What is the median Massachusetts salary in 2026?

MA's median household income is ~$103,000 — among the top 3 US states alongside Maryland and New Jersey. Per-capita personal income is ~$93,000 (highest in the US). Greater Boston median household clears $115,000; Western MA (Springfield, Pittsfield, Greenfield) drops to $65-75,000. The 'average Massachusetts salary' phrase usually conflates median with arithmetic mean — Boston's UHNW concentration (hedge fund principals, Bain Capital partners, Mass General specialists, BigLaw equity partners) pulls the mean appreciably above median.

What is the Massachusetts Fair Share Amendment surtax?

The Fair Share Amendment (Question 1, 2022 ballot — MA Constitution Article CXII) adds a 4% surtax on income above $1,083,150 (2026 inflation-indexed annually per MA DOR). The threshold was originally $1M when the amendment was passed and has indexed up via CPI-W. For 95%+ of MA earners the rate is genuinely just the flat 5%. For those above the threshold, the effective top rate becomes 9% (5% base + 4% surtax) on the marginal dollars only. The surtax applies to capital gains in the same year — sellers of long-held assets above the threshold face the full 9% on the realization. The surtax has driven measurable HNW out-migration to NH, FL, and TX since 2023.

Does Boston have a city income tax?

No. Boston residents pay only the MA 5% flat state rate — no separate city income tax. This is fundamentally different from NYC (which stacks 3.078-3.876% city tax), Philadelphia (3.75% resident wage tax), Pittsburgh (~3% combined). Boston's tax burden falls instead on real estate (Boston property tax effective ~1.1% — modest by Northeast standards, partly because Boston's Class A office + commercial base subsidizes the residential rate), the sales tax (6.25% state, no local add-on), and MBTA fare structure. The absence of a city income tax is a real advantage for Boston vs NYC at high-earning tiers.

Which Massachusetts professions pay the most?

Senior biotech executives at Kendall Square (Moderna, Vertex, Biogen, Takeda) clear $1-5M all-in with equity. Asset management portfolio managers at Fidelity, Wellington, MFS, Putnam reach $500K-$5M+ for senior PMs running large funds. PE partners at Bain Capital, Berkshire Partners, Summit, TA Associates clear $700K-$5M+ on carry. Ropes & Gray + Goodwin + WilmerHale equity partners clear $700K-$5M+. Specialty surgeons at Mass General Brigham, Dana-Farber, Boston Children's clear $700-850K+. Senior SWEs at HubSpot, Akamai, Wayfair, Toast, Klaviyo, MathWorks reach $250-450K all-in.

How does Massachusetts PFML work?

MA Paid Family and Medical Leave (since 2021) is funded by a payroll deduction of ~0.18% medical + 0.30% family = 0.48% total in 2026, capped at the Social Security wage base ($184,500). Most MA employers split the contribution with the employee — typical employee share is ~0.18%, employer share ~0.30%. At $100K that's ~$180/yr employee deduction. Benefits provide up to 26 weeks combined paid leave (12 weeks family + 20 weeks medical, capped at 26 combined) at up to ~$1,170/week (2026 cap, ~80% of MA average weekly wage). Self-employed workers can opt in voluntarily.

Does Massachusetts tax retirement income?

Partially. Massachusetts fully exempts Social Security benefits at the state level. Public-sector pensions from MA state + local governments + federal civilian + military pensions are fully exempt. Private pensions, 401(k) distributions, and traditional IRA distributions ARE taxable at the standard 5% rate. The Fair Share 4% surtax applies above $1.08M (rare for retirees but relevant for lump-sum 401(k) rollouts). MA has a state estate tax with a $2M exemption (significantly lower than the federal ~$14M) — for HNW retirees this is often the most decisive MA-tax factor, and one of the main reasons for MA-to-NH or MA-to-FL retiree migration.

Should I move from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to avoid MA tax?

