SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Chattanooga, TN-GA (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 + TN
COL Index: 112.89 (+12.9% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 73.9% Realized
$78,933 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $106,750 $51.32/hr
Effective Tax Drag 20.06% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$21,412 $823.55/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 $51.32 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$6,405/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,409/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$13,246
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$6,619
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,548
Tennessee Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$0
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$78,933 ($3,035.87 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Chattanooga, TN-GA Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $106,750
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $64.2k 25th $81.8k Median: $106,750 50th (Median) $107k 75th $133k 90th $163k You: $106,750
10th (Entry) $64,230 $30.88/hr
25th (Junior) $81,750 $39.30/hr
50th (Median) $106,750 $51.32/hr
75th (Senior) $133,280 $64.08/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $163,130 $78.43/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Chattanooga, TN-GA
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$69,476$33.40/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$100,485$48.31/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$135,027$64.92/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$178,990$86.05/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Chattanooga, TN-GA 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 Chattanooga, TN-GA under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
19% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,231/month Requires minimum annual gross of $49,240
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,340/month Requires minimum annual gross of $53,600
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $24.97/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $20.79/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 Chattanooga, TN-GA.

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$106,750-$21,412$78,933$3,035.87
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$126,766-$27,083$92,077$3,541.42
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$146,781-$33,077$104,898$4,034.53
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$166,797-$39,123$117,666$4,525.60
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$186,813-$45,027$130,577$5,022.19
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 Chattanooga, TN-GA: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

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

Market Baseline
$106,750/yr
$51.32/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
20.06% Effective
-$21,412 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
19% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,347/mo
Post-$1,231/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 Chattanooga, TN-GA: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Chattanooga, TN-GA report a median annual wage of $106,750, 21.5% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $64,230 to $163,130, and HUD’s $1,231 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 13.8% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $24.97 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+99.6%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+74.8%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+56.7%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+56.3%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+55.6%
Boulder, CO$164,560+54.2%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+52.9%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+52.4%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+51.8%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+50.7%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Chattanooga, TN-GA

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$209,990$100.96/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$163,720$78.71/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$152,980$73.55/hr
Financial Manager$151,530$72.85/hr
Administrative Services Managers$130,540$62.76/hr
Human Resources Managers$129,900$62.45/hr
Marketing Managers$124,360$59.79/hr
Purchasing Managers$123,750$59.50/hr
Industrial Production Managers$121,670$58.50/hr
Physician Assistant$121,600$58.46/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 Chattanooga, TN-GA (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Chattanooga, TN-GA is $106,750 a year ($51.32/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents & living. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Chattanooga, TN-GA 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 Chattanooga, TN-GA?

The median annual wage is $106,750 ($51.32 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $64,230 and $163,130. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Chattanooga, TN-GA after taxes?

On the median wage of $106,750, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $83,929 a year ($6,994 a month) after $22,821 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 21.38%, using 2026 tax rules.