Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
65 Highest Paying Jobs in Massachusetts (2026)
The highest-paying job in Massachusetts is Family Medicine Physician with a state-aggregated median salary of $284,010 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data weighted across the state's 1 BLS-tracked metro. Across all 65 occupations the average median is $129,162, with 52 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Massachusetts's average cost-of-living index is 152, so the average median equates to $84,975 of buying power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
The 65 occupations below are ranked by median wage across Massachusetts — rolling up wage data across all metropolitan areas in the state. State-level rollups smooth over the substantial intra-state wage variation typical of larger states. For state-level wage comparisons, BLS OEWS state files aggregate across MSAs and non-MSA areas. The aggregation hides legitimate within-state differences: a job in Massachusetts's primary metro often pays substantially more (and costs substantially more to live near) than the same job in smaller cities.
Use the per-metro pages for the geographic-specific view. The state-level ranking is most useful for comparing Massachusetts to other states, not for comparing within-state options.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Massachusetts
Ranked by state-aggregated median (50th percentile) salary, employment-weighted across Massachusetts's single tracked metro.
State median $284,010 · 2,950 jobs · top metro: Boston ($284,010)
Family Medicine Physicians in Massachusetts earn $284,010 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $284,010 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $235,460 · 500 jobs · top metro: Boston ($235,460)
Obstetrician/Gynecologists in Massachusetts earn $235,460 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $235,460 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $221,170 · 1,860 jobs · top metro: Boston ($221,170)
Pediatricians in Massachusetts earn $221,170 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $221,170 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $214,960 · 20,530 jobs · top metro: Boston ($214,960)
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Massachusetts earn $214,960 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $214,960 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $213,910 · 11,940 jobs · top metro: Boston ($213,910)
Marketing Managers in Massachusetts earn $213,910 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $213,910 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $209,780 · 21,650 jobs · top metro: Boston ($209,780)
Financial Managers in Massachusetts earn $209,780 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $209,780 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $206,610 · 11,540 jobs · top metro: Boston ($206,610)
Sales Managers in Massachusetts earn $206,610 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $206,610 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $184,990 · 6,480 jobs · top metro: Boston ($184,990)
Human Resources Managers in Massachusetts earn $184,990 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $184,990 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $183,350 · 20,080 jobs · top metro: Boston ($183,350)
Lawyers in Massachusetts earn $183,350 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $183,350 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $181,150 · 1,920 jobs · top metro: Boston ($181,150)
Dentists in Massachusetts earn $181,150 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Boston) pays $181,150 median, materially above the state aggregate.
Full Ranking: All 65 Tracked Occupations
| Rank | Role | Category | State Median | Top Metro | Top Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $284,010 | Boston | $284,010 | 2,950 |
| 2 | Obstetrician/Gynecologist | Healthcare | $235,460 | Boston | $235,460 | 500 |
| 3 | Pediatrician | Healthcare | $221,170 | Boston | $221,170 | 1,860 |
| 4 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $214,960 | Boston | $214,960 | 20,530 |
| 5 | Marketing Manager | Management | $213,910 | Boston | $213,910 | 11,940 |
| 6 | Financial Manager | Finance | $209,780 | Boston | $209,780 | 21,650 |
| 7 | Sales Manager | Management | $206,610 | Boston | $206,610 | 11,540 |
| 8 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $184,990 | Boston | $184,990 | 6,480 |
| 9 | Lawyer | Legal | $183,350 | Boston | $183,350 | 20,080 |
| 10 | Dentist | Healthcare | $181,150 | Boston | $181,150 | 1,920 |
| 11 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $170,510 | Boston | $170,510 | 1,620 |
| 12 | Software Developer | Technology | $166,090 | Boston | $166,090 | 42,310 |
| 13 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $160,650 | Boston | $160,650 | 5,240 |
| 14 | Optometrist | Healthcare | $154,970 | Boston | $154,970 | 710 |
| 15 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $147,480 | Boston | $147,480 | 5,990 |
| 16 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $142,410 | Boston | $142,410 | 3,550 |
| 17 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $139,660 | Boston | $139,660 | 5,280 |
| 18 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $138,900 | Boston | $138,900 | 1,540 |
| 19 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $136,760 | Boston | $136,760 | 12,990 |
| 20 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $136,550 | Boston | $136,550 | 5,220 |
| 21 | Management Analyst | Management | $135,640 | Boston | $135,640 | 26,450 |
| 22 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $133,940 | Boston | $133,940 | 2,490 |
| 23 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $133,800 | Boston | $133,800 | 70,950 |