Common move with real but conditional savings. NH has 0% wage tax and 0% interest/dividends tax (since 2025). MA 5% + ~0.18% PFML = ~5.2% saved on every wage dollar. At $200K that's ~$10,400/yr savings; at $500K ~$26,000/yr. The wrinkles: (1) NH property tax averages ~2.0% effective (vs MA ~1.2%) — on a $700K home that's $5,600/yr offset, eating most of the income-tax savings at moderate income. (2) MA residency rules require you to actually live in NH 183+ days/yr — owning a NH 'second home' while keeping a MA primary residence doesn't qualify. (3) MA wages earned in MA are still MA-taxable for NH residents working in MA (the pre-2023 'convenience rule' MA tried to extend post-COVID was struck down by NH lawsuit and SCOTUS denial of cert — NH residents working remotely for MA employers now owe no MA tax). The savings pencil cleanly above $250K W-2 with genuine NH residency.

Massachusetts Salary Guide — 2026

Massachusetts Salary Guide 2026: Take-Home + Professions

Massachusetts is a 5% flat-tax state with a single catch above the headline: the Fair Share Amendment 4% surtax on income above $1,083,150 (2026, annually indexed). For 95%+ of MA earners the rate is genuinely just 5% flat. The state's economy runs on the densest knowledge cluster in the US — Mass General Brigham (~80K, the largest MA employer), Harvard + MIT + BU + Northeastern + Tufts feeding Kendall Square biotech (Moderna, Vertex, Biogen, Takeda, Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb), Fidelity + State Street + Wellington running ~$10T+ in combined AUM, Ropes & Gray + Goodwin + WilmerHale at the BigLaw apex, Raytheon HQ Waltham + Draper Lab + MITRE on the defense side, and TJX Framingham (the world's largest off-price retailer at ~340K). MA PFML adds ~0.18-0.48% payroll deduction. Property tax averages ~1.2% — moderate by Northeast standards but Boston/Cambridge housing turns even median earners into rent-burdened workers fast.

See Massachusetts Tax Guide →Massachusetts Paycheck Calculator →

Section 2

Massachusetts take-home pay in 2026 at five common salary tiers

Single filer, federal standard deduction ($16,100), MA personal exemption ($4,400 single — per the 2023 tax-relief package Chapter 50), zero 401(k) contribution. 2026 federal brackets per Rev. Proc. 2025-32 + FICA. MA flat rate is 5%; the 4% Fair Share surtax kicks in above $1,083,150 (2026 indexed). MA PFML payroll deduction (~0.18-0.48%, capped at SS wage base) is shown separately — most MA employers split the contribution with the employee.

Gross salary	Take-home (single)	Note
$50,000	$40,075	~$3,340/month. Comfortable in Worcester, Springfield, New Bedford; rent-tight anywhere inside Route 128.
$75,000	$58,062	$4,840/month. Above-median for Western MA; below livable threshold for a single adult inside Boston/Cambridge.
$100,000	$74,400	$6,200/month. ~$4,780 less take-home than TX/FL; ~$1,710 less than PA. Boston rent absorbs the entire $6,200/month for a one-bedroom in Back Bay.
$150,000	$106,511	$8,880/month. Comfortable in Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, Wellesley at this tier — but home purchase math is brutal at greater-Boston median $850K.
$200,000	$139,147	$11,600/month. Add'l Medicare 0.9% kicks in above $200K. The 4% Fair Share surtax doesn't hit until $1.08M+; standard MA flat 5% applies at this tier.

Married filing jointly uses doubled federal brackets + $8,800 MA personal exemption. MA PFML for 2026 typically takes another $180-475 from W-2 take-home depending on employer split. The Fair Share Amendment 4% surtax above $1,083,150 adds $40,000/yr on a $2M earner; the threshold inflation-indexes annually per MA DOR. Two-earner MFJ pays more FICA than the calculator shows because each spouse has their own Social Security wage base.

Section 3

Where Massachusetts's highest salaries cluster — Kendall biotech, Fidelity/State Street finance, BigLaw, Mass General Brigham

Senior-tier compensation bands. Cambridge Kendall Square is the densest biotech cluster on Earth — total biopharma payroll in a 4-block radius rivals all of California outside SoCal. Boston finance + Boston BigLaw concentrate inside Post Office Square + Seaport. Each profession links to the full Massachusetts profession×state guide where authored.

Biotech executive — Kendall Square (Cambridge)

$400K – $5M+ all-in

Moderna HQ Cambridge (~5K, post-2020 Spikevax mRNA platform), Vertex HQ Boston Seaport (~5K — cystic fibrosis franchise), Biogen HQ Cambridge (~7K), Sanofi Genzyme Cambridge (~5K), Takeda Pharma US HQ Cambridge (~6K post-2019 Shire merger), Bristol Myers Squibb Cambridge, Pfizer Cambridge, Novartis Cambridge. Senior R&D execs + CSOs clear $1-5M all-in with biotech equity at successful approvals.

