SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA (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: 90.47 (-9.5% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 73.3% Realized
$84,554 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $115,310 $55.44/hr
Effective Tax Drag 20.67% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$23,837 $916.82/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 $55.44 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$6,919/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,522/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$15,016
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$7,149
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,672
Tennessee Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$0
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$84,554 ($3,252.08 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $115,310
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $70.3k 25th $84.7k Median: $115,310 50th (Median) $115k 75th $131k 90th $159k You: $115,310
10th (Entry) $70,330 $33.81/hr
25th (Junior) $84,690 $40.72/hr
50th (Median) $115,310 $55.44/hr
75th (Senior) $131,180 $63.07/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $159,470 $76.67/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$75,047$36.08/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$108,543$52.18/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$145,855$70.12/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$193,342$92.95/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
12% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $845/month Requires minimum annual gross of $33,800
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,091/month Requires minimum annual gross of $43,640
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $20.01/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $18.11/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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA.

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$115,310-$23,837$84,554$3,252.08
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$136,931-$30,101$98,614$3,792.85
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$158,551-$36,632$112,406$4,323.30
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$180,172-$43,164$126,198$4,853.76
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$201,793-$48,640$141,045$5,424.82
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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA: 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
$115,310/yr
$55.44/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
20.67% Effective
-$23,837 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
12% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$6,201/mo
Post-$845/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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA report a median annual wage of $115,310, 15.2% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $70,330 to $159,470, and HUD’s $845 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 8.8% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $20.01 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+84.8%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+61.9%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+45.1%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+44.7%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+44.0%
Boulder, CO$164,560+42.7%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+41.6%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+41.1%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+40.6%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+39.6%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$189,410$91.06/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$138,550$66.61/hr
Marketing Managers$136,240$65.50/hr
Industrial Production Managers$133,240$64.06/hr
Sales Managers$132,950$63.92/hr
Human Resources Managers$132,680$63.79/hr
Financial Manager$132,280$63.60/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$130,830$62.90/hr
Purchasing Managers$130,490$62.74/hr
Administrative Services Managers$122,130$58.72/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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA is $115,310 a year ($55.44/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?

The median annual wage is $115,310 ($55.44 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $70,330 and $159,470. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA after taxes?

On the median wage of $115,310, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $89,951 a year ($7,496 a month) after $25,359 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 21.99%, using 2026 tax rules.