It's unclear whether the recommendations would take effect as soon as 2023 at this stage. Image: Rainer Lesniewski/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffFollowing are lists of areas in which federal employees would get immediate pay boosts—by moving from the lowest-paid rest of the U.S. locality into either a new or an existing locality with higher pay—under the Federal Salary Council’s latest recommendations.
Those recommendations included creating four new localities plus three changes regarding boundaries of locality pay areas: adopting the latest definitions of metropolitan areas, easing the rules for attaching outlying areas to existing localities, and adding to localities areas that are surrounded or nearly surrounded by existing localities.
The recommendations now go to the President’s Pay Agent for review; it currently is unclear whether the recommendations would take effect as soon as 2023 even if approved by that body.
The Working Group recommends:
Establishing Fresno, CA, and Spokane, WA, as new locality pay areas. This recommendation would impact roughly 11,400 GS employees in those two Rest of US research areas.
Establishing Reno, NV, and Rochester, NY, as new locality pay areas, based on pay disparities calculated using NCS/OEWS salary estimates. This recommendation would impact roughly 4,800 GS employees in the Reno, NV, and Rochester, NY, areas.
Locations Added to Locality Pay Areas Resulting from Use of CBSA Updates
Albuquerque, NM Mora County, NM
Atlanta, GA
Floyd County, GA
Habersham County, GA
Stephens County, GA
Burlington, VT Washington County, VT
Charlotte, NC Anson County, NC
Cleveland, OH Wayne County, OH
Corpus Christ, TX Duval County, TX
Des Moines, IA
Mahaska County, IA
Marion County, IA
Minneapolis, MN Steele County, MN
Phoenix, AZ Gila County, AZ
San Jose, CA
Merced County, CA
Stanislaus County, CA
Virginia Beach, VA
Franklin City, VA 0
Southampton County, VA
Washington, DC Madison County, VA
Total GS Employees Impacted: 1,294
Multi-County CBSAs Proposed as Areas of Application
Atlanta, GA Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA
Birmingham, AL Tuscaloosa, AL MSA
Boston, MA Lebanon, NH-VT Micropolitan Area
Charlotte, NC Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA
Chicago, IL Rockford-Freeport-Rochelle, IL CSA
Cleveland, OH Mansfield-Ashland-Bucyrus, OH CSA
Cleveland, OH Youngstown-Warren, OH-PA CSA
Dallas, TX Ardmore, OK Micropolitan Area
Davenport, IA Dixon-Sterling, IL CSA
Dayton, OH Lima-Van Wert-Celina, OH CSA
Detroit, MI Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA
Huntsville, AL Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL MSA
Indianapolis, IN Bloomington-Bedford, IN CSA
Indianapolis, IN Lafayette-West Lafayette-Frankfort, IN CSA
Indianapolis, IN Richmond-Connersville, IN CSA
Minneapolis, MN Mankato-New Ulm, MN CSA
Minneapolis, MN Rochester-Austin, MN CSA
Philadelphia, PA Salisbury-Cambridge, MD-DE CSA (excludes portion already in
Washington-Baltimore locality pay area)
Pittsburgh, PA Johnstown-Somerset, PA CSA
Pittsburgh, PA Wheeling, WV-OH MSA
Raleigh, NC Fayetteville, NC MSA (all but Moore County, NC,
is already in the Raleigh locality pay area and will remain there).
Raleigh, NC Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC CSA
San Antonio, TX Kerrville-Fredericksburg, TX CSA
Washington, DC Cumberland, MD-WV MSA
Total GS Employees Impacted: 11,589
Single-County CBSAs Proposed as Areas of Application
Pay Area | Place Name | Single-County MSA
Birmingham, AL | Etowah Co. AL | Gadsden, AL MSA
Detroit, MI | Jackson Co. MI | Jackson, MI MSA
Milwaukee, WI | Fond du Lac Co | Fond du Lac, WI MSA
Milwaukee, WI | Sheboygan Co. WI | Sheboygan, WI MSA
Sacramento, CA | Butte Co. CA | Chico, CA MSA
Total GS Employees Impacted: 477
Locations completely or almost completely bordered by higher paying locality pay areas
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) staff has determined that Emporia City, VA—a U.S. county equivalent contained within Greensville County, VA—would be completely surrounded by Richmond, VA, locality pay if Greensville County is added to the Richmond locality pay area as we recommend. The Pay Agent has agreed that a single county Rest of US location completely surrounded by higher locality pay should be established as an area of application. Thus, if Greensville County is included in the Richmond locality pay area as we recommend, then Emporia City should be included as well.
For the following locations bordered only by water and higher-paying locality pay areas, we recommend they be included in higher-paying locality pay areas because in our view they are similar to locations completely bordered by land that is included in higher-paying locality pay areas:
o Dukes and Nantucket Counties, MA, which would be included in the Boston locality pay area as areas of application;
o Huron County, MI, which would be included in the Detroit locality pay area as an area of application; and
o Pacific and San Juan Counties, WA, which would be included in the Seattle locality pay area as areas of application.
