How State Pay Scales Work: Grades, Steps, and Ranges

Pay grades

A pay grade (sometimes called a pay range, salary grade, or pay band) groups jobs of similar responsibility onto the same pay line, and every job classification is assigned to one. A state might have 30–40 grades, and higher grades generally pay more. For a closer look at how grades are defined and assigned, see what a civil-service pay grade is.

Grades are identified by a code — a number like 13, or an alphanumeric code like R22. Codes are not always numeric, and they do not always sort in an obvious order, which is why every schedule states its own grade labels.

Steps and the grid

Within a grade, many states define steps — fixed points an employee advances through over time, usually one step per year until reaching the top. A grade with 10 steps is a row of 10 salaries, each a little higher than the last.

Put the grades (rows) and steps (columns) together and you get a grade × step grid — the most common state pay schedule. You can see live examples on any state hub, such as New York or Washington.

Salary ranges

Not every state uses steps. Some publish a range instead — just a minimum and maximum salary per grade, with pay set anywhere in between, a structure common in broadband pay systems. A range plan tells you the floor and ceiling for a job, but not a fixed step schedule.

Why effective dates matter

Pay scales change — raises commonly take effect on July 1 or January 1. A salary figure is only meaningful with the date it applies from, so every schedule here shows its effective date and links to the source it came from. See our methodology for how we date and verify each table.