Computer Programmers in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$68,369
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$21,551
24.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$75,760
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$89,920
Kept after tax
$68,369
Worth in national money
$75,760
State rank
31
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana is among the lower-paying states for computer programmers. The middle earner takes $89,920, ranking 31 of 46 states — about 10.43% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Within Montana this is well-paid work. Of 475 occupations with published figures in the state, computer programmers ranks 68 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $89,920 you keep $68,369 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $75,760 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $91,670, since top earners drag the number up.
- Montana ranks 31 of 46 for computer programmers, with a median of $89,920 — about 10.43% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Ranked against every occupation Montana publishes a median for, computer programmers sits 68 of 475 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Retained pay in Montana is $68,369 after the full tax stack, from $89,920. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $75,760 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $91,670 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Computer Programmers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $64,250 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $89,920 |
| Top tenth earn over | $123,110 |
| This salary | $89,920 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Montana | $68,369 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $72,089 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,576 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $84,633 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,177 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $89,920 as a midpoint for Montana, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $64,250 and the ninetieth is $123,110 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Montana the take-home figure of $68,369, from $89,920, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 68 of 475 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $75,760 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 68.
- The Montana median of $89,920 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $64,250 to $123,110. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Montana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $68,369 from $89,920. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 68 of 475 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $75,760, worked from $89,920, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Montana address, on work sitting at 68 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $64,250 at the bottom tenth to $123,110 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $75,760.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Montana's own levy, $68,369 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 46 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($64,250 to $123,110) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $75,760 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $68,369 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.