Software Developers salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Software Developers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $129,030 a year ($62.03 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $101,670 and $156,320 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $77,730 or less and the top 10 percent earn $169,030 or more. BLS estimates 9,820 Software Developers jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 7.321 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.67 (well below the national concentration). That is 0.6% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #24 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $1.24 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $92,459.52 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Software Developers is about $0.91 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #25 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #25 largest of the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $129,030 falls between the national 25th percentile ($105,210) and the national median ($135,980). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Software Developers pay is 158.1% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $60.62 | $126,090 |
| 10th percentile | $37.37 | $77,730 |
| 25th percentile | $48.88 | $101,670 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $62.03 | $129,030 |
| 75th percentile | $75.16 | $156,320 |
| 90th percentile | $81.27 | $169,030 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 2.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($169,030 against $77,730). The middle half spans $54,650 — from $101,670 to $156,320. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($81.27) is 2.17 times the 10th ($37.37). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $156,320 takes home $111,700.88 and the 90th percentile wage of $169,030 takes home $119,790.94 — $8,090.06 more net for $12,710 more gross. Against the median take-home of $94,330.66, the top decile keeps 1.27 times as much. The mean wage of $126,090 sits 2.3% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above Project Management Specialists at $100,510. Software Developers accounts for 0.7% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.3 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $129,030.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $19,701.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $7,999.86 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,870.94 |
| Missouri income tax | $5,127.08 |
| Total deductions | $34,699.34 |
| Net pay (annual) | $94,330.66 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,628.10 |
| Total deduction rate | 26.89% of gross |
At the median, $94,330.66 of the $129,030 gross is kept ($3,628.10 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 26.89%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 21.71% at the 10th percentile, 24.71% at the 25th percentile, 28.54% at the 75th percentile, 29.13% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $35,155.20 on a gross rise of $54,650.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($77,730) | $60,855.22 | $2,340.59 | 21.71% |
| 25th percentile ($101,670) | $76,545.68 | $2,944.06 | 24.71% |
| Median ($129,030) | $94,330.66 | $3,628.10 | 26.89% |
| 75th percentile ($156,320) | $111,700.88 | $4,296.19 | 28.54% |
| 90th percentile ($169,030) | $119,790.94 | $4,607.34 | 29.13% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $60,855.22 a year at the 10th percentile to $119,790.94 at the 90th — a spread of $58,935.72 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Software Developers median take-home of $94,330.66 sits $53,351.22 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Illinois paycheck calculator.
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 St. Louis, MO-IL median of $129,030 is $6,950 (5.1%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $126,090 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $22,010 (14.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $169,030 is 147% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $77,730 is 249% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $129,030 | $62.03 | $126,090 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$129,030 a year ($62.03 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $126,090 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #25 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $129,030 in Missouri?
About $94,330.66 a year ($3,628.10 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 26.89% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $156,320, take-home is $111,700.88.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $129,030 is $6,950 (5.1%) below the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $169,030, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$169,030 a year or more ($81.27 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $169,030 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $119,790.94 a year ($4,607.34 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 29.13%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 9,820 Software Developers jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 7.321 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 0.67 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $60,855.22 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($77,730) to $119,790.94 at the 90th ($169,030), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $1.24 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 9,820 multiplied by the mean wage of $126,090.
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.