30,760$31,721$32,683$33,644$34,605$35,567$36,528$37,489
GS-4$32,372$33,451$34,530$35,609$36,687$37,766$38,845$39,924$41,003$42,082
GS-5$36,218$37,425$38,632$39,839$41,047$42,254$43,461$44,668$45,875$47,082
GS-6$40,373$41,719$43,065$44,410$45,756$47,102$48,448$49,794$51,139$52,485
GS-7$44,864$46,359$47,854$49,349$50,844$52,338$53,833$55,328$56,823$58,318
GS-8$49,685$51,341$52,997$54,653$56,308$57,964$59,620$61,276$62,931$64,587
GS-9$54,877$56,707$58,536$60,366$62,195$64,024$65,854$67,683$69,512$71,342
GS-10$60,432$62,447$64,461$66,476$68,490$70,505$72,520$74,534$76,549$78,564
GS-11$66,397$68,609$70,822$73,035$75,247$77,460$79,673$81,886$84,098$86,311
GS-12$79,582$82,235$84,888$87,541$90,195$92,848$95,501$98,154$100,807$103,460
GS-13$94,633$97,787$100,941$104,095$107,250$110,404$113,558$116,712$119,866$123,021
GS-14$111,828$115,555$119,283$123,010$126,738$130,465$134,193$137,920$141,648$145,375
GS-15$131,539$135,924$140,309$144,693$149,078$153,463$157,847$162,232$166,617$171,001
GS Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
GS-1$22,886$23,654$24,414$25,172$25,932$26,377$27,130$27,888$27,918$28,628
GS-2$25,734$26,346$27,198$27,918$28,233$29,063$29,893$30,723$31,553$32,384
GS-3$28,078$29,014$29,950$30,886$31,821$32,757$33,693$34,628$35,564$36,500
GS-4$31,520$32,570$33,621$34,671$35,722$36,772$37,823$38,873$39,924$40,974
GS-5$35,265$36,441$37,616$38,792$39,968$41,144$42,319$43,495$44,671$45,847
GS-6$39,311$40,621$41,931$43,241$44,551$45,862$47,172$48,482$49,792$51,103
GS-7$43,683$45,139$46,596$48,052$49,508$50,965$52,421$53,877$55,334$56,790
GS-8$48,378$49,991$51,604$53,216$54,829$56,442$58,055$59,668$61,281$62,894
GS-9$53,433$55,214$56,995$58,776$60,557$62,338$64,119$65,900$67,681$69,462
GS-10$58,842$60,804$62,766$64,728$66,690$68,652$70,614$72,575$74,537$76,499
GS-11$64,649$66,805$68,960$71,116$73,271$75,427$77,582$79,738$81,893$84,049
GS-12$77,488$80,072$82,655$85,238$87,822$90,405$92,988$95,572$98,155$100,739
GS-13$92,143$95,215$98,286$101,358$104,429$107,501$110,572$113,644$116,715$119,787
GS-14$108,885$112,514$116,144$119,773$123,402$127,031$130,661$134,290$137,919$141,548
GS-15$128,078$132,348$136,617$140,886$145,155$149,425$153,694$157,963$162,233$166,502

* The 2024 General Schedule payscale is capped at a maximum salary of $191,900 per year, which is Level 4 of the Senior Executive Service payscale.

Des Moines Pay Locality Federal Employment Statistics

This section provides statistics on Federal government employees in the Des Moines pay area, including most common occupations, agencies with the most local employees, and the average paygrade and salary rates of general schedule employees in the area. All data in this section is derived from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)'s most recent available listings of federal employees in the Des Moines pay area.

Common Occupations in Des Moines Locality

Occupation Number Employed Avg. Salary Avg. Bonus
Veterans Claims Examining 109 $76,874.00 $0.00

This table lists the top one occupations held by the approximately 109 federal employees working in the Des Moines Locality, across all agencies, as well as average yearly compensation for Des Moines Locality based federal employees of that occupation.

Federal Agencies in Des Moines Locality

Agency Des Moines Locality Employees Avg. Salary Avg. Bonus
Veterans Benefits Administration 109 $76,874.00 $0.00

There are one Federal agency with a significant workforce in the Des Moines Locality. General Schedule employees at all of the agencies listed below will be paid according to the locality-adjusted GS payscale listed on this page.


Distribution of GS Employees in Des Moines Locality

There are approximately 109 federal employees on the General Schedule payscale located within the Des Moines pay area. The average federal employee in the Des Moines lcality earns $76,874 per year, and the average yearly bonus is $0.

Based on data provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the most common job title for federal employees based in the Des Moines locality is Veterans Claims Examining. The Federal agency with the largest number of employees in the Des Moines locality is the Veterans Benefits Administration, which has total of 109 employees in the area.

The bar graph to the left shows the distribution of employees in the Des Moines pay area by paygrade, from GS-1 to GS-15. To learn more about how paygrades are determined and how they affect a federal employee's salary, see how to calculate GS Pay.


The primary city to which the Des Moines locality area applies is Des Moines.

** This Document Provided By GeneralSchedule.org **
Source: http://www.generalschedule.org/localities/des-moines-ia