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IC6 Engineer.

Dallas.

$245,000

median salary, 2% below the national average

$191,000 to $318,000. Last updated August 2026.

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Data points to own the conversation.

The median IC6 Engineer salary in Dallas is $245,000, 2% below the national average. Entry level starts near $191,000. Experienced professionals push past $318,000. Dallas is a major corporate hub with dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters spanning telecom, finance, defense, and retail. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.

Salary range.

25th Percentile

$191,000

per year

Median

$245,000

per year

75th Percentile

$318,000

per year

Where do you fall?

$191,000$318,000

Orbyt estimate for IC6 Engineer in Dallas, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.

Government benchmark for this occupation

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $133,290 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metropolitan area, based on 67,030 employed workers (May 2025 release).

10th percentile

$85,920

25th percentile

$105,660

Median

$133,290

75th percentile

$164,100

90th percentile

$179,400

Workers surveyed

67,030

Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $245,000 is 84% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Software Developers covers a different population than the IC6 Engineer title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.

BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) rather than IC6 Engineer specifically. The Dallas range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.

View the BLS source for SOC 15-1252

Salary by experience.

The gap between entry and lead level is typically $221,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.

Entry (0-2 yrs)

$159,000

to $196,000

Mid (3-5 yrs)

$208,000

to $257,000

Senior (6-9 yrs)

$270,000

to $319,000

Lead (10+ yrs)

$306,000

to $380,000

Total compensation.

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $50,000 to the total package.

Base

$245,000

Equity

$27,000

Bonus

$18,000

Signing

$5,000

Estimated total: $295,000

How Dallas compares.

Dallas, TX

$245,000

Cost of living: 1% above average

National Average

$250,000

Dallas is $5,000 below

IC6 Engineer salary by city.

IC6 Engineer salary comparison across 10 cities
CityMedianRangeCOLAdjusted
San Jose, CA$331,000$258,000 to $431,0001.38x$240,000
San Francisco, CA$324,000$253,000 to $421,0001.35x$240,000
Honolulu, HI$312,000$243,000 to $406,0001.30x$240,000
New York, NY$310,000$242,000 to $404,0001.28x$242,000
Washington DC, DC$306,000$239,000 to $398,0001.25x$245,000
Seattle, WA$304,000$237,000 to $395,0001.24x$245,000
San Diego, CA$304,000$237,000 to $395,0001.17x$260,000
Boston, MA$296,000$231,000 to $385,0001.22x$243,000
Los Angeles, CA$289,000$225,000 to $376,0001.18x$245,000
Dallas, TX$245,000$191,000 to $318,0001.01x$243,000

See all 81 cities for IC6 Engineer →

Salary by role in Dallas.

Salary comparison by role in Dallas
RoleMedianRange
CTO$315,000$246,000 to $410,000
General Counsel$286,000$222,000 to $371,000
CEO$286,000$208,000 to $395,000
CFO$257,000$193,000 to $341,000
IC6 Engineer$245,000$191,000 to $318,000
CTO, AI Startup$235,000$184,000 to $306,000
AI Trading Strategist$232,000$181,000 to $302,000
AI Protein Structure Specialist$224,000$175,000 to $292,000

What you should know.

Before you negotiate an IC6 Engineer offer in Dallas, understand the terrain. Dallas is a major corporate hub with dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters spanning telecom, finance, defense, and retail. The metro's low cost of living and no state income tax make it a magnet for corporate relocations. Tech salaries in Dallas have risen quickly, particularly in fintech, cybersecurity, and enterprise software. Compensation for IC6 Engineers is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack. Signing bonuses near $13K are standard for lateral hires and reset every 2 to 4 years. Within tech-sector IC6 Engineers specifically, employer tier (FAANG and frontier-AI labs vs mid-stage startups vs traditional enterprise) drives 67%+ variance across the compensation band.

IC6 Engineers typically progress Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff → Principal over 8 to 12 years, with the Staff+ levels carrying significant technical scope and cross-team influence. The director/VP track diverges around year 8 for those who choose management; IC staff-plus roles keep building technical depth. In Dallas, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.

Base salary is not the full picture. Total compensation for IC6 Engineers includes a meaningful signing bonus near $13K, which resets every 2 to 4 years for lateral hires. Base plus bonus (10% of base at target) forms the bulk of ongoing annual comp; signing bonuses are best thought of as a 4-year amortized component. At tech companies specifically, equity and sign-on are often the largest delta between offers — two roles with matching base can differ by $100K+ at total when equity is included. And on the tax side: texas levies no state income tax, giving Dallas workers a meaningful take home pay advantage. Local property taxes are above the national average, typically around 2% of assessed value. When someone quotes you $245,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Highlight the corporate headquarters density in DFW. Employers here compete fiercely for talent and often match or exceed offers from companies across the metroplex. The range for IC6 Engineers in Dallas runs from $191,000 to $318,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology

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$

25th

$191,000

Median

$245,000

75th

$318,000

Considering a related role?

  • A CTO, AI Startup in Dallas earns $235,000 (4% less)
  • The highest-paying role in Dallas is CTO at $315,000

Common questions.

Dallas's economy is driven by Telecom, Financial Services, Defense & Aerospace, and Healthcare. IC6 Engineers are hired across these sectors, though compensation can vary 15 to 25% between industries. Company size and funding stage also influence total packages significantly.

IC6 Engineer compensation in Dallas has trended upward as demand outpaces supply. The 2026 range of $191,000 to $318,000 reflects a market that rewards specialization. Compensation for IC6 Engineers is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack.

IC6 Engineers in Dallas earn a median of $245,000, which positions this role among the higher paid professions in the market. Related roles may pay 10 to 25% more or less depending on specialization depth. Use Orbyt's Salary Explorer to compare specific roles side by side in Dallas.

Dallas's cost of living is near the national average. Dallas is a major corporate hub with dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters spanning telecom, finance, defense, and retail. Calculate your actual take home pay after housing, taxes, and transportation before deciding. A $245,000 salary here buys a different lifestyle than the same number in another market.

Dallas's cost of living multiplier is 1.01x the national average. The adjusted median IC6 Engineer salary of $245,000 accounts for this. In practice, an IC6 Engineer earning $245,000 in Dallas has roughly the same purchasing power as someone earning $242,574 in an average cost market.

IC6 Engineer salary in other cities.

Other salaries in Dallas.

Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to IC6 Engineers in Dallas.

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"IC6 Engineer Salary in Dallas, TX." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ic6-engineer/dallas

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