Salaries in Massachusetts.
1 metro area. 3445 roles.
Average cost-of-living index: 1.22x national average. Last updated April 2026.
1 city tracked3445 roles
Highest Paying
$444,000
Principal AI Research Scientist
Median Role
$382,000
SVP of Product
Entry Level
$367,000
Chief Strategy Officer
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
Massachusetts has 1 major metro area tracked in our salary database, with an average cost-of-living index of 1.22x the national average. The highest-paying role across the state is Principal AI Research Scientist at $444,000 in Boston. The median role pays $382,000.
Metro areas in Massachusetts
Top 30 salaries in Massachusetts
| # | Role | Median | Top City | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $444,000 | Boston | $346,000 – $577,000 |
| 2 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $444,000 | Boston | $346,000 – $577,000 |
| 3 | Technical Fellow | $414,000 | Boston | $323,000 – $538,000 |
| 4 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $407,000 | Boston | $318,000 – $529,000 |
| 5 | Distinguished Engineer | $403,000 | Boston | $305,000 – $512,000 |
| 6 | Senior VP of Security | $402,000 | Boston | $314,000 – $523,000 |
| 7 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $396,000 | Boston | $309,000 – $515,000 |
| 8 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $395,000 | Boston | $309,000 – $514,000 |
| 9 | Senior VP of Product | $394,000 | Boston | $308,000 – $512,000 |
| 10 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $392,000 | Boston | $306,000 – $510,000 |
| 11 | Chief Security Officer | $391,000 | Boston | $304,000 – $508,000 |
| 12 | Chief AI Officer | $390,000 | Boston | $289,000 – $503,000 |
| 13 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $385,000 | Boston | $300,000 – $500,000 |
| 14 | Principal Cryptographer | $385,000 | Boston | $300,000 – $500,000 |
| 15 | Senior VP of Design | $382,000 | Boston | $299,000 – $497,000 |
| 16 | SVP of Product | $382,000 | Boston | $298,000 – $497,000 |
| 17 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $381,000 | Boston | $297,000 – $495,000 |
| 18 | CTO | $381,000 | Boston | $297,000 – $495,000 |
| 19 | Chief Architect | $381,000 | Boston | $297,000 – $495,000 |
| 20 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $380,000 | Boston | $297,000 – $495,000 |
| 21 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $378,000 | Boston | $295,000 – $492,000 |
| 22 | L7 Software Engineer | $378,000 | Boston | $295,000 – $492,000 |
| 23 | SVP of Technology | $377,000 | Boston | $294,000 – $490,000 |
| 24 | Principal Applied Scientist | $370,000 | Boston | $289,000 – $481,000 |
| 25 | SVP of Sales | $370,000 | Boston | $288,000 – $481,000 |
| 26 | SVP of Strategy | $370,000 | Boston | $288,000 – $481,000 |
| 27 | Chief Transformation Officer | $368,000 | Boston | $287,000 – $478,000 |
| 28 | Principal Machine Learning Engineer | $367,000 | Boston | $285,000 – $476,000 |
| 29 | Principal Language Runtime Engineer | $367,000 | Boston | $285,000 – $476,000 |
| 30 | Chief Strategy Officer | $367,000 | Boston | $286,000 – $477,000 |
Tax considerations in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a flat 5% income tax on most earnings, plus a 4% surtax on income above $1 million. There is no city income tax in Boston, keeping the total burden moderate.
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