How much does a Software Engineer make in Utah?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $127,390 for Software Engineers in Utah as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $95,100 and the 75th-percentile is $157,450.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $176,990. 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 $157,450.

How many Software Engineers does Utah employ?

BLS OES counts 29,160 Software Engineers employed in Utah in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Utah rank for Software Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Utah?

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 Utah.

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 Utah?

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 Utah, 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.

Software Engineer Pay in Utah: $127K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Software Engineers in Utah earn a BLS median of $127,390, with real take-home of $133,092 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Wage envelope: $74,030 (P10) to $176,990 (P90), with quartiles at $95,100 and $157,450.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Nominal: #22/51 · Real: #10/51 — ranking shifts by 12 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Utah

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$74,030	$77,343
P25 (lower quartile)	$95,100	$99,356
P50 (median)	$127,390	$133,092
P75 (upper quartile)	$157,450	$164,497
P90 (top tier)	$176,990	$184,912
Mean	$126,650	$132,319
Employment	29,160 Software Engineers in Utah

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Utah index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	95.7
Goods	94.7
Services	73.0
Rents	106.2

Utah's overall RPP (95.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Utah (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)	$127,390	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$19,392	15.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,024	4.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$9,745	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$93,229	73.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$97,402	÷ (95.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $93,229 (73.2% of gross). After the 95.7 RPP, real take-home is $97,402.

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. Utah sits at #22 on nominal pay and #10 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Utah climbs 12 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Software Engineer make in Utah?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $127,390 for Software Engineers in Utah as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $95,100 and the 75th-percentile is $157,450.
What does the top of the Software Engineer pay scale look like in Utah?: The 90th percentile lands at $176,990. 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 $157,450.
How many Software Engineers does Utah employ?: BLS OES counts 29,160 Software Engineers employed in Utah in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Utah rank for Software Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Utah?: 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 Utah.
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 Utah?: 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 Utah, 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.

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 Utah 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.