Single Counties Proposed as Areas of Application
Existing Locality/Area Proposed
Albany, NY Greene Co. NY
Albany, NY Hamilton Co. NY
Atlanta, GA Banks Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Cherokee Co. AL
Atlanta, GA Cleburne Co. AL
Atlanta, GA Elbert Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Franklin Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Gilmer Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Greene Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Lumpkin Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Putnam Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Rabun Co. GA
Atlanta, GA Randolph Co. AL
Atlanta, GA Taliaferro Co. GA
Atlanta, GA White Co. GA
Austin, TX Blanco Co. TX
Austin, TX Burnet Co. TX
Austin, TX Lee Co. TX
Austin, TX Milam Co. TX
Birmingham, AL Winston Co. AL
Boston, MA Carroll Co. NH
Boston, MA Cheshire Co. NH
Buffalo, NY Wyoming Co. NY
Burlington, VT Addison Co. VT
Burlington, VT Lamoille Co. VT
Charlotte, NC Chesterfield Co. SC
Chicago, IL Iroquois Co. IL
Chicago, IL Starke Co. IN
Cincinnati, OH Adams Co. OH
Cincinnati, OH Carroll Co. KY
Cincinnati, OH Fleming Co. KY
Cincinnati, OH Highland Co. OH
Cincinnati, OH Lewis Co. KY
Cincinnati, OH Owen Co. KY
Cincinnati, OH Ripley Co. IN
Cincinnati, OH Robertson Co. KY
Cincinnati, OH Switzerland Co. IN
Cleveland, OH Holmes Co. OH
Columbus, OH Coshocton Co. OH
Columbus, OH Hardin Co. OH
Columbus, OH Morgan Co. OH
Columbus, OH Noble Co. OH
Columbus, OH Pike Co. OH
Columbus, OH Vinton Co. OH
Corpus Christi, TX Live Oak Co. TX
Corpus Christi, TX Refugio Co. TX
Dallas, TX Hill Co. TX
Dallas, TX Jack Co. TX
Dallas, TX Montague Co. TX
Dallas, TX Rains Co. TX
Dallas, TX Van Zandt Co. TX
Davenport, IA Cedar Co. IA
Davenport, IA Jackson Co. IA
Davenport, IA Louisa Co. IA
Denver, CO Lincoln Co. CO
Des Moines , IA Adair Co. IA
Des Moines, IA Clarke Co. IA
Des Moines, IA Greene Co. IA
Des Moines, IA Hamilton Co. IA
Des Moines, IA Lucas Co. IA
Des Moines, IA Monroe Co. IA
Des Moines, IA Poweshiek Co. IA
Detroit, MI Sanilac Co. MI
Detroit, MI Tuscola Co. MI
Harrisburg, PA Juniata Co. PA
Houston, TX Colorado Co. TX
Houston, TX Grimes Co. TX
Houston, TX Jackson Co. TX
Houston, TX Madison Co. TX
Huntsville, AL Lincoln Co. TN
Indianapolis, IN Blackford Co. IN
Indianapolis, IN Fountain Co. IN
Indianapolis, IN Randolph Co. IN
Indianapolis, IN Rush Co. IN
Indianapolis, IN Tipton Co. IN
Kansas City, MO Anderson Co. KS
Kansas City, MO Carroll Co. MO
Kansas City, MO Daviess Co. MO
Kansas City, MO Gentry Co. MO
Kansas City, MO Henry Co. MO
Kansas City, MO Holt Co. MO
Laredo, TX La Salle Co. TX
Minneapolis, MN Kanabec Co. MN
Minneapolis, MN Meeker Co. MN
Minneapolis, MN Morrison Co. MN
Minneapolis, MN Pine Co. MN
Minneapolis, MN Polk Co. WI
Minneapolis, MN Waseca Co. MN
New York, NY Sullivan Co. NY
New York, NY Wayne Co. PA
Omaha, NE Burt Co. NE
Omaha, NE Fremont Co. IA
Omaha, NE Shelby Co. IA
Pittsburgh, PA Greene Co. PA
Portland, OR Wahkiakum Co. WA
Raleigh, NC Caswell Co. NC
Raleigh, NC Warren Co. NC
Richmond, VA Brunswick Co. VA
Richmond, VA Essex Co. VA
Richmond, VA Greensville Co. VA
Richmond, VA Nottoway Co. VA
Sacramento, CA Alpine Co. CA
Sacramento, CA Amador Co. CA
Sacramento, CA Colusa Co. CA
Sacramento, CA Sierra Co. CA
San Antonio, TX Karnes Co. TX
San Antonio, TX McMullen Co. TX
San Jose, CA Calaveras Co. CA
Seattle, WA Grays Harbor Co. WA
St. Louis, MO Crawford Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Fayette Co. IL
St. Louis, MO Gasconade Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Greene Co. IL
St. Louis, MO Iron Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Madison Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Montgomery Co. IL
St. Louis, MO Montgomery Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Pike Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Randolph Co. IL
St. Louis, MO Ste. Genevieve Co. MO
St. Louis, MO Washington Co. IL
St. Louis, MO Washington Co. MO
Virginia Beach, VA Chowan Co. NC
Virginia Beach, VA Hertford Co. NC
Virginia Beach, VA Middlesex Co. VA
Virginia Beach, VA Surry Co. VA
Washington, DC Caroline Co. MD
Washington, DC Fulton Co. PA
Washington, DC Hardy Co. WV
Washington, DC Orange Co. VA
Washington, DC Shenandoah Co. VA
Total GS Employees Impacted: 2,742
Locations Adjacent to Multiple Pay Areas Proposed as Areas of Application
Clay County, AL
Schuylkill County, PA
Gonzales County,
Jim Hogg County,
Westmoreland County, VA
Total GS Employees Impacted: 607
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See also,
What Are Desk Audits? Understanding Position Classification Appeals
Key Senate Bill Backs 4.6 Percent Raise, Would Ban Future Schedule F
Newly Offered Bills Show Sharply Differing Visions for Federal Workforce
Your FERS Annuity is Worth More Than You Think
