SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Portland-South Portland, ME (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 + ME
COL Index: 130.53 (+30.5% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 67.2% Realized
$86,444 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $128,710 $61.88/hr
Effective Tax Drag 26.84% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$34,543 $1,328.59/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 $61.88 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,723/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,699/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$17,787
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$7,980
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,866
Maine Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$6,910
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$86,444 ($3,324.77 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Portland-South Portland, ME Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $128,710
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $83.8k 25th $96.9k Median: $128,710 50th (Median) $129k 75th $166k 90th $185k You: $128,710
10th (Entry) $83,760 $40.27/hr
25th (Junior) $96,940 $46.61/hr
50th (Median) $128,710 $61.88/hr
75th (Senior) $166,330 $79.97/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $185,130 $89.00/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Portland-South Portland, ME
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$83,768$40.27/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$121,157$58.25/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$162,804$78.27/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$215,810$103.75/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Portland-South Portland, ME 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 Portland-South Portland, ME under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
26% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,864/month Requires minimum annual gross of $74,560
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $2,353/month Requires minimum annual gross of $94,120
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $28.87/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $27.95/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 Portland-South Portland, ME.

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$128,710-$34,543$86,444$3,324.77
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$152,843-$43,779$99,893$3,842.05
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$176,976-$53,031$113,326$4,358.70
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$201,109-$61,087$127,956$4,921.37
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$225,243-$68,721$143,007$5,500.27
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 Portland-South Portland, ME: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

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

Market Baseline
$128,710/yr
$61.88/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
26.84% Effective
-$34,543 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
26% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,340/mo
Post-$1,864/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 Portland-South Portland, ME: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Portland-South Portland, ME report a median annual wage of $128,710, 5.3% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $83,760 to $185,130, and HUD’s $1,864 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 17.4% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $28.87 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+65.6%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+45.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+30.0%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+29.6%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+29.0%
Boulder, CO$164,560+27.9%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+26.9%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+26.4%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+25.9%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+25.0%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Portland-South Portland, ME

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$176,000$84.62/hr
Sales Managers$174,990$84.13/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$167,100$80.34/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$164,530$79.10/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$155,080$74.56/hr
Purchasing Managers$142,240$68.38/hr
Financial Manager$138,590$66.63/hr
Actuary$138,220$66.45/hr
Human Resources Managers$137,550$66.13/hr
Marketing Managers$135,380$65.09/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 Portland-South Portland, ME (2026) Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Portland-South Portland, ME is $128,710 a year ($61.88/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Portland-South Portland, ME 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 Portland-South Portland, ME?

The median annual wage is $128,710 ($61.88 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $83,760 and $185,130. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Portland-South Portland, ME after taxes?

On the median wage of $128,710, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $91,662 a year ($7,638 a month) after $37,048 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 28.78%, using 2026 tax rules.