Asset management portfolio manager / partner

$500K – $5M+

Fidelity Investments HQ Boston (~70K — largest US mutual fund + brokerage by AUM), State Street HQ Boston (~40K — world's #3 asset servicer at ~$40T AUC), Wellington Management Boston (~3K, $1.2T+ AUM), Putnam, MFS, Bain Capital, Berkshire Partners, Summit Partners, TA Associates, HarbourVest. Boston AUM is second only to NYC in scale; Wellington's PM pay scales rival NYC long-only houses.

AmLaw equity partner — Boston BigLaw

$700K – $5M+

Ropes & Gray HQ Boston (~1,200 attorneys — top US private-equity practice), Goodwin Procter HQ Boston (~1,500 attorneys — top US life-sciences + tech IP), WilmerHale HQ Boston (~1,000 attorneys — top US Supreme Court + appellate), Foley Hoag, Mintz Levin, Choate Hall & Stewart, Nutter McClennen. Ropes & Gray PE practice serves Bain Capital + most Boston PE shops; partners regularly clear $3M+. Goodwin's life-sciences practice rides the Kendall biotech wave.

Specialty physician — Mass General Brigham + Boston Children's

$500K – $850K

Mass General Brigham (~80K — largest MA employer; combines Mass General + Brigham & Women's + community network), Beth Israel Lahey Health (~38K), Boston Children's Hospital (~12K — perennial #1 US pediatric), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (~5K), Tufts Medical, UMass Memorial Worcester. Mass General cardiothoracic surgeons + Dana-Farber oncologists clear $800K+; Boston Children's pediatric specialists reach $700K+.

Software engineer — senior / staff at Boston tech

$200K – $450K

HubSpot Cambridge (~10K), Wayfair Boston (~16K), Akamai Cambridge (~10K — CDN pioneer), Toast Boston (~6K post-2021 IPO restaurant tech), Klaviyo Boston (~2K post-2023 IPO), DraftKings Boston (~5K), MathWorks Natick (MATLAB ~6K), Dell Technologies Hopkinton (legacy EMC). Senior tech comp runs ~10-20% below Bay Area FAANG; Boston biotech tech (Moderna engineering, Vertex IT) often beats Bay Area equivalent for the rare crossover candidate.

Investment banker / PE partner

$700K – $5M+ + carry

Bain Capital HQ Boston (~$165B AUM private equity), Berkshire Partners, Summit Partners, TA Associates, Advent International, HarbourVest, Hamilton Lane, North Bridge Venture. Goldman Sachs Boston, JPMorgan Boston, Morgan Stanley Boston run smaller offices than NYC but cover the Boston PE flow + biotech IPO market. Carry on successful funds drives the bulk of partner-level comp.

Defense engineer — Raytheon / Draper / MITRE

$160K – $320K

Raytheon HQ Waltham (~178K global — post-2020 RTX merger with United Technologies; missile + radar + sensors), General Dynamics Mission Systems Pittsfield, Draper Laboratory Cambridge (~1,800 — Apollo guidance + DoD R&D heritage), MITRE Bedford (~9K — federal R&D not-for-profit), Lincoln Laboratory MIT Lexington (~4K — MIT-run DoD FFRDC). Cleared roles add 20-30%.

Anesthesiologist / CRNA

$500K – $750K (MD) · $220K – $280K (CRNA)

Mass General, Brigham & Women's, Beth Israel Lahey, Boston Children's, Dana-Farber, Tufts Medical. MA CRNAs gained independent-practice authority through state-level opt-in — comp runs at the top of US range given Boston medical-center concentration.

Retail / consumer executive — TJX / Boston Scientific / Bose

$400K – $3M+

TJX Companies HQ Framingham (~340K — world's largest off-price retailer, T.J. Maxx + Marshalls + HomeGoods + Sierra), Boston Scientific HQ Marlborough (~50K medical devices), Bose HQ Framingham, Staples HQ Framingham, iRobot Bedford, Reebok International Boston. TJX's Framingham corridor (the 'Route 9 retail belt') hosts more headquarters than most US states.

