Boston is the capital city of the state of Massachusetts. It is one of the largest cities in the United States. There is a large variety of jobs in Boston, more than you would find in most cities. Therefore, there are very many factors influencing the average salary one receives in the city. The average salary paid in a city can give you a good idea of the type of pay to expect depending on the job for which you are qualified. It is also a good measure of the cost of living in the city since the majority will be earning around the average salary.
The average salary paid to employees in Boston is $75,500. That ranks quite high among average city salaries. The number is acquired from thousands of jobs to get the most accurate number possible. However, the difference between the highest salaries and the lowest salaries is vast in Boston like many other cities.
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The average salary of Boston is an often-ignored indicator. With such an average salary, it means the average entry-level salary in Boston for most jobs is high so it is a great starting place for certain careers. The number also means that with qualifications and experience, you can increase your salary greatly. With some of the biggest companies in the country headquartered in Boston, you are assured of great odds if working in the city. I have enjoyed working in the city but there are pitfalls just like any other place. Read on to find out more about Boston salaries.
Average Salary in Boston
The job sector in Boston is very vibrant which makes the average salary in the city a useful economic benchmark. The cost of living in Boston is 50% higher than the national average so the average salary can also be useful when comparing different cities if you have job opportunities in multiple cities.
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The average salary is a metric that can be used to determine the highest paying jobs in a city. Such information can be used by young kids who are choosing a career or for someone seeking to make a career change. It could also indicate where there is a demand for people in an occupation. The reason a job may have a high average salary is that there are few people in the industry. The lack of participants may be due to the high-risk factor or lack of specialized skills.
The average salary despite being a nominal figure is representative of the employers and industry in the city. The larger the industry and the more the employers in the industry, the higher the average salary is likely to be. The average salary will also be highly dependent on the occupation and company offering the position. For example, the average salary in Boston for a software engineer will be different than that for a doctor.
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Managers will earn a higher salary on average than other employees which means leadership is the most valued trait needed in the workplace. A CEO’s salary will probably be more than the average salary in Boston for software engineer.
Academic qualifications also have a very significant impact on average salaries. Generally, speaking the more qualified, the higher your salary. Jobs requiring specialized knowledge such as being a surgeon also pay higher salaries on average than those that do not, for example, a sales manager. It will also be affected by gender and age with men earning higher average salaries and those in their 40s and 50s earning more than people in their 20s and 30s.
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The average salary in Boston is acquired by taking data from as many employees as possible and finding the mean. Therefore, not everyone will be included but it offers a very fair representation.
The data used below comes from the Bureau of Labor Services (BLS). They are the most dependable and reputable source of employment data in the country. The following is a list of the average salaries for some occupations in Boston:
| Occupation | Average Salary ($) |
| Surgeon | 221,420 |
| Psychiatrist | 170,250 |
| IT Manager | 148,260 |
| Lawyer | 164,230 |
| Orthodontist | 248,150 |
| Human Resource Manager | 127,000 |
| Senior Software Engineer | 134,316 |
| Marketing Manager | 66,350 |
| Warehouse Worker | 38,928 |
| Data Analyst | 66,000 |
| Truck Driver | 74,976 |
| Operations Manager | 74,000 |
| Travel Nurse | 84,179 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 75,000 |
| Store Shopper | 48,470 |
| Project Manager | 80,100 |
| Software Engineer | 115,212 |
| Retail Sales Associate | 49,065 |
| Registered Nurse | 73,650 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse | 59,490 |
| Grocery Associate | 49,703 |
| School Teacher | 51,426 |
| Delivery Driver | 49,439 |
| Customer Service Representative | 33,240 |
| Administrative Assistant | 51,000 |
Average Salary in Boston by Age
As stated above, one of the most crucial factors affecting the average salary in Boston is the amount of experience. In this article, we will assume that the older one is, the more experience they have. I can then say that the more experience one has, the higher the wages.
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The average entry-level salary in Boston is $48,131. The entry-level salary will also depend on where you work with Harvard University having the highest average entry-level salary in Boston at $55,000.
The average salary in Boston increased by an average of 32% with two to five years of work experience. The average salary for employees with more than five years work experience is 36% more than those with less.
The average salary increases by about 21% when you have more than ten years of experience in the workplace and 14% once you surpass the 15th year of employment.
Average salary growth tends to stall after that with 9% being the average salary growth rate after 20 years of working. There is often very little career advancement in Boston with ten years left before retirement.
Though there are many factors affecting the figures above, they offer a clear picture of the average salary in Boston by age and subsequently work experience. The older you are, the higher you are likely to make working in Boston.
Those earning the highest salaries are often in their 40s and 50s. Climbing the corporate ladder takes time and the higher you go, the longer it takes.
Average Salary in Boston By Education
The level of academic education you received also makes a significant difference to your earning capacity. Higher education makes more difference than other levels of education.
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However, a university undergraduate or postgraduate degree is not an assurance for a high salary. It will substantially depend on the location and career so individual comparisons may be necessary for a clearer picture. When comparing average salaries based on education in Boston, employees with a certificate or diploma earn 17% more on average than employees with only a high school diploma. Moving on to the next level, employees with a Bachelors degree earn 24% more on average than employees who only have diplomas or certificates. Those with a Master’s degree earn 29% more than those with only a Bachelors degree while those with a PhD earn 23% more on average than those with a Master’s degree all while doing the same job.
Many employees pursue higher education as a tactic for landing a higher position which means higher pay. The cost of getting a postgraduate degree may be lower or higher than the cost of getting the job so the choice depends on the situation and individual. The time it takes to recover the cost of your investment in higher education will depend on the compensation you receive. In most cases, it is worth it. Data shows that those who get promotions as a result of acquiring higher education credentials earn more than those who do not. The difference, however, is only 10%.
Average Salary in Boston by Gender
Gender has long been an issue of contention when it comes to paying. In the United States, women on average earn 7% less than men for the same job.
The same is the case with Boston. Unfortunately, the gender pay disparity in Boston is higher than the national average when measured using the Gini index. According to Data USA, men in Boston earn an average annual salary of $87,637 while women earn 1.36 times less which is an average annual salary of 66,042. The difference is more pronounced in managerial positions where there are significantly fewer women than men. The average female managerial salary is $105,000 while that for men is $147,000.
The large gender wage gap is a major issue for the authorities in Boston especially the Boston Women’s Workforce Council (BWWC). They are working fervently to try and resolve it. They have had a modicum of success but the gap remains wide especially when compared to other major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The gap exists in most industries including tech and finance. Some industries are more male-centred such as law enforcement which skews the numbers in the men’s favour. Boston has a long way to go to rectify the gender gap. The reductions in the gender wage gap have been minuscule but they offer a reason for hope.
As you can see, finding the average salary in Boston is not as simple as stating a number. There are a lot of factors affecting the figures. However, age & work experience, gender and education level are the three most significant factors affecting the average salary in Boston. They will offer enough insight if you have a job offer in Boston.
