Operations Research Analysts in the Amherst Town-Northampton Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Operations Research Analysts pay in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA at a median of $79,660 per year ($38.30/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $88,940, the metro estimate is 10% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 60 operations research analysts are employed across the Amherst Town-Northampton MSA in SOC 15-2031.

The Amherst Town-Northampton pay distribution spans from $55,180 at the 10th percentile to $86,730 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $70,870 and the 75th at $80,020, so half of Amherst Town-Northampton-based operations research analysts earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Amherst Town-Northampton, MA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide MA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.