Software Developer Salary 2026 in Montana
BLS estimates the median software developer wage in Montana at $121,990 a year, about $58.65 an hour over a full-time year. BLS estimates 2,160 jobs in the state. The state median estimate is 10.3% below the national median of $135,980.
Estimated take home in Montana, a year
$89,110
On the state median of $121,990, after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and Montana income tax. A single filer with a blank Form W-4: $3,427.30 a fortnight, an effective rate of 27.0%.
The spread in Montana
BLS publishes selected percentile estimates for the state, not only the median. The take home column applies the current Montana model to published numeric estimates; lower-bound rows stay uncalculated.
| Percentile | A year | An hour | Estimated take home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest tenth | $73,370 | $35.27 | $57,632 |
| Lower quarter | $94,800 | $45.58 | $71,522 |
| Median | $121,990 | $58.65 | $89,110 |
| Upper quarter | $169,180 | $81.34 | $118,689 |
| Highest tenth | $221,400 | $106.44 | $153,249 |
Montana against the states next door
The wage estimates are BLS’s. Take home is modeled only where BLS publishes a numeric median estimate; # lower bounds remain labelled and uncalculated.
| State | Median | Estimated take home |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | $121,990 | $89,110 |
| Idaho | $131,590 | $95,081 |
| North Dakota | $105,600 | $82,185 |
| South Dakota | $96,310 | $76,580 |
| Wyoming | $115,170 | $89,852 |
Relative to the state’s all-occupations estimate
BLS estimates the all-occupations median in Montana at $48,740. The published software developer median estimate is 2.50times that benchmark; nationally the corresponding ratio is 2.67. This ratio is a wage comparison only and does not adjust for cost of living or individual experience.
Modeled gross pay for selected take home targets in Montana
These are illustrative reverse calculations for a single filer using the deductions currently represented for Montana. An actual payroll result may differ.
| Target take home | Estimated gross needed | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $62,220 | $29.91 |
| $60,000 | $77,030 | $37.03 |
| $75,000 | $100,180 | $48.16 |
| $100,000 | $139,370 | $67.00 |
The same rate at different hours
BLS converts the annual estimate using a 2,080-hour year. This table shows illustrative weekly-hour scenarios using the same hourly estimate and theMontana deductions currently represented by the model.
| Hours a week | Gross a year | Estimated take home | A fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $60,996 | $49,058 | $1,886.86 |
| 24 | $73,195 | $57,541 | $2,213.11 |
| 30 | $91,494 | $69,374 | $2,668.23 |
| 36 | $109,793 | $81,207 | $3,123.36 |
| 40 | $121,992 | $89,110 | $3,427.30 |
| 48 | $146,390 | $104,408 | $4,015.69 |
Put in your own hours
Seeded with the Montana median. Change the hours, your Form W-4 answers or the state.
Estimated average take home pay, biweekly
$3,427.30
$121,992.00 a year gross; the model estimates $89,109.53 after the deductions shown. That is 73.0% of gross under these assumptions.
Worked out from: single filer · a blank Form W-4 · 40 hours a week.
- Montana withholds against its own allowance of $16,100 rather than the deduction on the return; this is the employer-method estimate represented by the model, not a promise of what a payslip will show. The model's return-based tax estimate is $5,531.65 for the year against $5,538.00 of modeled withholding, a difference of about $6.35 that may increase a refund or reduce a balance due when you file.
- Montana rebuilt its withholding for 2026 around the federal standard deduction: there are no Montana allowances any more, and the employer simply exempts $16,100 for a single filer, charges 4.7% to $63,600 of wages and 5.65% above that. Every amount withheld is rounded up to the whole dollar, which the guide requires. A couple who both work are treated as single filers.
About this calculator. It is general guidance, not a payslip. The figures are estimates based on selected 2026 federal and state publications and modeled assumptions. Sources, interpretations and code may be incomplete or wrong, and the result should not be relied on as an exact calculation of tax, payroll or anything else. Your employer knows things this page cannot: a mid-year rate change, a benefit deduction, a garnishment, a local tax, or what it has already withheld this year. Nothing here is tax, legal or financial advice, and using it creates no professional relationship. For anything that turns on the exact number, ask an accountant or a qualified adviser. Methodology and sources.
Pay history
Each numeric bar is the published Montana median estimate for software developer in that year’s release. A BLS # lower bound or a year without an exact result is labelled instead of silently dropped. Bars run from zero. The 2021 method break is marked, and the earlier published bars remain visible as historical context without being joined to the post-change calculations.
- 2021$80,610
- 2022estimate not released
- 2023$109,270
- 2024$100,190
- 2025$121,990
BLS changed the OEWS estimation method beginning with the May 2021 estimates. Pre-2021 bars remain as raw published reference points; the wage, inflation, and employment calculations use post-change endpoints only. BLS also explains that the survey’s pooled design and changes in methods or classifications limit comparisons over time. The chart itself contains no future data point.
BLS estimated employment at 1,364,180 in 2021 and 1,687,890 in 2025, a modeled change of 23.7% between the two published estimates.
Questions people ask
What is the median software developer salary in Montana?+
BLS estimates the median at $121,990 a year, about $58.65 an hour over a full-time year. The published mean estimate is $133,550. In the cited data, that median estimate is 10.3% below the national estimate of $135,980.
What is a software developer salary in Montana after taxes?+
Using the state median estimate and the page's default filing assumptions, the model estimates $89,110 a year after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Montana income tax. The corresponding modeled biweekly amount is $3,427.30.
What is the salary range for a software developer in Montana?+
The BLS lowest-tenth estimate is $73,370, and the highest-tenth estimate is $221,400. “At least” preserves the Bureau's # lower-bound marker; the figures are wage estimates rather than career stages.
Does a software developer earn more in Montana or nearby?+
Against the states it borders, Montana's median of $121,990 is below the highest neighboring median, Idaho at $131,590. The table also shows modeled take home estimates under the same assumptions; it is not a comparison of actual payslips.
Software Developer pay in other states
Or see software developer pay nationally and how Montana taxes any wage.
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 15-1252. OEWS surveys wages in May and publishes about a year later, so this release appeared in May 2026 and is the most recent. Annual figures convert at 2,080 hours a year, as BLS states them. Tax is worked out here from the 2026 federal and Montana tables.