Software Developers salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Washington tax rules.
The figures
The median Software Developers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earns $167,280 a year ($80.42 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn between $132,800 and $211,860 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $99,190 or less and the top 10 percent earn $257,960 or more. BLS estimates 92,770 Software Developers jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area — 44.468 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 4.1 (well above the national concentration). That is 5.5% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is the #2 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn about $16.23 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $129,809.22 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Software Developers is about $12.04 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #2 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #1 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $167,280 falls between the national median ($135,980) and the national 75th percentile ($171,980). Across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median is $72,610 a year — Software Developers pay is 130.4% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $84.09 | $174,920 |
| 10th percentile | $47.69 | $99,190 |
| 25th percentile | $63.85 | $132,800 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $80.42 | $167,280 |
| 75th percentile | $101.86 | $211,860 |
| 90th percentile | $124.02 | $257,960 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn 2.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($257,960 against $99,190). The middle half spans $79,060 — from $132,800 to $211,860. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($124.02) is 2.60 times the 10th ($47.69). In the upper half of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $211,860 takes home $154,843.82 and the 90th percentile wage of $257,960 takes home $182,878.76 — $28,034.94 more net for $46,100 more gross. Against the median take-home of $124,631.42, the top decile keeps 1.47 times as much. The mean wage of $174,920 sits 4.6% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above General and Operations Managers at $146,030. Software Developers accounts for 4.4% of all employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs 2.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Washington
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Washington; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $167,280.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $28,881.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $10,371.36 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $2,425.56 |
| Washington income tax | $0.00 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care premium) | $970.22 |
| Total deductions | $42,648.58 |
| Net pay (annual) | $124,631.42 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $4,793.52 |
| Total deduction rate | 25.50% of gross |
At the median, $124,631.42 of the $167,280 gross is kept ($4,793.52 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 25.50%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 21.33% at the 10th percentile, 23.75% at the 25th percentile, 26.91% at the 75th percentile, 29.11% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $53,579.22 on a gross rise of $79,060.
The same engine at the other published points of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($99,190) | $78,034.84 | $3,001.34 | 21.33% |
| 25th percentile ($132,800) | $101,264.60 | $3,894.79 | 23.75% |
| Median ($167,280) | $124,631.42 | $4,793.52 | 25.50% |
| 75th percentile ($211,860) | $154,843.82 | $5,955.53 | 26.91% |
| 90th percentile ($257,960) | $182,878.76 | $7,033.80 | 29.11% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $78,034.84 a year at the 10th percentile to $182,878.76 at the 90th — a spread of $104,843.92 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median wage of $72,610 takes home $59,489.88 a year ($2,288.07 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.07%). The Software Developers median take-home of $124,631.42 sits $65,141.54 (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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $167,280 is $31,300 (23.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $174,920 a year in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $26,820 (18.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $257,960 is 154% of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA all-occupations 90th percentile ($167,440), and its 10th percentile of $99,190 is 235% of the area-wide 10th ($42,280).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $167,280 | $80.42 | $174,920 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$167,280 a year ($80.42 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $174,920 a year. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #2 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $167,280 in Washington?
About $124,631.42 a year ($4,793.52 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 25.50% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $211,860, take-home is $154,843.82.
How does pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $167,280 is $31,300 (23.0%) above the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $257,960, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$257,960 a year or more ($124.02 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
On $257,960 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $182,878.76 a year ($7,033.80 per biweekly paycheck) in Washington under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 29.11%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
BLS estimates 92,770 Software Developers jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — 44.468 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
The location quotient is 4.1 — well above 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
From $78,034.84 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($99,190) to $182,878.76 at the 90th ($257,960), under the same single-filer assumptions in Washington.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
About $16.23 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 92,770 multiplied by the mean wage of $174,920.
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.