IC6 Engineer.
Nashville.
$245,000
median salary, 2% below the national average
$191,000 to $319,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating an IC6 Engineer offer in Nashville, TN, here is the reality: $191,000 to $319,000, with $245,000 as the midpoint. 2% below the national average. Compensation for IC6 Engineers is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack. Do not accept the first number. 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 Nashville, 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 $126,610 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metropolitan area, based on 7,750 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$78,410
25th percentile
$99,030
Median
$126,610
75th percentile
$140,170
90th percentile
$169,070
Workers surveyed
7,750
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $245,000 is 94% 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 Nashvillerange 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 $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 Nashville compares.
Nashville, TN
$245,000
Cost of living: at average
National Average
$250,000
Nashville is $5,000 below
IC6 Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Nashville.
What you should know.
Here is what the IC6 Engineer market actually looks like in Nashville. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. The city is home to HCA Healthcare and a growing corridor of health tech startups. Nashville's moderate cost of living, combined with Tennessee's lack of state income tax on wages, makes it increasingly popular for corporate relocations and remote workers. 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 Nashville, 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: tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries. This gives Nashville workers a meaningful take home advantage over peers in states with 5 to 10% income tax rates. 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: Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers. The range for IC6 Engineers in Nashville runs from $191,000 to $319,000. 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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