What is the real (cost-adjusted) Software Engineer salary in Vermont?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $134,566 — what the $130,720 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $96,426 to $163,421.

Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont 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. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.

Where does Vermont rank for Software Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont 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 Vermont?

P10 to P90 spans $79,880 to $203,530. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Vermont?

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 Vermont.

Vermont Software Engineer Salary: BLS $131K Median, Real $135K (2026)

TL;DR

Median Software Engineer salary in Vermont: $130,720 nominal, $134,566 real (BEA RPP basis).
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Wage envelope: $79,880 (P10) to $203,530 (P90), with quartiles at $93,670 and $158,750.
State ranks #15 nationally on nominal wage, #7 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Vermont

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$79,880	$82,230
P25 (lower quartile)	$93,670	$96,426
P50 (median)	$130,720	$134,566
P75 (upper quartile)	$158,750	$163,421
P90 (top tier)	$203,530	$209,518
Mean	$134,320	$138,272
Employment	Software Engineers in Vermont

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Vermont index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.1
Goods	97.9
Services	122.1
Rents	82.3

Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Vermont (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)	$130,720	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$20,191	15.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$6,656	3.35–8.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,000	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$93,874	71.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$96,635	÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Vermont 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 $93,874 (71.8% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $96,635.

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. Vermont sits at #15 on nominal pay and #7 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Vermont climbs 8 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Software Engineer salary in Vermont?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $134,566 — what the $130,720 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $96,426 to $163,421.
Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont 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. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.
Where does Vermont rank for Software Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont 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 Vermont?: P10 to P90 spans $79,880 to $203,530. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Vermont a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Software Engineers?: No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Vermont?: 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 Vermont.

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 Vermont 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.