Rochester, NY WG Pay Scale 2026 (Wage Area 096)
In the Rochester, New York wage area, a WG-10 earns $29.85 at step 1, $31.09 at step 2 and $34.82 at step 5 under schedule 496 (Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY), effective June 14, 2026. Step 2 is about $64,885 a year at 2,087 hours, an estimate.
Schedule 496 is the one that holds the most of the wage area's survey counties (5 CFR 532, Appendix C). One other schedule covers other GS locality pay areas inside the wage area; it is listed below.
Below are the WG, WL and WS hourly rates for every grade and step and the counties covered. See WG pay scale 2026 for every wage area.
Maintained by Archie Chang · DCPAS schedules checked October 31, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Schedule 496: Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY (Rochester, NY)
Issued June 9, 2026, effective June 14, 2026, superseding the schedule issued April 14, 2026. GS locality: Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY (RT). For General Schedule pay in the same locality, see Rochester NY GS pay scale 2026.
WG: nonsupervisory grades 1 to 15
| WG (nonsupervisory) grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WG-1 | $16.34$34,102 | $17.02$35,521 | $17.71$36,961 | $18.39$38,380 | $19.06$39,778 |
| WG-2 | $17.63$36,794 | $18.38$38,359 | $19.12$39,903 | $19.85$41,427 | $20.58$42,950 |
| WG-3 | $19.07$39,799 | $19.86$41,448 | $20.65$43,097 | $21.44$44,745 | $22.24$46,415 |
| WG-4 | $20.49$42,763 | $21.37$44,599 | $22.21$46,352 | $23.04$48,084 | $23.88$49,838 |
| WG-5 | $21.90$45,705 | $22.81$47,604 | $23.75$49,566 | $24.62$51,382 | $25.56$53,344 |
| WG-6 | $23.60$49,253 | $24.58$51,298 | $25.56$53,344 | $26.55$55,410 | $27.51$57,413 |
| WG-7 | $25.27$52,738 | $26.37$55,034 | $27.41$57,205 | $28.44$59,354 | $29.52$61,608 |
| WG-8 | $26.82$55,973 | $27.97$58,373 | $29.08$60,690 | $30.16$62,944 | $31.33$65,386 |
| WG-9 | $28.30$59,062 | $29.48$61,525 | $30.65$63,967 | $31.81$66,387 | $32.99$68,850 |
| WG-10 | $29.85$62,297 | $31.09$64,885 | $32.34$67,494 | $33.58$70,081 | $34.82$72,669 |
| WG-11 | $31.34$65,407 | $32.62$68,078 | $33.94$70,833 | $35.24$73,546 | $36.57$76,322 |
| WG-12 | $32.81$68,474 | $34.16$71,292 | $35.53$74,151 | $36.90$77,010 | $38.27$79,869 |
| WG-13 | $34.26$71,501 | $35.68$74,464 | $37.12$77,469 | $38.55$80,454 | $39.96$83,397 |
| WG-14 | $35.75$74,610 | $37.23$77,699 | $38.72$80,809 | $40.21$83,918 | $41.73$87,091 |
| WG-15 | $37.25$77,741 | $38.82$81,017 | $40.36$84,231 | $41.94$87,529 | $43.45$90,680 |
WL: leader grades 1 to 15
| WL (leader) grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WL-1 | $17.97$37,503 | $18.72$39,069 | $19.47$40,634 | $20.23$42,220 | $20.96$43,744 |
| WL-2 | $19.40$40,488 | $20.23$42,220 | $21.02$43,869 | $21.82$45,538 | $22.65$47,271 |
| WL-3 | $20.96$43,744 | $21.83$45,559 | $22.72$47,417 | $23.60$49,253 | $24.47$51,069 |
| WL-4 | $22.57$47,104 | $23.49$49,024 | $24.42$50,965 | $25.35$52,905 | $26.25$54,784 |
| WL-5 | $24.09$50,276 | $25.11$52,405 | $26.09$54,450 | $27.08$56,516 | $28.10$58,645 |
| WL-6 | $25.95$54,158 | $27.02$56,391 | $28.10$58,645 | $29.19$60,920 | $30.26$63,153 |
