Highest Paying Jobs in Massachusetts

Top 100 occupations ranked by median annual salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

Highest Occupation Median

$426,560

Radiologists

Mean of Top 25 Medians

$256,044

each occupation weighted once

Medians ≥ $100K

100

occupations

Occupations

100

with wage data

This ranking surfaces the 100 highest-paying occupations in Massachusetts by BLS OEWS state median salary, drawn from the May 2025 release. At the top, Radiologists pays a state median of $426,560, +1% above the national median of $420,860 for the same role. Of the 100 occupation medians shown, 100 are at least $100,000 per year in Massachusetts. The equal-weighted mean of the top ten published occupation medians is $330,321. It is not a worker mean or median.

The "Difference" column subtracts or compares each state median with the corresponding national median for the same SOC code. In this list, 91 of 100 occupation medians are above the corresponding national median in Massachusetts. These values do not identify why the state and national estimates differ.

This ranking orders published occupation medians; it does not identify career stages, individual earning potential, or the odds of obtaining a job. The employment column contains estimated jobs in covered establishments. Occupation profiles separately show BLS projection and typical-entry education assignments where available. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. Employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, and nonproduction bonuses are outside the estimate, so review those separately for any specific offer. Open a linked profile to compare percentile boundaries, BLS education assignments, local-area estimates, and projected openings without treating one measure as a personal forecast.

# Occupation State Median
1 Radiologists $426,560
2 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $392,300
3 Surgeons, All Other $387,150
4 Emergency Medicine Physicians $356,230
5 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $325,200
6 Nurse Anesthetists $295,550
7 General Internal Medicine Physicians $285,250
8 Physicians, Pathologists $285,240
9 Family Medicine Physicians $277,490
10 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $272,240
11 Natural Sciences Managers $267,290
12 Physicians, All Other $236,580
13 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $221,710
14 Pediatricians, General $221,170
15 Podiatrists $217,700
16 Computer and Information Systems Managers $214,960
17 Marketing Managers $212,020
18 Financial Managers $206,760
19 Architectural and Engineering Managers $201,430
20 Sales Managers $191,200
21 Compensation and Benefits Managers $184,070
22 Managers, All Other $182,950
23 Human Resources Managers $181,780
24 Dentists, General $181,600
25 Lawyers $176,680
26 Public Relations Managers $171,740
27 Purchasing Managers $170,750
28 Computer and Information Research Scientists $170,510
29 Computer Hardware Engineers $167,600
30 Software Developers $165,210
31 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $164,410
32 Advertising and Promotions Managers $163,090
33 Database Architects $161,650
34 Nurse Midwives $159,800
35 Computer Network Architects $155,060
36 Fundraising Managers $151,740
37 Optometrists $151,730
38 Aerospace Engineers $149,470
39 Art Directors $149,320
40 Industrial Production Managers $148,050
41 Nuclear Engineers $145,760
42 Construction Managers $145,010
43 Judicial Law Clerks $143,350
44 Nurse Practitioners $142,440
45 Physician Assistants $142,410
46 Medical Dosimetrists $140,990
47 Veterinarians $140,260
48 Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $138,420
49 Physical Scientists, All Other $138,380
50 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $138,230
51 Pharmacists $138,170
52 Information Security Analysts $136,550
53 Sales Engineers $136,200
54 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $134,850
55 Management Analysts $134,720
56 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $134,520
57 Medical and Health Services Managers $134,360
58 Political Scientists $133,930
59 Materials Scientists $132,600
60 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $132,010
61 Data Scientists $131,750
62 Biochemists and Biophysicists $131,600
63 Engineers, All Other $131,260
64 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $131,210
65 Financial Risk Specialists $130,400
66 Psychologists, All Other $129,410
67 Database Administrators $129,300
68 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $128,970
69 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $128,430
70 Computer Programmers $128,390
71 Computer Systems Analysts $128,240
72 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $128,210
73 Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary $128,150
74 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary $128,030
75 Electrical Engineers $127,720
76 Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $127,570
77 General and Operations Managers $127,220
78 Signal and Track Switch Repairers $126,440
79 Actuaries $126,040
80 Personal Financial Advisors $125,670
81 Life Scientists, All Other $125,260
82 Air Traffic Controllers $125,060
83 Chemists $125,000
84 Facilities Managers $124,100
85 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $123,830
86 Emergency Management Directors $123,250
87 Ship Engineers $122,720
88 Microbiologists $122,350
89 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $122,210
90 Historians $121,710
91 Anthropologists and Archeologists $121,300
92 Power Distributors and Dispatchers $121,010
93 Pile Driver Operators $120,980
94 Structural Iron and Steel Workers $120,840
95 Plant and System Operators, All Other $120,660
96 Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $119,460
97 Hydrologists $119,350
98 Mechanical Engineers $119,300
99 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $118,980
100 Nuclear Medicine Technologists $118,250

More ways to explore Massachusetts pay and compare with national data.

About This Data

All salary data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. State-level data reflects wages for workers employed in Massachusetts. The "Difference" column shows how Massachusetts pay compares to the national median for that occupation.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Rankings by median annual salary in Massachusetts.

National benchmark comparisons computed against BLS OEWS National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. These figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level wage data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.