What does the top of the Software Engineer pay scale look like in Kansas?

The 90th percentile lands at $163,670. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $133,220.

Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.

Where does Kansas rank for Software Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Kansas ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Is Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Software Engineers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $106,660 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $118,632. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Software Engineers comparing offers across regions.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does the BLS software engineer wage include FAANG total comp in Kansas?

No — BLS OES captures W-2 base wages only. RSU vesting, sign-on bonuses, performance bonuses, and equity refreshes are not included. For senior tech-cluster roles in Kansas, total comp can run 30-70% above the BLS-reported median once equity is added back. The Levels.fyi-style breakdowns on the parent occupation page show the gap.

Contractor vs W-2 software engineer in Kansas — which pays more?

Hourly contractor rates in Kansas typically run 25-50% above the salaried equivalent on a gross-hourly basis. The real comparison nets out self-employment tax (~15.3%), self-paid health insurance, lack of paid leave, and 401(k) match. Net-of-overhead, the gap narrows to roughly 10-20% in most Kansas markets.

How Much Do Software Engineers Make in Kansas? $107K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$106,660 is the BLS median wage for Software Engineers in Kansas; $118,632 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Nominal: #41/51 · Real: #34/51 — ranking shifts by 7 positions after RPP.
Low BEA RPP (89.9) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $11,972.
P25-P75 spread runs $81,590 to $133,220; P10 floor $66,870, P90 ceiling $163,670.

Wage breakdown — Kansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$66,870	$74,376
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,590	$90,748
P50 (median)	$106,660	$118,632
P75 (upper quartile)	$133,220	$148,174
P90 (top tier)	$163,670	$182,042
Mean	$112,900	$125,573
Employment	15,850 Software Engineers in Kansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	96.5
Services	90.8
Rents	68.6

Kansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 68.6.

After-tax take-home — Kansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Software Engineer)	$106,660	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$14,712	13.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,423	3.1–5.7% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,159	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$78,366	73.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$87,162	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Kansas state-tax burden means for Software Engineer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $78,366 (73.5% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $87,162.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $133,080 for Software Engineers with mean pay of $144,570 and total employment of 1,654,440. Kansas sits at #41 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kansas climbs 7 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Software Engineer pay scale look like in Kansas?: The 90th percentile lands at $163,670. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $133,220.
Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.
Where does Kansas rank for Software Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Kansas ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Software Engineers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $106,660 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $118,632. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Software Engineers comparing offers across regions.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does the BLS software engineer wage include FAANG total comp in Kansas?: No — BLS OES captures W-2 base wages only. RSU vesting, sign-on bonuses, performance bonuses, and equity refreshes are not included. For senior tech-cluster roles in Kansas, total comp can run 30-70% above the BLS-reported median once equity is added back. The Levels.fyi-style breakdowns on the parent occupation page show the gap.
Contractor vs W-2 software engineer in Kansas — which pays more?: Hourly contractor rates in Kansas typically run 25-50% above the salaried equivalent on a gross-hourly basis. The real comparison nets out self-employment tax (~15.3%), self-paid health insurance, lack of paid leave, and 401(k) match. Net-of-overhead, the gap narrows to roughly 10-20% in most Kansas markets.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 15-1252, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Kansas Software Engineer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.