| WL-7 | $27.84$58,102 | $28.99$60,502 | $30.13$62,881 | $31.31$65,344 | $32.45$67,723 |
| WL-8 | $29.53$61,629 | $30.74$64,154 | $31.96$66,701 | $33.20$69,288 | $34.44$71,876 |
| WL-9 | $31.15$65,010 | $32.42$67,661 | $33.73$70,395 | $35.00$73,045 | $36.30$75,758 |
| WL-10 | $32.83$68,516 | $34.20$71,375 | $35.58$74,255 | $36.94$77,094 | $38.31$79,953 |
| WL-11 | $34.47$71,939 | $35.90$74,923 | $37.34$77,929 | $38.75$80,871 | $40.19$83,877 |
| WL-12 | $36.07$75,278 | $37.55$78,367 | $39.08$81,560 | $40.59$84,711 | $42.11$87,884 |
| WL-13 | $37.73$78,743 | $39.31$82,040 | $40.88$85,317 | $42.37$88,426 | $43.97$91,765 |
| WL-14 | $39.34$82,103 | $40.97$85,504 | $42.61$88,927 | $44.23$92,308 | $45.88$95,752 |
| WL-15 | $40.99$85,546 | $42.71$89,136 | $44.39$92,642 | $46.12$96,252 | $47.81$99,779 |
WS: supervisory grades 1 to 19
| WS (supervisory) grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS-1 | $25.29$52,780 | $26.36$55,013 | $27.41$57,205 | $28.46$59,396 | $29.50$61,567 |
| WS-2 | $26.35$54,992 | $27.44$57,267 | $28.53$59,542 | $29.61$61,796 | $30.74$64,154 |
| WS-3 | $27.77$57,956 | $28.95$60,419 | $30.06$62,735 | $31.22$65,156 | $32.38$67,577 |
| WS-4 | $29.29$61,128 | $30.52$63,695 | $31.74$66,241 | $32.95$68,767 | $34.17$71,313 |
| WS-5 | $31.00$64,697 | $32.29$67,389 | $33.60$70,123 | $34.87$72,774 | $36.17$75,487 |
| WS-6 | $32.72$68,287 | $34.05$71,062 | $35.45$73,984 | $36.80$76,802 | $38.16$79,640 |
| WS-7 | $34.33$71,647 | $35.74$74,589 | $37.16$77,553 | $38.57$80,496 | $40.01$83,501 |
| WS-8 | $35.76$74,631 | $37.23$77,699 | $38.77$80,913 | $40.21$83,918 | $41.72$87,070 |
| WS-9 | $37.21$77,657 | $38.80$80,976 | $40.33$84,169 | $41.88$87,404 | $43.39$90,555 |
| WS-10 | $38.80$80,976 | $40.42$84,357 | $42.03$87,717 | $43.65$91,098 | $45.27$94,478 |
| WS-11 | $39.61$82,666 | $41.24$86,068 | $42.91$89,553 | $44.56$92,997 | $46.19$96,399 |
| WS-12 | $40.84$85,233 | $42.55$88,802 | $44.22$92,287 | $45.94$95,877 | $47.63$99,404 |
| WS-13 | $42.29$88,259 | $44.05$91,932 | $45.81$95,605 | $47.57$99,279 | $49.33$102,952 |
| WS-14 | $43.75$91,306 | $45.57$95,105 | $47.39$98,903 | $49.19$102,660 | $51.04$106,520 |
| WS-15 | $45.35$94,645 | $47.22$98,548 | $49.10$102,472 | $51.00$106,437 | $52.87$110,340 |
| WS-16 | $47.71$99,571 | $49.72$103,766 | $51.67$107,835 | $53.62$111,905 | $55.61$116,058 |
| WS-17 | $50.39$105,164 | $52.54$109,651 | $54.64$114,034 | $56.73$118,396 | $58.83$122,778 |
| WS-18 | $53.49$111,634 | $55.69$116,225 | $57.93$120,900 | $60.17$125,575 | $62.41$130,250 |
| WS-19 | $52.72$110,027 | $54.92$114,618 | $57.12$119,209 | $59.31$123,780 | $61.51$128,371 |
Counties covered by schedule 496
Genesee County, NY; Livingston County, NY; Monroe County, NY; Ontario County, NY; Orleans County, NY; Seneca County, NY; Wayne County, NY; Yates County, NY
Schedule 096: Rest of United States (Rochester, NY)
Issued June 9, 2026, effective June 14, 2026, superseding the schedule issued April 14, 2026. GS locality: Rest of United States (RUS). For General Schedule pay in the same locality, see Rest of U.S. GS pay scale 2026.
WG: nonsupervisory grades 1 to 15
| WG (nonsupervisory) grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WG-1 | $16.23$33,872 | $16.90$35,270 | $17.59$36,710 | $18.26$38,109 | $18.94$39,528 |
| WG-2 | $17.51$36,543 | $18.25$38,088 | $18.99$39,632 | $19.71$41,135 | $20.43$42,637 |
| WG-3 | $18.95$39,549 | $19.73$41,177 | $20.51$42,804 | $21.30$44,453 | $22.07$46,060 |
| WG-4 | $20.35$42,470 | $21.21$44,265 | $22.05$46,018 | $22.88$47,751 | $23.73$49,525 |
| WG-5 | $21.78$45,455 | $22.67$47,312 | $23.60$49,253 | $24.47$51,069 | $25.41$53,031 |
| WG-6 | $23.44$48,919 | $24.41$50,944 | $25.39$52,989 | $26.36$55,013 | $27.33$57,038 |
| WG-7 | $25.09$52,363 | $26.17$54,617 | $27.21$56,787 | $28.24$58,937 | $29.32$61,191 |
| WG-8 | $26.63$55,577 | $27.78$57,977 | $28.89$60,293 | $29.95$62,506 | $31.10$64,906 |
| WG-9 | $28.10$58,645 | $29.28$61,107 | $30.44$63,528 | $31.59$65,928 | $32.76$68,370 |
| WG-10 | $29.64$61,859 | $30.88$64,447 | $32.11$67,014 | $33.33$69,560 | $34.59$72,189 |
| WG-11 | $31.11$64,927 | $32.40$67,619 | $33.70$70,332 | $35.00$73,045 | $36.31$75,779 |
| WG-12 | $32.59$68,015 | $33.92$70,791 | $35.27$73,608 | $36.64$76,468 | $38.01$79,327 |
| WG-13 | $34.04$71,041 | $35.44$73,963 | $36.87$76,948 | $38.28$79,890 | $39.69$82,833 |
| WG-14 | $35.50$74,089 | $36.98$77,177 | $38.45$80,245 | $39.94$83,355 | $41.44$86,485 |
| WG-15 | $37.00$77,219 | $38.55$80,454 | $40.09$83,668 | $41.66$86,944 | $43.16$90,075 |
WL: leader grades 1 to 15
| WL (leader) grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WL-1 | $17.85$37,253 | $18.59$38,797 | $19.34$40,363 | $20.08$41,907 | $20.82$43,451 |
| WL-2 | $19.26$40,196 | $20.08$41,907 | $20.88$43,577 | $21.67$45,225 | $22.49$46,937 |
| WL-3 | $20.82$43,451 | $21.69$45,267 | $22.57$47,104 | $23.44$48,919 | $24.31$50,735 |
| WL-4 | $22.41$46,770 | $23.33$48,690 | $24.23$50,568 | $25.17$52,530 | $26.10$54,471 |
| WL-5 | $23.95$49,984 | $24.97$52,112 | $25.94$54,137 | $26.93$56,203 | $27.94$58,311 |
| WL-6 | $25.76$53,761 | $26.83$55,994 | $27.91$58,248 | $28.98$60,481 | $30.05$62,714 |
| WL-7 | $27.65$57,706 | $28.79$60,085 | $29.92$62,443 | $31.09$64,885 | $32.22$67,243 |
| WL-8 | $29.33$61,212 | $30.52$63,695 | $31.74$66,241 | $32.98$68,829 | $34.19$71,355 |
| WL-9 | $30.93$64,551 | $32.19$67,181 | $33.50$69,915 | $34.76$72,544 | $36.05$75,236 |
| WL-10 | $32.61$68,057 | $33.97$70,895 | $35.33$73,734 | $36.69$76,572 | $38.04$79,389 |
| WL-11 | $34.22$71,417 | $35.65$74,402 | $37.08$77,386 | $38.48$80,308 | $39.92$83,313 |
| WL-12 | $35.83$74,777 | $37.29$77,824 | $38.82$81,017 | $40.31$84,127 | $41.82$87,278 |
| WL-13 | $37.47$78,200 | $39.04$81,476 | $40.60$84,732 | $42.09$87,842 | $43.67$91,139 |
