SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Grand Forks, 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: 90.05 (-10.0% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 74.8% Realized
$68,917 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $92,120 $44.29/hr
Effective Tax Drag 19.19% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$17,675 $679.83/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 $44.29 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$5,527/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,216/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$10,220
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$5,711
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,336
North Dakota Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$408
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$68,917 ($2,650.67 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Grand Forks, ND-MN Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $92,120
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $57.5k 25th $63.5k Median: $92,120 50th (Median) $92.1k 75th $118k 90th $133k You: $92,120
10th (Entry) $57,520 $27.65/hr
25th (Junior) $63,460 $30.51/hr
50th (Median) $92,120 $44.29/hr
75th (Senior) $117,620 $56.55/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $132,910 $63.90/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Grand Forks, ND-MN
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$59,955$28.82/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$86,714$41.69/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$116,522$56.02/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$154,459$74.26/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Grand Forks, ND-MN 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 Grand Forks, 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) $821/month Requires minimum annual gross of $32,840
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,014/month Requires minimum annual gross of $40,560
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $19.91/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $18.81/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 Grand Forks, 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$92,120-$17,675$68,917$2,650.67
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$109,393-$22,885$79,944$3,074.75
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$126,665-$28,095$90,970$3,498.84
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$143,938-$33,575$101,726$3,912.54
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$161,210-$39,110$112,428$4,324.14
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 Grand Forks, 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
$92,120/yr
$44.29/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
19.19% Effective
-$17,675 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
14% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$4,922/mo
Post-$821/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 Grand Forks, ND-MN: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Grand Forks, ND-MN report a median annual wage of $92,120, 32.3% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $57,520 to $132,910, and HUD’s $821 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 10.7% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $19.91 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+131.3%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+102.6%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+81.6%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+81.1%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+80.3%
Boulder, CO$164,560+78.6%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+77.2%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+76.6%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+76.0%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+74.7%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Grand Forks, ND-MN

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Natural Sciences Managers$173,590$83.46/hr
Chief Executives$171,120$82.27/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$149,500$71.88/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$141,440$68.00/hr
Human Resources Managers$135,340$65.07/hr
Physician Assistant$133,450$64.16/hr
Nurse Practitioner$130,990$62.98/hr
Financial Manager$130,130$62.56/hr
Marketing Managers$122,390$58.84/hr
Administrative Services Managers$114,810$55.20/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 Grand Forks, ND-MN (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Grand Forks, ND-MN is $92,120 a year ($44.29/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents & living.

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

The median annual wage is $92,120 ($44.29 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $57,520 and $132,910. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

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

On the median wage of $92,120, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $73,121 a year ($6,093 a month) after $18,999 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 20.62%, using 2026 tax rules.