SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Nashville-Davidson, TN (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: 132.48 (+32.5% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 72.6% Realized
$91,975 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $126,610 $60.87/hr
Effective Tax Drag 21.36% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$27,039 $1,039.95/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 $60.87 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,597/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,671/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$17,353
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$7,850
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,836
Tennessee Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$0
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$91,975 ($3,537.49 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $126,610
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $78.4k 25th $99.0k Median: $126,610 50th (Median) $127k 75th $140k 90th $169k You: $126,610
10th (Entry) $78,410 $37.70/hr
25th (Junior) $99,030 $47.61/hr
50th (Median) $126,610 $60.87/hr
75th (Senior) $140,170 $67.39/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $169,070 $81.28/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$82,402$39.62/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$119,180$57.30/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$160,148$76.99/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$212,289$102.06/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
22% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,650/month Requires minimum annual gross of $66,000
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,798/month Requires minimum annual gross of $71,920
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $29.30/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $23.51/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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.

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$126,610-$27,039$91,975$3,537.49
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$150,349-$34,155$107,174$4,122.07
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$174,089-$41,326$122,317$4,704.51
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$197,828-$47,672$138,287$5,318.73
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$221,568-$53,565$154,708$5,950.31
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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 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
$126,610/yr
$60.87/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
21.36% Effective
-$27,039 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
22% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$6,015/mo
Post-$1,650/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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN report a median annual wage of $126,610, 6.9% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $78,410 to $169,070, and HUD’s $1,650 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 15.6% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $29.30 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+68.3%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+47.4%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+32.1%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+31.8%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+31.2%
Boulder, CO$164,560+30.0%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+29.0%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+28.5%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+28.0%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+27.1%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$218,190$104.90/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$165,970$79.79/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$159,720$76.79/hr
Financial Manager$156,860$75.41/hr
Purchasing Managers$140,410$67.50/hr
Marketing Managers$135,370$65.08/hr
Human Resources Managers$135,230$65.01/hr
Administrative Services Managers$133,220$64.05/hr
Sales Managers$131,600$63.27/hr
Fundraising Managers$130,010$62.50/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 Nashville-Davidson, TN (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN is $126,610 a year ($60.87/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN?

The median annual wage is $126,610 ($60.87 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $78,410 and $169,070. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN after taxes?

On the median wage of $126,610, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $97,804 a year ($8,150 a month) after $28,806 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 22.75%, using 2026 tax rules.