How much does a Software Engineer make in Mississippi?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $86,460 for Software Engineers in Mississippi as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $51,890 and the 75th-percentile is $123,710.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $136,390. 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 $123,710.

Why is the BEA RPP for Mississippi 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. Mississippi's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 54.9, services 83.5, and goods 94.4.

Where does Mississippi rank for Software Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Mississippi 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.

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

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 Mississippi, 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.

How does remote work affect software engineer pay in Mississippi?

Remote-first companies typically anchor pay to one of three reference markets (Bay Area, NYC, or a national average) regardless of where the engineer lives. Mississippi-resident engineers working remotely for high-CoL companies can earn well above the in-state BLS median; the BEA RPP-adjusted real wage advantage is meaningful. Conversely, location-adjusted remote bands compress the spread.

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

Hourly contractor rates in Mississippi 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 Mississippi markets.

Mississippi Software Engineer Salary: BLS $86K Median, Real $100K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Mississippi Software Engineer median pay at $86,460. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $99,617.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $13,157 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
P25-P75 spread runs $51,890 to $123,710; P10 floor $29,760, P90 ceiling $136,390.
Software Engineer ranking: #51 on the BLS table, #50 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Mississippi

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$29,760	$34,289
P25 (lower quartile)	$51,890	$59,787
P50 (median)	$86,460	$99,617
P75 (upper quartile)	$123,710	$142,536
P90 (top tier)	$136,390	$157,146
Mean	$87,990	$101,380
Employment	3,200 Software Engineers in Mississippi

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Mississippi index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	86.8
Goods	94.4
Services	83.5
Rents	54.9

Mississippi sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 54.9.

After-tax take-home — Mississippi (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)	$86,460	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$10,268	11.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,966	4.0% above $10K (2026, HB 1733)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,614	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$66,611	77.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$76,748	÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $66,611 (77.0% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $76,748.

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. Mississippi sits at #51 on nominal pay and #50 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Mississippi climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Software Engineer make in Mississippi?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $86,460 for Software Engineers in Mississippi as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $51,890 and the 75th-percentile is $123,710.
What does the top of the Software Engineer pay scale look like in Mississippi?: The 90th percentile lands at $136,390. 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 $123,710.
Why is the BEA RPP for Mississippi 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. Mississippi's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 54.9, services 83.5, and goods 94.4.
Where does Mississippi rank for Software Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Mississippi 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.
Does the BLS software engineer wage include FAANG total comp in Mississippi?: 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 Mississippi, 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.
How does remote work affect software engineer pay in Mississippi?: Remote-first companies typically anchor pay to one of three reference markets (Bay Area, NYC, or a national average) regardless of where the engineer lives. Mississippi-resident engineers working remotely for high-CoL companies can earn well above the in-state BLS median; the BEA RPP-adjusted real wage advantage is meaningful. Conversely, location-adjusted remote bands compress the spread.
Contractor vs W-2 software engineer in Mississippi — which pays more?: Hourly contractor rates in Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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.