Software Engineer Salary in North Dakota (2026)
The average Software Engineer in North Dakota earns around $145,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $107,796/year ($8,983/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $107,796 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $8,983 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $4,146 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $52/hr |
Federal Tax | $23,534 |
State Tax | $2,578 |
FICA Taxes | $11,093 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 25.66% |
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Read the guideSoftware Engineer Salary Ranges in North Dakota
Not all Software Engineers earn the same — not even close
North Dakota's software engineering market is anchored by Microsoft Fargo (~1.7K+ Fargo employees + the post-2008 Microsoft-Great Plains Software $1.1B acquisition + Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central + the substantial Microsoft Fargo campus software development), Doosan-Bobcat Fargo (~2K+ Fargo + post-2007 Doosan-Bobcat $4.9B acquisition + the substantial Bobcat skid steer + compact excavator software + the substantial post-2024 Doosan-HD Bobcat split), Sanford Health Bismarck + Fargo (multi-state Sanford ND operations), University of North Dakota Grand Forks (UND J.D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences + UND ATM Air Traffic Management + the substantial UND aviation software), NDSU Fargo (NDSU College of Engineering), Bank of North Dakota Bismarck (the only state-owned bank in the US), Minot AFB B-52H + ICBM cleared software + Grand Forks AFB 319th RW Global Hawk UAS, the substantial Bakken oil tech (Continental Resources + ConocoPhillips + Hess + Marathon + the substantial Williston Basin oilfield software), plus the substantial Fargo Moorhead post-2020 tech corridor.
Staff / Principal Engineer (Microsoft Fargo)
$155,000–$275,000+ TC
Senior IC at Microsoft Fargo · Dynamics 365 Business Central + Microsoft Fargo campus
Senior Engineer (Microsoft Fargo)
$125,000–$195,000+ TC
Microsoft Fargo · Dynamics 365 Business Central + Power Platform + Microsoft cloud
Senior Engineer (Doosan-Bobcat Fargo)
$108,000–$165,000+ TC
Doosan-Bobcat Fargo · skid steer + compact excavator software + telematics + autonomy
Senior Engineer (Cleared / Minot AFB / Sentinel)
$118,000–$182,000+ TC
Minot AFB 5th BW B-52H + 91st MW Minuteman III + post-2024 Sentinel · TS/SCI premium
Senior Engineer (Sanford Health ND)
$98,000–$148,000+ bonus
Sanford Bismarck + Fargo · Epic + multi-state SD-ND-MN-IA healthcare tech
Senior Engineer (UND Aerospace / UAS)
$105,000–$162,000+ TC
UND Aerospace + Grand Forks AFB 319th RW Global Hawk UAS · the substantial UAS tech
Senior Engineer (Bakken Oilfield Tech)
$108,000–$165,000+ bonus
Continental Resources + ConocoPhillips + Hess + Marathon Bakken · oilfield software
Engineering Manager
$148,000–$245,000+ TC
EM at Microsoft + Doosan-Bobcat + Sanford + UND + Minot AFB · team lead
Mid-Level Engineer (3-6 yrs)
$78,000–$118,000
Functional IC at ND major employers · transitioning to senior band
Junior Engineer (0-3 yrs)
$62,000–$85,000
UND + NDSU + Dickinson State + Minot State CS pipeline · entry band
Worth knowing: Microsoft Fargo + Doosan-Bobcat Fargo dual-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state Microsoft regional headquarters + heavy equipment software anchor and a feature most national SE surveys understate for ND. Microsoft Fargo (~1.7K+ Fargo employees + the substantial post-2008 Microsoft-Great Plains Software $1.1B acquisition Fargo origin + the substantial Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central + Microsoft Power Platform development + the substantial Microsoft Fargo campus + the substantial Microsoft Fargo serving as Microsoft's second-largest US campus outside Redmond + the substantial Microsoft Fargo Cloud + Enterprise Solutions development + the substantial Microsoft Fargo post-2020 substantial growth) supports substantial ND Microsoft-anchored SE work. Senior Microsoft Fargo engineers clear $125-275K+ TC. Doosan-Bobcat Fargo (post-2007 Doosan-Bobcat $4.9B acquisition + ~2K+ Fargo + Bobcat Wahpeton + Gwinner + the substantial Bobcat skid steer loader + compact excavator + the substantial post-2024 Doosan-HD Bobcat split + the substantial Doosan Bobcat North America operations + the substantial Bobcat connected machines + telematics software) supports substantial ND heavy equipment SE. Senior Doosan-Bobcat engineers clear $108-165K+ TC. Sanford Health ND + UND Aerospace + Grand Forks AFB Global Hawk UAS + Minot AFB + post-2024 Sentinel ICBM cleared SE + the substantial Bakken oilfield tech + Bank of North Dakota Bismarck. ND flat 1.95%/2.5% top (post-2023 HB 1158 reform) + ND RTW since 1948 + ND property tax ~0.98% + no state estate tax anchor the ND SE proposition.
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More on North Dakota
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for North Dakota in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for North Dakota in 2026.
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