How much does a Software Engineer make in Oregon?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $135,260 for Software Engineers in Oregon as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $110,080 and the 75th-percentile is $165,940.

Why is the BEA RPP for Oregon 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. Oregon's overall index of 104.8 reflects rents 109.2, services 91.0, and goods 104.8.

Where does Oregon rank for Software Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Oregon 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.

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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Oregon?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Oregon.

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

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 Oregon, 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 Oregon?

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. Oregon-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.

How Much Do Software Engineers Make in Oregon? $135K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Software Engineers in Oregon earn a BLS median of $135,260, with real take-home of $129,050 after BEA RPP adjustment.
State ranks #7 nationally on nominal wage, #17 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $92,120 · P25 $110,080 · P75 $165,940 · P90 $211,750.

Wage breakdown — Oregon

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$92,120	$87,891
P25 (lower quartile)	$110,080	$105,026
P50 (median)	$135,260	$129,050
P75 (upper quartile)	$165,940	$158,322
P90 (top tier)	$211,750	$202,028
Mean	$146,650	$139,917
Employment	21,100 Software Engineers in Oregon

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Oregon index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.8
Goods	104.8
Services	91.0
Rents	109.2

Oregon's overall RPP (104.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Oregon (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)	$135,260	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,280	15.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$11,380	4.75–9.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,347	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$92,252	68.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$88,016	÷ (104.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Oregon carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (8.4% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 31.8%, leaving $92,252 pre-RPP and $88,016 after the 104.8 cost-of-living index — a $47,244 gap from the headline gross.

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. Oregon sits at #7 on nominal pay and #17 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Oregon falls 10 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Software Engineer make in Oregon?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $135,260 for Software Engineers in Oregon as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $110,080 and the 75th-percentile is $165,940.
Why is the BEA RPP for Oregon 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. Oregon's overall index of 104.8 reflects rents 109.2, services 91.0, and goods 104.8.
Where does Oregon rank for Software Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Oregon 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.
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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Oregon?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Oregon.
Does the BLS software engineer wage include FAANG total comp in Oregon?: 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 Oregon, 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 Oregon?: 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. Oregon-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.

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 Oregon 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.