IC6 Engineer.
Wichita.
$203,000
median salary, 19% below the national average
$158,000 to $264,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
IC6 Engineer pay in Wichita ranges from $158,000 to $264,000 in 2026. The median is $203,000, 19% below the national average. Wichita is the air capital of the world, home to major aerospace manufacturers including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for IC6 Engineer in Wichita, 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 $105,980 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Wichita, KS metropolitan area, based on 2,040 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$62,860
25th percentile
$79,890
Median
$105,980
75th percentile
$129,180
90th percentile
$152,500
Workers surveyed
2,040
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $203,000 is 92% 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 Wichita 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 15-1252Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $183,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$132,000
to $162,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$173,000
to $213,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$223,000
to $264,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$254,000
to $315,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $41,000 to the total package.
Base
$203,000
Equity
$22,000
Bonus
$15,000
Signing
$4,000
Estimated total: $244,000
How Wichita compares.
Wichita, KS
$203,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$250,000
Wichita is $47,000 below
IC6 Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Wichita.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate an IC6 Engineer offer in Wichita, understand the terrain. Wichita is the air capital of the world, home to major aerospace manufacturers including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus. The city's engineering talent pool is deep, and the extremely low cost of living means aerospace salaries deliver exceptional purchasing power. 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 Wichita, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
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: kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.7%. Wichita has no city income tax. The moderate state rate combined with very low housing costs creates strong net pay. When someone quotes you $203,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight aerospace engineering expertise. Wichita manufacturers pay competitive national rates for specialized aviation and defense engineering talent. The range for IC6 Engineers in Wichita runs from $158,000 to $264,000. 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
Common questions.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"IC6 Engineer Salary in Wichita, KS." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ic6-engineer/wichita
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