SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, 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: 82.52 (-17.5% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 73.9% Realized
$79,090 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $106,990 $51.44/hr
Effective Tax Drag 20.08% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$21,480 $826.16/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 $51.44 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$6,419/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,412/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$13,296
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$6,633
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,551
Texas Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$0
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$79,090 ($3,041.94 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $106,990
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $51.4k 25th $79.9k Median: $106,990 50th (Median) $107k 75th $132k 90th $156k You: $106,990
10th (Entry) $51,390 $24.71/hr
25th (Junior) $79,880 $38.40/hr
50th (Median) $106,990 $51.44/hr
75th (Senior) $131,930 $63.43/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $156,430 $75.21/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$69,632$33.48/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$100,711$48.42/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$135,331$65.06/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$179,392$86.25/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
13% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $884/month Requires minimum annual gross of $35,360
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,042/month Requires minimum annual gross of $41,680
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $18.25/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $16.43/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 Brownsville-Harlingen, 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$106,990-$21,480$79,090$3,041.94
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$127,051-$27,163$92,264$3,548.62
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$147,111-$33,176$105,108$4,042.63
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$167,172-$39,237$117,905$4,534.81
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$187,233-$45,128$130,871$5,033.50
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 Brownsville-Harlingen, 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
$106,990/yr
$51.44/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
20.08% Effective
-$21,480 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
13% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,707/mo
Post-$884/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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX report a median annual wage of $106,990, 21.3% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $51,390 to $156,430, and HUD’s $884 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 9.9% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $18.25 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+99.2%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+74.4%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+56.4%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+55.9%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+55.2%
Boulder, CO$164,560+53.8%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+52.6%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+52.0%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+51.5%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+50.4%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$178,860$85.99/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$157,160$75.56/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$137,880$66.29/hr
Financial Manager$129,820$62.41/hr
Physician Assistant$127,370$61.24/hr
Nurse Practitioner$124,530$59.87/hr
Marketing Managers$113,220$54.43/hr
Industrial Production Managers$110,830$53.28/hr
Human Resources Managers$110,230$53.00/hr
Education Administrators, Postsecondary$101,870$48.98/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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX is $106,990 a year ($51.44/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Brownsville-Harlingen, 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 Software Engineer in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?

The median annual wage is $106,990 ($51.44 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $51,390 and $156,430. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX after taxes?

On the median wage of $106,990, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $84,097 a year ($7,008 a month) after $22,893 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 21.4%, using 2026 tax rules.