What is W-1 BAH at Salem in 2026?

$2,418 per month with dependents ($29,016 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $1,839 per month.

Does BAH count as taxable income?

No. BAH is excluded from federal taxable income, so a given BAH amount is worth more than the same figure in basic pay.

What happens if my BAH rate drops this year?

BAH rate protection holds you at the prior year's amount as long as your duty location, pay grade and dependency status stay the same. The lower rate applies to members arriving on new orders.

W-1 BAH at Salem 2026 — $2,418/mo with dependents

Basic Allowance for Housing by duty station, pay grade and dependency status. Official DoD rates, no login, no email.

Salem, OR

W-1 · with dependents

$2,418/ month

$29,016 / year

At W-1, this is #161 of 338 stations loaded · high San Francisco $5,472 · low Youngstown $1,350

MHA OR244 · ZIPs 97002 97020 97026 97032 97071 97137 +27 more

Your grade is calledARMYWO1USMCWONAVYWO1

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,100 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$1,839 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Salem — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$1,872	$1,455
E-2	$1,872	$1,455
E-3	$1,872	$1,455
E-4	$1,872	$1,455
E-5	$2,004	$1,635
E-6	$2,397	$1,797
E-7	$2,511	$1,884
E-8	$2,634	$2,088
E-9	$2,796	$2,199
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,418	$1,839
W-2	$2,562	$2,085
W-3	$2,712	$2,214
W-4	$2,826	$2,421
W-5	$2,967	$2,538
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$2,532	$2,001
O-2E	$2,688	$2,175
O-3E	$2,847	$2,391
Officer
O-1	$2,058	$1,740
O-2	$2,394	$1,965
O-3	$2,709	$2,253
O-4	$3,009	$2,514
O-5	$3,228	$2,580
O-6	$3,252	$2,691
O-7	$3,276	$2,736

What this rate means

W-1 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $5,472 / month

San Francisco$5,472

Cleveland$2,439

Hampton$2,436

Grand Rapids$2,421

Chattanooga$2,418

Salem$2,418

College Station$2,412

Durham$2,409

County Cost Group 810$2,406

Ocala$2,406

Youngstown$1,350

Salem is #161 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $4,122 a month — $49,464 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Salem0 – $3,276 / month

E-1$1,872

E-2$1,872

E-3$1,872

E-4$1,872

E-5$2,004

E-6$2,397

E-7$2,511

E-8$2,634

E-9$2,796

W-1$2,418

W-2$2,562

W-3$2,712

W-4$2,826

W-5$2,967

O-1E$2,532

O-2E$2,688

O-3E$2,847

O-1$2,058

O-2$2,394

O-3$2,709

O-4$3,009

O-5$3,228

O-6$3,252

O-7$3,276

Promoting to W-2 here adds $144 a month. The pay chart moves this allowance far less than the map does.

Where you are stationed outweighs what you are paid. Moving from Salem to San Francisco at W-1 is worth $3,054 a month — about 21 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $144 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 31% here. That is a status your finance office determines, not a box you tick — and it is the single largest lever on this page that is not a change of address.

None of it is taxed. $2,418 a month of BAH takes more than $2,418 of basic pay to match, which is why comparing a civilian salary against military base pay alone understates the gap.

Things the rate table doesn't tell you

“With dependents” is a dependency status, not a marital status. A single member paying child support can be authorized BAH-Diff; a married dual-military couple with no children is not automatically the with-dependents rate for both. If your situation is unusual, your finance office decides — not this table.

O-8, O-9 and O-10 draw the same BAH as O-7. The table stops there for a reason, not because it is missing rows.

This is CONUS BAH only. Overseas is OHA, which works differently — it reimburses actual rent up to a cap, with separate utility and move-in allowances. Alaska and Hawaii are BAH; Germany, Japan and Korea are OHA.

W-1 with dependents at Salem draws $2,418 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you