SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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: 122.98 (+23.0% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 72.2% Realized
$96,292 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $133,290 $64.08/hr
Effective Tax Drag 21.76% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 24% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$29,001 $1,115.42/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 $64.08 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,997/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,919/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$18,804
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$8,264
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,933
Texas Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$0
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$96,292 ($3,703.53 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $133,290
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $85.9k 25th $106k Median: $133,290 50th (Median) $133k 75th $164k 90th $179k You: $133,290
10th (Entry) $85,920 $41.31/hr
25th (Junior) $105,660 $50.80/hr
50th (Median) $133,290 $64.08/hr
75th (Senior) $164,100 $78.89/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $179,400 $86.25/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$86,749$41.71/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$125,468$60.32/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$168,597$81.06/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$223,490$107.45/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 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) $1,536/month Requires minimum annual gross of $61,440
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,807/month Requires minimum annual gross of $72,280
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $27.20/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $22.92/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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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$133,290-$29,001$96,292$3,703.53
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$158,282-$36,551$112,234$4,316.69
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$183,274-$44,101$128,176$4,929.86
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$208,266-$50,252$145,518$5,596.84
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$233,258-$56,588$162,674$6,256.68
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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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
$133,290/yr
$64.08/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
21.76% Effective
-$29,001 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
19% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$6,488/mo
Post-$1,536/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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX report a median annual wage of $133,290, 2.0% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $85,920 to $179,400, and HUD’s $1,536 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 13.8% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $27.20 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+59.9%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+40.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+25.5%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+25.2%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+24.6%
Boulder, CO$164,560+23.5%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+22.5%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+22.0%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+21.6%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+20.7%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$320,060$153.88/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$173,810$83.56/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$172,160$82.77/hr
Financial Manager$169,200$81.35/hr
Marketing Managers$155,460$74.74/hr
Data Engineer$154,770$74.41/hr
Compensation and Benefits Managers$145,930$70.16/hr
Sales Managers$144,290$69.37/hr
Human Resources Managers$140,890$67.74/hr
Purchasing Managers$137,820$66.26/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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is $133,290 a year ($64.08/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

The median annual wage is $133,290 ($64.08 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $85,920 and $179,400. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX after taxes?

On the median wage of $133,290, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $102,370 a year ($8,531 a month) after $30,920 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 23.2%, using 2026 tax rules.