| 24 | Database Architect | Technology | $132,370 | Boston | $132,370 | 1,910 |
| 25 | Data Scientist | Technology | $132,040 | Boston | $132,040 | 7,930 |
| 26 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $129,180 | Boston | $129,180 | 17,470 |
| 27 | Computer Programmer | Technology | $128,900 | Boston | $128,900 | 1,600 |
| 28 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $128,610 | Boston | $128,610 | 4,030 |
| 29 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $126,530 | Boston | $126,530 | 0 |
| 30 | Web Developer | Technology | $122,270 | Boston | $122,270 | 2,330 |
| 31 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $122,210 | Boston | $122,210 | 6,050 |
| 32 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $121,230 | Boston | $121,230 | 4,800 |
| 33 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $119,300 | Boston | $119,300 | 6,890 |
| 34 | Architect | Engineering | $119,120 | Boston | $119,120 | 3,930 |
| 35 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $118,970 | Boston | $118,970 | 9,010 |
| 36 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $117,520 | Boston | $117,520 | 13,010 |
| 37 | Network Architect | Technology | $116,770 | Boston | $116,770 | 6,760 |
| 38 | Audiologist | Healthcare | $108,960 | Boston | $108,960 | 160 |
| 39 | Web Designer | Technology | $108,520 | Boston | $108,520 | 1,450 |
| 40 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $107,670 | Boston | $107,670 | 7,970 |
| 41 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $106,180 | Boston | $106,180 | 64,240 |
| 42 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $105,230 | Boston | $105,230 | 820 |
| 43 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $103,550 | Boston | $103,550 | 5,330 |
| 44 | Loan Officer | Finance | $103,400 | Boston | $103,400 | 3,420 |
| 45 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $103,110 | Boston | $103,110 | 3,250 |
| 46 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $102,810 | Boston | $102,810 | 3,720 |
| 47 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $102,390 | Boston | $102,390 | 32,310 |
| 48 | Statistician | Technology | $102,320 | Boston | $102,320 | 1,950 |
| 49 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $101,990 | Boston | $101,990 | 5,150 |
| 50 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $101,940 | Boston | $101,940 | 4,790 |
| 51 | Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $100,700 | Boston | $100,700 | 3,420 |
| 52 | Accountant | Finance | $100,150 | Boston | $100,150 | 37,150 |
| 53 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $98,850 | Boston | $98,850 | 20,600 |
| 54 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $98,060 | Boston | $98,060 | 20,340 |
| 55 | Plumber | Trades | $96,760 | Boston | $96,760 | 9,200 |
| 56 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $88,950 | Boston | $88,950 | 1,700 |
| 57 | Writer/Author | Creative | $85,260 | Boston | $85,260 | 1,130 |
| 58 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $81,440 | Boston | $81,440 | 5,380 |
| 59 | Electrician | Trades | $79,910 | Boston | $79,910 | 13,410 |
| 60 | Paralegal | Legal | $79,850 | Boston | $79,850 | 6,300 |
| 61 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $79,480 | Boston | $79,480 | 8,710 |
| 62 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $78,270 | Boston | $78,270 | 3,560 |
| 63 | Carpenter | Trades | $75,210 | Boston | $75,210 | 12,720 |
| 64 | Welder | Trades | $63,770 | Boston | $63,770 | 2,210 |
| 65 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $63,060 | Boston | $63,060 | 9,360 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Massachusetts
Massachusetts's economy is concentrated in biotech, higher-education-driven research, financial services, and healthcare around Boston. Specialist pay across these sectors runs well above national averages; the cost of living premium absorbs some of that.
$Massachusetts tracks $1 BLS-published metros covering approximately $659,260 workers across the $65 occupations on this page. State-aggregated medians are employment-weighted across metros, which is the right way to read "state pay" when BLS publishes by metro. The Family Medicine Physician top spot reflects Boston pulling the upper end of the distribution; smaller metros in Massachusetts typically pay 10–25% less for the same role.
Metro-by-Metro Detail
For salary data specific to one metro within Massachusetts, see:
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Massachusetts is Family Medicine Physician with a state median salary of $284,010. The top-paying metro for this role is Boston at $284,010 median. The role employs roughly 2,950 workers across Massachusetts.
52 of the 65 BLS-tracked occupations in Massachusetts have a state-aggregated median salary of $100,000 or higher. That places this state in the upper tier nationally for high-paying occupations.
Across 65 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Massachusetts is $129,162. The figure is employment-weighted across 1 metros, so larger occupations and larger metros contribute proportionally more. Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national-average baseline, it equates to $84,975.
BLS OEWS publishes wage data by Metropolitan Statistical Area. For Massachusetts, this page aggregates Boston. Some non-MSA areas (small towns, rural counties) are excluded from OEWS metro tables but covered in BLS state-level summaries; we use metro-level data to preserve the percentile granularity.
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers. State aggregates are computed by employment-weighting metro-level percentile wages across the BLS-tracked metros in Massachusetts.
State aggregates are employment-weighted across the BLS-tracked metros in Massachusetts, using OEWS 2025 data.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.