Insurance executive — Liberty Mutual / MassMutual

$400K – $3M+

Liberty Mutual Insurance HQ Boston Back Bay (~45K — top-10 US P&C insurer), MassMutual HQ Springfield (~7K — top-10 US life insurer), John Hancock Financial Boston (post-1985 acquisition by Manulife Canada — keeps Boston HQ operations), Boston Mutual Life Canton. MA has been a US insurance hub since the 1800s; Boston's State Street + Liberty Mutual + Putnam complex is among the densest finance corridors outside NYC.

Section 4

Where Massachusetts pays the least — $15.75/hr state minimum + Boston rent reality

Massachusetts minimum wage is $15.75/hour (highest in New England, post-2023 $1.25 increment per the 2018 Grand Bargain). Tipped minimum is $6.75/hr with tip credit. Massachusetts cost-of-living is among the highest in the US — Boston-Cambridge median rent runs $3,400/month for a one-bedroom. Typical full-time bands:

Retail cashier / sales associate

$33K – $42K

Stop & Shop (UFCW Local 1445), Star Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, TJX (HQ Framingham), Wayfair retail. UFCW + Teamsters represent most MA grocery + warehouse workers at higher tiers than non-union peers.

Fast food / restaurant worker

$33K – $44K

Dunkin' (HQ Canton — sold to Inspire Brands 2020 but still effective Canton HQ operations), independents + chains. Boston tipped servers in North End, Back Bay, Seaport often clear $50-70K with tips on top.

Home health aide / personal care worker

$36K – $48K

Bayada, BrightStar, Visiting Angels, Bay State Community Services. MA's aging population + the Medicaid 1115 waiver MassHealth structure drives wage floors above national average. SEIU 1199 New England represents many MA home-care workers.

Childcare worker / preschool aide

$32K – $44K

Bright Horizons (HQ Watertown), KinderCare, La Petite Academy. MA's 2024 Common Start childcare reform is gradually raising state wage floors but pay-to-credential ratio remains poor relative to teaching.

Hospitality housekeeping / hotel worker

$36K – $48K

Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Boston Harbor Hotel. UNITE HERE Local 26 represents most union housekeeping + banquet staff in Boston hotels — wage floors above national average.

Cape Cod / Berkshires seasonal worker

$28K – $44K

Cape Cod summer hospitality (Provincetown, Hyannis, Chatham, Nantucket), Martha's Vineyard, Berkshires Tanglewood/Williamstown summer season. J-1 visa + H-2B visa labor + retirees + students dominate seasonal flow. Off-season housing is the binding constraint.

Section 5

Massachusetts's economy — Kendall biotech, Fidelity finance, Mass General, BigLaw, and TJX

Massachusetts runs on the densest knowledge economy in the US. Boston-Cambridge accounts for ~70% of state GDP. Healthcare is the largest single sector — Mass General Brigham (~80K, the largest MA employer; combines Mass General + Brigham & Women's), Beth Israel Lahey Health (~38K), Boston Children's Hospital (~12K — perennial #1 US pediatric hospital), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (~5K), Boston Medical Center, UMass Memorial Worcester. Harvard Medical + Tufts Medical + BU School of Medicine + UMass Chan feed the senior MD pipeline. Mass General specialty cardiothoracic surgeons + Dana-Farber oncologists are among the highest-paid clinicians in the world.

Cambridge Kendall Square is the densest biotech cluster on Earth — Moderna HQ Cambridge (~5K), Vertex HQ Boston Seaport (~5K), Biogen HQ Cambridge (~7K), Sanofi Genzyme Cambridge, Takeda US HQ Cambridge, Bristol Myers Squibb Cambridge, Pfizer Cambridge, Novartis Cambridge. MIT + Harvard + Whitehead Institute + Broad Institute anchor the research pipeline. Boston finance is the third pillar — Fidelity HQ Boston (~70K), State Street HQ Boston (~40K, world's #3 asset servicer at ~$40T AUC), Wellington Management (~3K, $1.2T+ AUM), Putnam, MFS, Bain Capital, Berkshire Partners, Summit Partners, TA Associates, HarbourVest. Boston PE manages aggregate AUM second only to NYC.

