SOC 15-1243

Data Engineer Salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + TX
COL Index: 107.37 (+7.4% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 71.9% Realized
$99,998 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $139,100 $66.88/hr
Effective Tax Drag 22.11% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 24% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$30,756 $1,182.93/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $66.88 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$8,346/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$2,003/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$20,115
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$8,624
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$2,017
Texas Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$0
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$99,998 ($3,846.07 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Data Engineer Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $139,100
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $78.8k 25th $119k Median: $139,100 50th (Median) $139k 75th $169k 90th $192k You: $139,100
10th (Entry) $78,820 $37.89/hr
25th (Junior) $119,380 $57.39/hr
50th (Median) $139,100 $66.88/hr
75th (Senior) $169,230 $81.36/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $192,390 $92.50/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Data Engineer in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
1
Associate Data EngineerPython, SQL, ETL scripting, data warehouse basics
$88,745$42.67/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Data EngineerSpark, Kafka, dbt, columnar storage optimization, orchestration
$131,622$63.28/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Data EngineerReal-time stream architecture, lakehouse design, data quality frameworks
$167,518$80.54/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff Data ArchitectEnterprise data platform strategy, distributed storage scaling
$204,412$98.28/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX medianView National Data Engineer Salary Data
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
15% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,261/month Requires minimum annual gross of $50,440
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,497/month Requires minimum annual gross of $59,880
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $23.75/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $20.58/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$139,100-$30,756$99,998$3,846.07
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$165,181-$38,635$116,635$4,485.97
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$191,263-$46,095$133,692$5,141.99
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$217,344-$52,513$151,790$5,838.07
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$243,425-$59,886$168,934$6,497.45
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Data Engineer in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and Texas tax codes.

Market Baseline
$139,100/yr
$66.88/hr · SOC 15-1243
Statutory Tax Drag
22.11% Effective
-$30,756 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
15% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$7,072/mo
Post-$1,261/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1243
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Data Engineer in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: Market Snapshot

Data Engineer roles in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX report a median annual wage of $139,100, 0.3% below the national median of $139,500. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $78,820 to $192,390, and HUD’s $1,261 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 10.9% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $23.75 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Data Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$197,960+42.3%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$175,860+26.4%
Reno, NV$170,390+22.5%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$169,310+21.7%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$168,390+21.1%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$163,590+17.6%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$163,350+17.4%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$162,870+17.1%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$162,640+16.9%
Springfield, MA$161,730+16.3%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$275,270$132.34/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$172,160$82.77/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$172,020$82.70/hr
Financial Manager$166,910$80.25/hr
Marketing Managers$153,030$73.57/hr
Compensation and Benefits Managers$148,870$71.57/hr
Human Resources Managers$142,110$68.32/hr
Purchasing Managers$139,050$66.85/hr
Physician Assistant$137,240$65.98/hr
Sales Managers$135,880$65.33/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 132 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Data Engineer Salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (2026) Overview

Data Engineer median pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $139,100 a year ($66.88/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD. Official 2026 economic data for Data Engineer in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Data Engineer in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

The median annual wage is $139,100 ($66.88 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $78,820 and $192,390. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Data Engineer in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX after taxes?

On the median wage of $139,100, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $106,341 a year ($8,862 a month) after $32,759 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 23.55%, using 2026 tax rules.