Software Engineer · North Dakota · SOC 15-1252
North Dakota Software Engineer Salary — 2026 BLS + BEA RPP
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Headline Software Engineer pay in North Dakota is $98,550. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $111,768.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $63,140 · P25 $80,590 · P75 $122,550 · P90 $153,280.
- Low BEA RPP (88.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $13,218.
- On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #45 of 51; nominal rank is #48.
Wage breakdown — North Dakota
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $63,140 | $71,608 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $80,590 | $91,399 |
| P50 (median) | $98,550 | $111,768 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $122,550 | $138,987 |
| P90 (top tier) | $153,280 | $173,838 |
| Mean | $103,610 | $117,506 |
| Employment | 1,510 Software Engineers in North Dakota | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | North Dakota index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 88.2 |
| Goods | 97.0 |
| Services | 75.0 |
| Rents | 69.3 |
North Dakota sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 69.3.
After-tax take-home — North Dakota (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) | $98,550 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$12,928 | 13.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$695 | 0–2.5% (graduated, 2026) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,539 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $77,388 | 78.5% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $87,767 | ÷ (88.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the North Dakota state-tax burden means for Software Engineer take-home
North Dakota's state tax is light at this income tier (~0.7% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.2), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $87,767.
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. North Dakota sits at #48 on nominal pay and #45 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Dakota climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How are North Dakota Software Engineer salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- What does the top of the Software Engineer pay scale look like in North Dakota?
- The 90th percentile lands at $153,280. 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 $122,550.
- How many Software Engineers does North Dakota employ?
- BLS OES counts 1,510 Software Engineers employed in North Dakota in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Why is the BEA RPP for North Dakota 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. North Dakota's overall index of 88.2 reflects rents 69.3, services 75.0, and goods 97.0.
- Where does North Dakota rank for Software Engineer pay?
- On nominal BLS wages alone, North Dakota 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.
- How wide is the wage spread in North Dakota?
- P10 to P90 spans $63,140 to $153,280. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- What are the limits of these Software Engineer salary numbers?
- BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
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.
Cross-comparison: see how North Dakota 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.