Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Across all occupations in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area, the median wage is $66,620 a year ($32.03 an hour) and the mean $89,620, May 2025. That median is +31% against the US median of $50,980 and +5% against Massachusetts's $63,590. BLS counts 2,703,890 jobs in the area, which spans Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The highest-paying occupation is radiologists; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH vs Massachusetts and New Hampshire and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $17.67 | $22.04 | $32.03 | $51.07 | $80.81 | $43.09 | 2,703,890 |
| Annual | $36,760 | $45,850 | $66,620 | $106,230 | $168,090 | $89,620 | ||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $17.47 | $21.51 | $30.57 | $49.32 | $78.37 | $41.16 | 3,637,650 |
| Annual | $36,330 | $44,730 | $63,590 | $102,580 | $163,010 | $85,610 | ||
| New Hampshire | Hourly | $15.88 | $19.16 | $26.87 | $39.32 | $61.03 | $34.31 | 683,290 |
| Annual | $33,030 | $39,860 | $55,880 | $81,780 | $126,930 | $71,360 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
688 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profiles: Massachusetts, New Hampshire. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Most concentrated occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | 22.73 | 13,370 | 4.95 | $131,550 |
| 2 | Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 9.90 | 4,040 | 1.50 | $128,550 |
| 3 | Sociologists | 6.09 | 240 | 0.09 | $106,530 |
| 4 | Biological Technicians | 6.05 | 7,320 | 2.71 | $61,610 |
| 5 | Microbiologists | 5.49 | 1,810 | 0.67 | $122,350 |
| 6 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 5.36 | 16,060 | 5.94 | $129,500 |
| 7 | Natural Sciences Managers | 5.06 | 9,570 | 3.54 | $291,000 |
| 8 | Astronomers | 5.00 | 180 | 0.07 | * |
| 9 | Materials Scientists | 4.74 | 700 | 0.26 | $132,600 |
| 10 | Statisticians | 3.87 | 1,950 | 0.72 | $102,320 |
Occupation groups in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $166,580 | $183,090 | 254,700 | 94.20 | 1.32 |
| Legal | $135,160 | $176,660 | 29,540 | 10.92 | 1.30 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $132,190 | $136,170 | 128,180 | 47.41 | 1.40 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $107,670 | $118,920 | 65,560 | 24.25 | 1.44 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $105,530 | $116,950 | 66,650 | 24.65 | 2.60 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $102,660 | $114,170 | 242,960 | 89.86 | 1.33 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $102,090 | $124,520 | 184,840 | 68.36 | 1.08 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $78,610 | $87,200 | 38,240 | 14.14 | 1.07 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $78,500 | $85,360 | 180,160 | 66.63 | 1.14 |
| Construction and Extraction | $78,070 | $82,960 | 93,170 | 34.46 | 0.83 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $69,140 | $72,760 | 76,150 | 28.16 | 0.72 |
| Protective Service | $64,790 | $69,990 | 60,420 | 22.35 | 0.92 |
| Community and Social Service | $64,760 | $71,590 | 52,790 | 19.52 | 1.14 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $56,580 | $59,580 | 265,830 | 98.31 | 0.86 |
| Production | $50,000 | $56,770 | 95,730 | 35.40 | 0.64 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $47,320 | $48,260 | 76,370 | 28.25 | 0.97 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $46,430 | $53,340 | 163,380 | 60.42 | 0.69 |
| Sales and Related | $45,840 | $66,760 | 214,430 | 79.30 | 0.92 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $44,880 | $47,220 | 1,640 | 0.61 | 0.22 |
| Healthcare Support | $44,540 | $47,180 | 130,530 | 48.28 | 0.95 |
| Personal Care and Service | $42,990 | $48,090 | 66,020 | 24.42 | 1.17 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $37,780 | $42,830 | 216,600 | 80.11 | 0.91 |
Every occupation in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profiles. All 688 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH estimates (area 14460).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.
- The area spans Massachusetts and New Hampshire; its figures are the whole MSA, as BLS publishes them, under the primary state Massachusetts.