SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-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 + WI
COL Index: 101.05 (+1.0% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 70.2% Realized
$71,697 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $102,110 $49.09/hr
Effective Tax Drag 23.78% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$24,287 $934.11/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 $49.09 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$6,127/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,348/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$12,286
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$6,331
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,481
Wisconsin Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$4,189
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$71,697 ($2,757.56 / check)
Category 2 of 6

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $102,110
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $75.1k 25th $84.7k Median: $102,110 50th (Median) $102k 75th $134k 90th $168k You: $102,110
10th (Entry) $75,080 $36.10/hr
25th (Junior) $84,710 $40.73/hr
50th (Median) $102,110 $49.09/hr
75th (Senior) $133,590 $64.23/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $168,260 $80.89/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$66,456$31.95/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$96,118$46.21/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$129,158$62.10/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$171,210$82.31/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
17% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,027/month Requires minimum annual gross of $41,080
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,343/month Requires minimum annual gross of $53,720
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $22.35/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $23.13/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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-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$102,110-$24,287$71,697$2,757.56
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$121,256-$30,779$83,201$3,200.05
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$140,401-$37,475$94,502$3,634.70
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$159,547-$44,241$105,733$4,066.65
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$178,693-$50,979$116,992$4,499.70
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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

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

Market Baseline
$102,110/yr
$49.09/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
23.78% Effective
-$24,287 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
17% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$4,948/mo
Post-$1,027/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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN report a median annual wage of $102,110, 24.9% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $75,080 to $168,260, and HUD’s $1,027 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 12.1% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $22.35 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+108.7%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+82.8%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+63.8%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+63.4%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+62.7%
Boulder, CO$164,560+61.2%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+59.9%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+59.3%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+58.7%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+57.6%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$210,790$101.34/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$160,540$77.18/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$141,100$67.84/hr
Financial Manager$133,280$64.08/hr
Human Resources Managers$132,850$63.87/hr
Marketing Managers$130,230$62.61/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$128,670$61.86/hr
Sales Managers$127,740$61.41/hr
Purchasing Managers$127,280$61.19/hr
Medical and Health Services Managers$126,880$61.00/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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN is $102,110 a year ($49.09/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN?

The median annual wage is $102,110 ($49.09 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $75,080 and $168,260. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN after taxes?

On the median wage of $102,110, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $76,112 a year ($6,343 a month) after $25,998 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 25.46%, using 2026 tax rules.