| WL-14 | $39.07$81,539 | $40.69$84,920 | $42.31$88,301 | $43.93$91,682 | $45.56$95,084 |
| WL-15 | $40.71$84,962 | $42.40$88,489 | $44.09$92,016 | $45.80$95,585 | $47.49$99,112 |
WS: supervisory grades 1 to 19
| WS (supervisory) grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS-1 | $25.11$52,405 | $26.16$54,596 | $27.21$56,787 | $28.26$58,979 | $29.31$61,170 |
| WS-2 | $26.15$54,575 | $27.24$56,850 | $28.34$59,146 | $29.43$61,420 | $30.52$63,695 |
| WS-3 | $27.60$57,601 | $28.77$60,043 | $29.89$62,380 | $31.04$64,780 | $32.18$67,160 |
| WS-4 | $29.09$60,711 | $30.30$63,236 | $31.52$65,782 | $32.73$68,308 | $33.93$70,812 |
| WS-5 | $30.80$64,280 | $32.08$66,951 | $33.36$69,622 | $34.64$72,294 | $35.92$74,965 |
| WS-6 | $32.49$67,807 | $33.82$70,582 | $35.20$73,462 | $36.54$76,259 | $37.90$79,097 |
| WS-7 | $34.10$71,167 | $35.49$74,068 | $36.91$77,031 | $38.30$79,932 | $39.74$82,937 |
| WS-8 | $35.51$74,109 | $36.98$77,177 | $38.50$80,350 | $39.94$83,355 | $41.43$86,464 |
| WS-9 | $36.96$77,136 | $38.53$80,412 | $40.05$83,584 | $41.59$86,798 | $43.09$89,929 |
| WS-10 | $38.53$80,412 | $40.14$83,772 | $41.75$87,132 | $43.35$90,471 | $44.96$93,832 |
| WS-11 | $39.33$82,082 | $40.96$85,484 | $42.62$88,948 | $44.25$92,350 | $45.88$95,752 |
| WS-12 | $40.57$84,670 | $42.25$88,176 | $43.92$91,661 | $45.62$95,209 | $47.30$98,715 |
| WS-13 | $41.99$87,633 | $43.75$91,306 | $45.51$94,979 | $47.24$98,590 | $48.99$102,242 |
| WS-14 | $43.45$90,680 | $45.24$94,416 | $47.07$98,235 | $48.86$101,971 | $50.69$105,790 |
| WS-15 | $45.04$93,998 | $46.91$97,901 | $48.77$101,783 | $50.65$105,707 | $52.50$109,568 |
| WS-16 | $47.37$98,861 | $49.36$103,014 | $51.30$107,063 | $53.24$111,112 | $55.22$115,244 |
| WS-17 | $50.05$104,454 | $52.17$108,879 | $54.25$113,220 | $56.34$117,582 | $58.41$121,902 |
| WS-18 | $53.13$110,882 | $55.30$115,411 | $57.52$120,044 | $59.76$124,719 | $61.99$129,373 |
| WS-19 | $52.72$110,027 | $54.92$114,618 | $57.12$119,209 | $59.31$123,780 | $61.51$128,371 |
Counties covered by schedule 096
Chemung County, NY; Schuyler County, NY; Steuben County, NY; Tioga County, PA
Other wage areas in New York and Pennsylvania
- Albany-Schenectady, NY WG-10 step 2 $33.96
- Buffalo, NY WG-10 step 2 $34.68
- New York-Newark, NY WG-10 step 2 $36.01
- Northern New York WG-10 step 2 $28.64
- Syracuse-Utica-Rome, NY WG-10 step 2 $33.25
- Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC WG-10 step 2 $36.18
- Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA WG-10 step 2 $30.07
- Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA WG-10 step 2 $33.11
- Pittsburgh, PA WG-10 step 2 $33.03