Boston BigLaw — Ropes & Gray HQ Boston (~1,200 attorneys, top US PE practice), Goodwin Procter HQ Boston (~1,500 attorneys, top US life-sciences IP), WilmerHale HQ Boston (~1,000 attorneys, top US appellate). Defense: Raytheon HQ Waltham (~178K global), Draper Lab Cambridge, MITRE Bedford, Lincoln Lab Lexington. Consumer/retail: TJX Companies HQ Framingham (~340K, world's largest off-price retailer), Boston Scientific HQ Marlborough (~50K), Bose HQ Framingham, iRobot Bedford. Insurance: Liberty Mutual HQ Boston (~45K), MassMutual HQ Springfield (~7K). Tech: HubSpot, Wayfair, Akamai, Toast, Klaviyo, DraftKings, MathWorks. Higher education: Harvard, MIT, BU, Northeastern, Tufts, BC — the densest US college market by employment and prestige.

Section 6

How Massachusetts tax shapes your actual take-home — the Fair Share surtax + PFML + Prop 2½ property

Massachusetts has a flat 5% income tax rate on the first ~$1.08M of income — clean math, no brackets. A $100K MA earner pays state tax of 5% × ($100K − $4,400 single personal exemption) = $4,780. A $200K earner pays $9,780. MA personal exemption is $4,400 single / $8,800 MFJ (Chapter 50 of 2023 tax-relief package). MA permits a 6.25% credit for taxes paid to other states (for cross-border NH/NY/CT/RI commuters). MA conforms to federal 401(k), HSA, and FSA treatment — pre-tax contributions reduce both federal and MA taxable income. No city-level Boston income tax.

The Fair Share Amendment surtax (Question 1, 2022 ballot — added as MA Constitution Article CXII) adds 4% on income above $1,083,150 (2026 inflation-indexed annually per MA DOR). At $2M income that's $40,000/yr of additional MA state tax; at $5M it's $200,000/yr. The surtax has driven measurable HNW out-migration to NH (no income tax), FL, and TX since 2023 — particularly hedge fund principals + senior PE GPs whose carry distributions trigger the surtax in lumpy single-year events. The surtax also applies to capital gains in the same year — sellers of long-held assets above the threshold face a 9% combined MA rate on the gain.

Massachusetts PFML (Paid Family and Medical Leave, since 2021) adds a payroll deduction of ~0.18% medical + 0.30% family = 0.48% total in 2026, capped at the SS wage base. Most MA employers split the contribution with the employee — typical employee share is ~0.18%. At $100K that's ~$180/yr; at the SS cap (~$184,500) it's ~$332/yr. Property tax averages ~1.2% statewide (Boston ~1.1%, Cambridge ~0.5%, Worcester ~1.3%) — moderate by Northeast standards. Prop 2½ (Proposition 2½ of 1980) caps annual property-tax-levy growth at 2.5% absent an override vote, which has kept MA property tax growth slower than CT/NJ/RI/NY despite high underlying valuations.

Section 7

$100,000 in Massachusetts vs Northeast peers — same gross, different take-home

Single filer, $100,000 gross, no 401(k), federal standard deduction. Wage take-home only — MA PFML 0.18% employee share not included.

Massachusetts (baseline)

Take-home ~$74,400

Federal $13,170 + MA state $4,780 (5% × $95,600 after personal exemption) + FICA $7,650 = $25,600 total. No city tax. MA PFML ~$180 separate.

New Hampshire

+$4,780 vs MA

Take-home ~$79,180. NH has 0% wage income tax (the interest-and-dividends tax was fully repealed effective 2025). Property tax ~2.0% effective is significantly higher than MA. Most MA-to-NH residents commute back to Boston jobs and pay only NH tax on wages (no NH wage tax).

Connecticut

−$170 vs MA

Take-home ~$74,230. CT progressive top 6.99% above $500K; effective at $100K ~5.0% (similar to MA flat 5%). CT property tax 1.8% effective is materially higher than MA 1.2%. Net: MA wins for homeowners; roughly even for renters.

Rhode Island

+$320 vs MA

Take-home ~$74,720. RI progressive top 5.99% above $176K; effective at $100K ~4.7%. RI property tax ~1.3% effective is similar to MA. The cross-Providence-Boston commute is one of the busiest US intercity workflows; many Providence residents work in Boston.