SOC 15-1252

Software Engineer Salary in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

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 + VA
COL Index: 126.05 (+26.0% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 67.7% Realized
$87,440 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $129,090 $62.06/hr
Effective Tax Drag 26.26% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$33,904 $1,304.02/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 $62.06 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,745/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,704/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$17,866
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$8,004
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,872
Virginia Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$6,163
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$87,440 ($3,363.08 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Software Engineer Wage Distribution

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

Your Salary: $129,090
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $80.1k 25th $99.2k Median: $129,090 50th (Median) $129k 75th $161k 90th $179k You: $129,090
10th (Entry) $80,090 $38.50/hr
25th (Junior) $99,230 $47.71/hr
50th (Median) $129,090 $62.06/hr
75th (Senior) $160,550 $77.19/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $178,830 $85.98/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Software Engineer in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
1
Junior Software Engineer (L3)CS degree or equivalent bootcamp/portfolio, foundational data structures
$84,016$40.39/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Mid-Level Software Engineer (L4)Independent feature delivery, system design, CI/CD and DB optimization
$121,514$58.42/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Software Engineer (L5)Architectural leadership, cross-team design reviews, mentorship
$163,285$78.50/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff / Principal Engineer (L6)Company-wide tech strategy, distributed system fault tolerance, high scale
$216,447$104.06/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
20% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,488/month Requires minimum annual gross of $59,520
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,667/month Requires minimum annual gross of $66,680
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $27.88/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $22.62/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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.

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$129,090-$33,904$87,440$3,363.08
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$153,294-$42,516$101,581$3,906.96
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$177,499-$51,136$115,713$4,450.49
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$201,703-$58,705$130,896$5,034.45
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$225,908-$66,043$146,310$5,627.32
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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

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

Market Baseline
$129,090/yr
$62.06/hr · SOC 15-1252
Statutory Tax Drag
26.26% Effective
-$33,904 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
20% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$5,799/mo
Post-$1,488/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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: Market Snapshot

Software Engineer roles in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC report a median annual wage of $129,090, 5.1% below the national median of $135,980. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $80,090 to $178,830, and HUD’s $1,488 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 13.8% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $27.88 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Software Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$213,110+65.1%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,640+44.6%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$167,280+29.6%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$166,830+29.2%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$166,090+28.7%
Boulder, CO$164,560+27.5%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$163,270+26.5%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$162,650+26.0%
Manchester-Nashua, NH$162,090+25.6%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$160,920+24.7%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$297,350$142.96/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$170,560$82.00/hr
Financial Manager$163,940$78.82/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$161,340$77.57/hr
Sales Managers$158,750$76.32/hr
Marketing Managers$155,300$74.66/hr
Public Relations Managers$152,990$73.55/hr
Purchasing Managers$143,230$68.86/hr
Human Resources Managers$140,410$67.50/hr
Data Engineer$135,130$64.97/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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Overview

Software Engineer median pay in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is $129,090 a year ($62.06/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage. Official 2026 economic data for Software Engineer in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC?

The median annual wage is $129,090 ($62.06 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $80,090 and $178,830. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Software Engineer in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC after taxes?

On the median wage of $129,090, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $92,890 a year ($7,741 a month) after $36,200 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 28.04%, using 2026 tax rules.