How a federal per diem rate is built
A federal per diem rate has two parts: a lodging cap, which depends on where you sleep and in many places on the month, and a flat daily amount for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). In FY 2027 the standard rate for most of the continental U.S. is $113 lodging plus $68 M&IE, $181 a day. GSA sets higher rates for 295 named areas.
The lodging cap
The lodging cap is a ceiling on the nightly room cost that is reimbursed, before taxes. It is the part of the rate that varies most. Across the 295 non-standard areas, the full-year average cap (the twelve monthly caps weighted by days) runs from $115 in Hot Springs to $334 in Key West. The median is $148, so half of the listed areas sit within about $35 of the standard rate.
| Full-year average lodging cap | Areas | Highest in band |
|---|---|---|
| $113 to $149 | 159 | White River Junction, Virginia Beach |
| $150 to $199 | 104 | Boca Raton / Delray Beach / Jupiter, San Mateo / Foster City / Belmont |
| $200 to $249 | 20 | Charleston, Telluride |
| $250 to $299 | 10 | New York City, Martha’s Vineyard |
| $300 and up | 2 | Key West, Park City |
Most non-standard areas are only a little above the standard. Of the 295, 159 average less than $150 a night, and only 12 average $250 or more. Those few are mostly resort towns and the largest coastal cities.
Some of the listed areas touch the standard rate for part of the year. In 18 areas the lowest monthly cap is exactly $113, so in their low season a traveler is capped as if the area were not listed at all; Fort Walton Beach / De Funiak Springs and Moab are examples. Another 22 areas never rise more than $10 above the standard in any month.
Months matter for lodging, not for meals
One lodging cap all year is the rule in 146 areas. The other 149 split the fiscal year into two to five periods, each starting on the first of a month, with a different cap in each. The M&IE rate never changes during the year: an area that pays $92 for meals in January pays the same in July. That is why a trip can cost very different amounts in two months at the same destination while the meal allowance stays put.
Meals and incidentals in five steps
M&IE is not set area by area from scratch. Every area falls on one of five tiers, from $68 to $92 a day. The lowest tier equals the standard rate, so an area can have a higher lodging cap and still the standard meal allowance.
| M&IE a day | Areas |
|---|---|
| $68 | 17 |
| $74 | 70 |
| $80 | 104 |
| $86 | 71 |
| $92 | 33 |
The middle tier, $80, is the most common. Each tier also comes with a fixed split into breakfast, lunch, dinner and incidentals, and a 75% amount for travel days; the first and last day rule explains how that works.
Adding the two parts
The highest possible day in an area is its peak lodging cap plus its M&IE. On their most expensive days, 63 areas reach $300 or more, led by Park City at $591. At the other end, 21 areas never exceed $199 a day.
Lodging is the larger part in every area. A full day at the full-year average lodging cap plus M&IE has a median of $228 across the 295 areas, and the median lodging share of that day is 64.9%. At the standard rate the split is 62.4% lodging. The share climbs in the resort towns: in Key West lodging is 79.5% of an average day.
Where an area begins and ends
Each area is defined by counties or independent cities, not by a city name alone. A town that is not named is covered if it lies in a listed county; if not, the standard rate applies. Some definitions cross state lines: the Washington, DC area also takes in Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax in Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. Every destination page on this site quotes GSA’s definition next to the rates.
Reading a destination page
Every destination page on this site follows the same order of evidence. The bar chart at the top shows the twelve monthly lodging caps against the standard rate. The panel beside it gives the daily M&IE, the 75% travel-day amount, the meal split from GSA’s breakdown and the highest possible day. Below come a sample four-day trip, the area’s full-year average from FY 2021 on, and where it ranks among the 295. The text at the top is chosen from the area’s own figures, so a ski town opens with its winter peak and a one-rate city with its rank or its change since last year.
To see how the parts combine for real dates, the trip calculator adds them up night by night. Rates apply to federal employees on official travel; the figures here are allowance ceilings, not hotel prices.
Sources: U.S. General Services Administration, per diem rate files FY 2021 to FY 2027; figures computed by Per Diem Rates. See reading the rates for how each measure is defined.