Software Developers in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$96,157
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$40,723
29.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$86,781
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$136,880
Kept after tax
$96,157
Worth in national money
$86,781
State rank
9
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for software developers is strong here. District of Columbia's middle earner gets $136,880, putting the state 9 of 50 — about 0.66% ahead of the national figure.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 390 occupations District of Columbia reports, software developers comes in at 36 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $136,880 the take-home is $96,157. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $86,781 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $144,430, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For software developers, District of Columbia sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $136,880, ranking 9 of 50 and running about 0.66% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Software developers ranks 36 of 390 occupations by median in District of Columbia, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $96,157 for software developers, from $136,880. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $86,781. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $144,430 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Software Developers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $85,140 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $136,880 |
| Top tenth earn over | $197,000 |
| This salary | $136,880 |
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 District of Columbia | $96,157 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $104,823 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$21,090 |
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 | $124,201 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$29,560 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $136,880. The published range is $85,140 up to $197,000, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In District of Columbia the take-home figure of $96,157, from $136,880, 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 36 of 390 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $86,781 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 36.
- Reported values are medians; for software developers in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $85,140 to $197,000. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for District of Columbia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $96,157 from $136,880. 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 36 of 390 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $86,781, worked from $136,880, 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 District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 36 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $144,430, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $85,140 at the bottom tenth to $197,000 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $86,781 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $96,157.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in District of Columbia is $144,430. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($85,140) and the ninetieth ($197,000) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $86,781 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $96,157 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.