Software Developers salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Software Developers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $129,440 a year ($62.23 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn between $101,190 and $159,450 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $80,400 or less and the top 10 percent earn $181,770 or more. BLS estimates 22,940 Software Developers jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area — 6.973 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.64 (well below the national concentration). That is 1.4% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is the #16 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn about $3.05 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $102,260.46 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Software Developers is about $2.35 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #24 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #27 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $129,440 falls between the national 25th percentile ($105,210) and the national median ($135,980). Across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $49,410 a year — Software Developers pay is 162.0% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $64.01 | $133,130 |
| 10th percentile | $38.65 | $80,400 |
| 25th percentile | $48.65 | $101,190 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $62.23 | $129,440 |
| 75th percentile | $76.66 | $159,450 |
| 90th percentile | $87.39 | $181,770 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($181,770 against $80,400). The middle half spans $58,260 — from $101,190 to $159,450. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($87.39) is 2.26 times the 10th ($38.65). In the upper half of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $159,450 takes home $120,250.06 and the 90th percentile wage of $181,770 takes home $135,505.86 — $15,255.80 more net for $22,320 more gross. Against the median take-home of $99,738.38, the top decile keeps 1.36 times as much. The mean wage of $133,130 sits 2.9% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above General and Operations Managers at $119,600. Software Developers accounts for 0.7% of all employment in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $129,440.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $19,799.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $8,025.28 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,876.88 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $29,701.62 |
| Net pay (annual) | $99,738.38 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,836.09 |
| Total deduction rate | 22.95% of gross |
At the median, $99,738.38 of the $129,440 gross is kept ($3,836.09 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 22.95%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 18.67% at the 10th percentile, 20.92% at the 25th percentile, 24.58% at the 75th percentile, 25.45% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $40,232.90 on a gross rise of $58,260.
The same engine at the other published points of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($80,400) | $65,391.50 | $2,515.06 | 18.67% |
| 25th percentile ($101,190) | $80,017.16 | $3,077.58 | 20.92% |
| Median ($129,440) | $99,738.38 | $3,836.09 | 22.95% |
| 75th percentile ($159,450) | $120,250.06 | $4,625.00 | 24.58% |
| 90th percentile ($181,770) | $135,505.86 | $5,211.76 | 25.45% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $65,391.50 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,505.86 at the 90th — a spread of $70,114.36 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median wage of $49,410 takes home $41,880.92 a year ($1,610.80 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.24%). The Software Developers median take-home of $99,738.38 sits $57,857.46 (above that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Software Developers earns $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $129,440 is $6,540 (4.8%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $133,130 a year in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $14,970 (10.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $181,770 is 142% of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($128,040), and its 10th percentile of $80,400 is 294% of the area-wide 10th ($27,380).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $129,440 | $62.23 | $133,130 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$129,440 a year ($62.23 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $133,130 a year. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #24 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $129,440 in Texas?
About $99,738.38 a year ($3,836.09 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 22.95% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $159,450, take-home is $120,250.06.
How does pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $129,440 is $6,540 (4.8%) below the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $181,770, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$181,770 a year or more ($87.39 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
On $181,770 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $135,505.86 a year ($5,211.76 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 25.45%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
BLS estimates 22,940 Software Developers jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — 6.973 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The location quotient is 0.64 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
From $65,391.50 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($80,400) to $135,505.86 at the 90th ($181,770), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
About $3.05 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 22,940 multiplied by the mean wage of $133,130.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.