2026 Profession Salary Research
Software Engineer Salary Take-Home Pay by State (2026)
The median salary for software engineers and developers in the US is approximately $120,000/year. After federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and state income tax, your actual take-home pay varies significantly by state. Here is the full breakdown for 2026.
Best stateAlaska$93,250/year take-home
Worst stateOregon$83,483/year take-home
Difference$9,767/year between best and worst state
Top 10 states for tech workers
Software Engineer take-home pay by state
| Rank | State | Annual gross | Annual net | Monthly net | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 2 | Florida | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 3 | Nevada | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 5 | South Dakota | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 6 | Tennessee | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 7 | Texas | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 8 | Washington | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 9 | Wyoming | $120,000 | $93,250 | $7,771 | 22.3% |
| 10 | Vermont | $120,000 | $92,088 | $7,674 | 23.3% |
| 11 | North Dakota | $120,000 | $92,028 | $7,669 | 23.3% |
| 12 | Arizona | $120,000 | $90,850 | $7,571 | 24.3% |
| 13 | Ohio | $120,000 | $90,666 | $7,556 | 24.4% |
| 14 | Louisiana | $120,000 | $89,940 | $7,495 | 25.1% |
| 15 | Indiana | $120,000 | $89,740 | $7,478 | 25.2% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $120,000 | $89,566 | $7,464 | 25.4% |
| 17 | Mississippi | $120,000 | $89,194 | $7,433 | 25.7% |
| 18 | Iowa | $120,000 | $89,184 | $7,432 | 25.7% |
| 19 | Kentucky | $120,000 | $89,168 | $7,431 | 25.7% |
| 20 | North Carolina | $120,000 | $88,856 | $7,405 | 26.0% |
| 21 | West Virginia | $120,000 | $88,643 | $7,387 | 26.1% |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $120,000 | $88,639 | $7,387 | 26.1% |
| 23 | Missouri | $120,000 | $88,544 | $7,379 | 26.2% |
| 24 | Arkansas | $120,000 | $88,400 | $7,367 | 26.3% |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $120,000 | $88,371 | $7,364 | 26.4% |
| 26 | New Mexico | $120,000 | $88,365 | $7,364 | 26.4% |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $120,000 | $88,362 | $7,364 | 26.4% |
| 28 | Nebraska | $120,000 | $88,275 | $7,356 | 26.4% |
| 29 | Colorado | $120,000 | $88,212 | $7,351 | 26.5% |
| 30 | Connecticut | $120,000 | $88,200 | $7,350 | 26.5% |
| 31 | Michigan | $120,000 | $88,150 | $7,346 | 26.5% |
| 32 | Virginia | $120,000 | $87,998 | $7,333 | 26.7% |
| 33 | Utah | $120,000 | $87,850 | $7,321 | 26.8% |
| 34 | Maryland | $120,000 | $87,832 | $7,319 | 26.8% |
| 35 | Montana | $120,000 | $87,816 | $7,318 | 26.8% |
| 36 | Idaho | $120,000 | $87,686 | $7,307 | 26.9% |
| 37 | Georgia | $120,000 | $87,645 | $7,304 | 27.0% |
| 38 | Alabama | $120,000 | $87,490 | $7,291 | 27.1% |
| 39 | New Jersey | $120,000 | $87,465 | $7,289 | 27.1% |
| 40 | Massachusetts | $120,000 | $87,350 | $7,279 | 27.2% |
| 41 | Kansas | $120,000 | $87,348 | $7,279 | 27.2% |
| 42 | Illinois | $120,000 | $87,310 | $7,276 | 27.2% |
| 43 | New York | $120,000 | $87,098 | $7,258 | 27.4% |
| 44 | South Carolina | $120,000 | $86,706 | $7,226 | 27.7% |
| 45 | Maine | $120,000 | $86,565 | $7,214 | 27.9% |
| 46 | Delaware | $120,000 | $86,561 | $7,213 | 27.9% |
| 47 | District of Columbia | $120,000 | $86,019 | $7,168 | 28.3% |
| 48 | Minnesota | $120,000 | $85,840 | $7,153 | 28.5% |
| 49 | Hawaii | $120,000 | $85,570 | $7,131 | 28.7% |
| 50 | California | $120,000 | $83,915 | $6,993 | 30.1% |
| 51 | Oregon | $120,000 | $83,483 | $6,957 | 30.4% |
Calculate your exact Software Engineer take-home pay ->
Start with the highest take-home states for this median salary.
Median salary based on BLS Occupational Employment Statistics approximations. Calculations use IRS Publication 15-T 2026 tables, FICA rates (SS 6.20% on wages up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%), and each state's official withholding methodology. Single filing status, biweekly pay, no pre-tax deductions.
Cite This Study
APA:
ExactTakeHome Team. (2026). Software Engineer Salary Take-Home Pay by State (2026). ExactTakeHome.
https://exacttakehome.com/research/salary-by-profession/software-engineer/
BibTeX:
@misc{exacttakehome2026softwareengineersalary,
title = {Software Engineer Salary Take-Home Pay by State (2026)},
author = {{ExactTakeHome Team}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://exacttakehome.com/research/salary-by-profession/software-engineer/},
note = {Accessed June 2026}
}