SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Fargo, ND-MN (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 + ND
COL Index: 86.25 (-13.8% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 73.4% Realized
$77,765 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $105,980 $50.95/hr
Effective Tax Drag 20.62% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$21,856 $840.62/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 $50.95 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$6,359/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,399/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$13,087
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$6,571
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,537
North Dakota Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$662
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$77,765 ($2,990.97 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Fargo, ND-MN Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $105,980
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $60.3k 25th $78.9k Median: $105,980 50th (Median) $106k 75th $128k 90th $160k You: $105,980
10th (Entry) $60,300 $28.99/hr
25th (Junior) $78,870 $37.92/hr
50th (Median) $105,980 $50.95/hr
75th (Senior) $127,960 $61.52/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $160,480 $77.15/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Fargo, ND-MN
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$68,975$33.16/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$99,761$47.96/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$134,053$64.45/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$177,698$85.43/hr · 8+ Years
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Fargo, ND-MN under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
14% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $903/month Requires minimum annual gross of $36,120
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,104/month Requires minimum annual gross of $44,160
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $19.07/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $18.48/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 Fargo, ND-MN.

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$105,980-$21,856$77,765$2,990.97
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$125,851-$27,850$90,450$3,478.86
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$145,723-$34,147$102,832$3,955.08
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$165,594-$40,515$115,144$4,428.60
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$185,465-$46,822$127,515$4,904.42
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 Fargo, ND-MN: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

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

Market Baseline
$105,980/yr
$50.95/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
20.62% Effective
-$21,856 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
14% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,577/mo
Post-$903/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 Fargo, ND-MN: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Fargo, ND-MN report a median annual wage of $105,980, 22.1% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $60,300 to $160,480, and HUD’s $903 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 10.2% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $19.07 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+101.1%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+76.1%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+57.8%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+57.4%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+56.7%
Boulder, CO$164,560+55.3%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+54.1%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+53.5%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+52.9%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+51.8%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Fargo, ND-MN

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$188,510$90.63/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$152,990$73.55/hr
Human Resources Managers$144,450$69.45/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$141,990$68.26/hr
Financial Manager$136,970$65.85/hr
Physician Assistant$136,610$65.68/hr
Nurse Practitioner$130,070$62.53/hr
Marketing Managers$126,790$60.96/hr
Public Relations Managers$121,370$58.35/hr
Sales Managers$119,990$57.69/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 Fargo, ND-MN (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Fargo, ND-MN is $105,980 a year ($50.95/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents & living wage.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Software Engineer in Fargo, ND-MN?

The median annual wage is $105,980 ($50.95 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $60,300 and $160,480. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Fargo, ND-MN after taxes?

On the median wage of $105,980, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $82,601 a year ($6,883 a month) after $23,379 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 22.06%, using 2026 tax rules.