Software Engineer Salary in Texas

What software engineers earn across Texas, and what they keep after tax, rent and everyday costs.

Median salary: $132,150
Median hourly wage: $63.54
Top 10% earn: $183,680
Kept after costs: $69,387

Pay range

Half of Texas's 163,880 software engineers earn more than $132,150 a year, and half earn less. The US median for the same job is $135,980.

10th percentile$82,60025th percentile$103,350Median$132,15075th percentile$162,53090th percentile$183,680

US median for the same job: $135,980

Pay over time

In Texas, software engineer pay rose 28% from 2021 to 2025, or 8% after inflation.

Median pay, 2021 to 2025

BLS reorganised software jobs between 2019 and 2021 (two developer codes merged, testers split out), so this series starts in 2021.

Yearly figures, 2021 to 2025

May	Median pay	In 2025 dollars	US median
2021	$103,350	$122,791	$120,730
2022	$111,700	$122,879	$127,260
2023	$127,000	$134,186	$132,270
2024	$130,500	$133,934	$133,080
2025	$132,150	$132,150	$135,980

BLS designs these estimates as yearly snapshots and cautions against reading small year-to-year changes as trends. 2025 dollars use the CPI-U annual average.

What a software engineer keeps in Texas

The median salary, after federal, payroll and state taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.

Software engineer, Texas

Median salary: $132,150
Federal income tax: −$20,450
Payroll taxes: −$10,109
State income tax: $0
Rent, 1-bedroom: −$14,964
Everyday costs: −$17,240

You keep$69,387

a year, or $5,782 a month

Wages: BLS OEWS. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, statewide. Taxes: 2026 federal and state schedules, single filer.

Median salary$132,150Federal income tax−$20,450Payroll taxes−$10,109State income tax$0Rent, 1-bedroom−$14,964Everyday costs−$17,240You keep$69,387

At three pay levels

Half of software engineers in Texas earn between the lower and higher pay shown here. Same statewide rent, everyday costs and taxes.

Pay level	Salary	Taxes	You keep
Lower-paid (25th percentile)	$103,350	−$21,813	$49,333
Typical (median)	$132,150	−$30,559	$69,387
Higher-paid (75th percentile)	$162,530	−$40,175	$90,151

Compare cities in Texas

Pay and rent change from city to city. Here is what a software engineer keeps in each Texas city we cover, using local pay and rent.

City	Workers	Middle half earns	Median pay	1-bedroom rent	You keep
El Paso	1,360	$95,160–$135,470	$127,310	$1,029	$69,344
San Antonio	8,010	$101,000–$154,790	$128,430	$1,221	$67,818
Killeen	470	$93,920–$147,130	$123,320	$952	$67,582
Dallas	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,452	$66,992
Austin	31,960	$104,000–$168,730	$134,120	$1,634	$66,755
Houston	22,940	$101,190–$159,450	$129,440	$1,295	$66,507
Garland	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,518	$66,200
Fort Worth	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,549	$65,828
Irving	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,560	$65,696
Arlington	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,630	$64,856
Corpus Christi	520	$95,350–$156,570	$123,580	$1,237	$64,348
McAllen	400	$86,410–$136,790	$116,120	$925	$62,874
Plano	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,846	$62,264
McKinney	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$1,997	$60,452
Lubbock	340	$89,310–$136,270	$115,190	$1,072	$60,405
Frisco	67,030	$105,660–$164,100	$133,290	$2,079	$59,468
Laredo	130	$98,400–$135,730	$111,450	$975	$59,006

Workers and pay are BLS metro-area estimates; the middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.

Try a city with your own salary

Software engineer in El Paso, TX

Median salary: $127,310
Federal income tax: −$19,288
Payroll taxes: −$9,739
State income tax: $0
Rent, 1-bedroom: −$12,348
Everyday costs: −$16,591

You keep$69,344

a year, or $5,779 a month

Pay: BLS OEWS metro estimates. Rent: HUD FY2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 schedules, single filer.

Salary$127,310Federal income tax−$19,288Payroll taxes−$9,739State income tax$0Rent, 1-bedroom−$12,348Everyday costs−$16,591You keep$69,344

Cost of living in El Paso

Software engineer pay in other states

Ranked by what's left after taxes, rent and everyday costs, Texas comes 5 of 50. The ten states where a software engineer keeps the most:

Washington$84,015
Massachusetts$70,764
California$69,852
New York$69,663
Texas$69,387
New Hampshire$69,070
North Carolina$65,926
Nevada$65,332
Idaho$65,158
Tennessee$64,113

Compare this job in two places: any two cities or states, at three pay levels.

Software engineer salary by state

Pay and what's kept for software engineers in every other state we cover, A–Z.

Other jobs in Texas

The 10 jobs closest to a software engineer in what they keep: median pay and what's left after the same costs.

Job	Median pay	You keep	Against a software engineer
Dentist$20,648 more	$162,360	$90,035	$20,648 more
Lawyer$15,071 more	$154,200	$84,458	$15,071 more
Pharmacist$4,176 more	$138,260	$73,563	$4,176 more
Physician assistant$1,640 more	$134,550	$71,027	$1,640 more
Nurse practitioner$329 less	$131,670	$69,058	$329 less
Veterinarian$561 less	$131,330	$68,826	$561 less
Data scientist$6,877 less	$122,090	$62,510	$6,877 less
Mechanical engineer$13,680 less	$112,410	$55,707	$13,680 less
Occupational therapist$18,092 less	$106,140	$51,295	$18,092 less
Physical therapist$18,323 less	$105,810	$51,064	$18,323 less

All 40 salary pages in Texas

Moving for a job?

Questions people ask

How much does a software engineer make in Texas?

The median software engineer salary in Texas is $132,150 a year ($63.54 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $82,600 and the top 10% earn over $183,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What does a software engineer take home in Texas?

On the median salary, a software engineer in Texas pays about $30,559 in federal, payroll and state taxes. After a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, they keeps $69,387 a year.

Where in Texas do software engineers keep the most?

Of the Texas cities we cover, software engineers keep the most in El Paso: a median salary of $127,310 and a $1,029 1-bedroom leave $69,344 a year after taxes and everyday costs.

Which states are best for software engineers after costs?

Ranked by what's left after taxes, rent and everyday costs, Texas comes 5 of 50. The top states are Washington ($84,015), Massachusetts ($70,764), California ($69,852).

Do software engineers in Texas earn more than the US average?

No. The Texas median of $132,150 is $3,830 below the US median of $135,980.

Sources and method

Occupation codes (SOC): 15-1252. Statewide figures use the state median wage, a population-weighted statewide rent and state price levels; city figures use metro wages and city rents.

Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate