SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (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 + PA + Municipal
COL Index: 105.64 (+5.6% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 67.8% Realized
$83,304 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $122,930 $59.10/hr
Effective Tax Drag 26.23% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$32,250 $1,240.38/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 $59.10 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,376/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,623/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$16,592
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$7,622
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,782
Pennsylvania Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$3,774
Allentown earned income tax
1.98%
-$2,480
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$83,304 ($3,204.01 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $122,930
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $75.0k 25th $97.2k Median: $122,930 50th (Median) $123k 75th $153k 90th $176k You: $122,930
10th (Entry) $74,960 $36.04/hr
25th (Junior) $97,160 $46.71/hr
50th (Median) $122,930 $59.10/hr
75th (Senior) $153,360 $73.73/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $175,890 $84.56/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$80,007$38.46/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$115,716$55.63/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$155,493$74.76/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$206,119$99.10/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ medianView National Software 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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
22% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,519/month Requires minimum annual gross of $60,760
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,839/month Requires minimum annual gross of $73,560
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $23.36/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $22.24/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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ.

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$122,930-$32,250$83,304$3,204.01
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$145,979-$40,251$96,970$3,729.60
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$169,029-$48,377$110,510$4,250.38
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$192,078-$56,033$124,520$4,789.24
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$215,128-$62,866$139,353$5,359.75
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

Software Engineer in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

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

Market Baseline
$122,930/yr
$59.10/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
26.23% Effective
-$32,250 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
22% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,423/mo
Post-$1,519/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 15-1252
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

Software Engineer in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ report a median annual wage of $122,930, 9.6% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $74,960 to $175,890, and HUD’s $1,519 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 14.8% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $23.36 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+73.4%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+51.8%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+36.1%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+35.7%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+35.1%
Boulder, CO$164,560+33.9%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+32.8%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+32.3%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+31.9%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+30.9%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$279,080$134.17/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$166,180$79.89/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$165,660$79.64/hr
Data Engineer$160,300$77.07/hr
Marketing Managers$153,930$74.00/hr
Financial Manager$146,030$70.21/hr
Purchasing Managers$145,170$69.79/hr
Sales Managers$135,220$65.01/hr
Nurse Practitioner$133,890$64.37/hr
Compensation and Benefits Managers$132,970$63.93/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 377 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.

Software Engineer Salary in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ is $122,930 a year ($59.10/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 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 Software Engineer in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

The median annual wage is $122,930 ($59.10 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $74,960 and $175,890. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ after taxes?

On the median wage of $122,930, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $89,035 a year ($7,420 a month) after $33,895 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 27.57%, using 2026 tax rules.