- Scranton-Wilkes Barre, PA WG-10 step 2 $28.37
Rochester, NY WG pay questions
What is the WG-10 rate in Rochester, NY?
Under schedule 496 (Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY, the schedule that holds the most of the wage area's survey counties), WG-10 is $29.85 at step 1, $31.09 at step 2 and $34.82 at step 5. At 2,087 hours a year, step 2 is about $64,885, an estimate. The other schedule is on this page.
When did the Rochester, NY wage schedule take effect?
DCPAS issued schedule 496 on June 9, 2026 with an effective date of June 14, 2026. It replaced the schedule issued April 14, 2026. New schedules follow each local wage survey, so check DCPAS for a newer one.
Why does Rochester, NY have two schedules?
The wage area overlaps more than one General Schedule locality pay area, so DCPAS publishes one schedule for each: 096 (Rest of United States); 496 (Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY). This page leads with schedule 496, the one that holds the most of the wage area's survey counties (5 CFR 532 Appendix C). Use the schedule for the GS locality of your duty station. The county lists on this page show where each applies.
Are these the rates paid in Rochester, NY?
These are the regular schedule rates. DCPAS marks schedule 096 as impacted by OPM CPM 2022-02 (the $15 per hour minimum pay rate for federal employees) and points to special rate schedule M096 for the payable rates. The rates shown are the regular schedule. Find the special schedules on the DCPAS site under "Special".
Which counties does the Rochester, NY wage area cover?
DCPAS lists 8 counties or areas for schedule 496; the full list is on this page. OPM's final rule on wage area criteria took effect on October 1, 2025, and DCPAS says it affects approximately 230 counties, so check the list if your county may have moved.
Sources (checked October 31, 2026): DCPAS Wage and Salary Division, appropriated fund wage schedules · 5 CFR 532.203, structure of regular wage schedules (eCFR) · 5 CFR 532.201, definitions (eCFR) · 5 CFR 532.211, criteria for appropriated fund wage areas (eCFR) · 5 CFR 532.417, within-grade increases (eCFR) · 5 U.S.C. 5343, prevailing rate determinations · 5 U.S.C. 5342, definitions · 5 U.S.C. 5504, biweekly pay periods; computation of pay · Federal Register, January 21, 2025 (90 FR 7428), final rule on wage area criteria · OPM, Facts About the Federal Wage System · OPM CPM 2025-20, Fiscal Year 2026 Prevailing Rate Pay Adjustments · OPM CPM 2026-05, Update to Fiscal Year 2026 Prevailing Rate Pay Adjustments · House Document 119-189, Alternative Plan for Pay Adjustments (January 2027)