Average Salaries ($K)
Boston 2020-2024
Data Salary review
Boston
2020 - 2024
- 10% Average Cost Of Living Rise
- #21/23 Cheapest City To Live
- 8% Average Salary Rise
- #20/23 Salary Growth - All Roles
- #15/23 Salary Growth For Heads Of Data
- #19/23 Salary Growth For Data Engineers
- #20/23 Salary Growth For Data Analyst
- #10/23 Salary Growth For Data Scientists
Overview
Boston is a prominent tech hub, particularly known for its strength in biotechnology, healthcare, and life sciences. Companies like Moderna, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Biogen are leading the charge, leveraging cutting-edge data and AI technologies to innovate. Alongside these, Boston boasts a growing presence in robotics, fintech, and AI startups, supported by a culture of innovation fostered by institutions like MIT and Harvard. Large employers such as Amazon, Google, and IBM have expanded their presence in the city, providing diverse opportunities for tech professionals. However, Boston’s tech ecosystem is still somewhat fragmented, with large firms and startups often working in silos, making cross-collaboration more challenging compared to places like Silicon Valley.
The cost of living in Boston is notoriously high, with rent and everyday expenses consuming a significant portion of tech professionals’ salaries. Wage growth in the tech sector has lagged behind inflation, increasing by just 8% over the past five years, which has left many workers feeling the squeeze. The high demand for talent in some fields, like data science, doesn’t necessarily equate to higher pay, leaving many feeling like they are not getting the return on investment that other tech cities offer. Boston can be a great choice, but it is a tough market for those seeking financial growth or quick advancement, and there is certainly less variety of sectors here than other tech hubs.
Heads Of Data
Advancement in Boston’s data space can be slow, as opportunities for senior-level growth are limited by the size of the market. While companies like Biogen and Boston Consulting Group may offer roles for top-tier professionals, lateral movement between organisations is not as frequent as in larger tech hubs like Silicon Valley. Given that wage growth has lagged behind inflation, many experienced data professionals find themselves stuck in roles that do not offer substantial pay raises or career growth, especially in a high-cost city like Boston. The path to advancing further often involves moving to bigger companies, switching to roles in different industries (like tech or finance), or leveraging your network in academia or the startup ecosystem to find opportunities that are not publicly advertised. For those serious about advancement, building a strong network through local data events and conferences can help, but the competition for roles and the stagnation of wages may make it a harder city for long-term career growth in data leadership. Boston ranked #15/23 for wage growth in the last five years.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Engineers
Boston’s tech landscape, especially in data engineering, is heavily influenced by the presence of well-established, data-mature businesses. As a result, the roles being filled often focus more on maintenance, operations, and dev-ops rather than the creation of new, data infrastructure. Many of the big players in industries like healthcare, biotech, and finance are entrenched in ensuring stability, which can be frustrating for newer data engineers eager to innovate and build from the ground up.
We do see some interesting trends in Boston. Most of the US responded to the pandemic by focusing on experienced professionals, and we see this trend in 2021, but Boston is rare that in 2022 we see the reversal, beginner salary rising by 52.77%. These two things could be closely related, senior people needing teams under them to truly make a difference. Since 2022 demand has been much lower making it harder to break in as a data engineer in Boston.
For data engineers aiming to climb the career ladder in Boston, traditional corporate roles are often slow to offer advancement opportunities, so those looking to grow might need to consider startups or remote opportunities. Startups can provide faster career progression and higher pay, as they often require engineers to take on more responsibility at a quicker pace. However, this comes with risks like lower job security and less stability compared to large, established companies. Moreover, the lack of consistent demand for entry-level positions in Boston means that data engineers need to differentiate themselves and gain a broader set of skills to remain competitive in the market. The gap between experience levels is smaller in Boston than other tech hubs, which may indicate more responsibility at lower pay-grades.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Analysts
Data analyst roles in Boston have experienced slower growth compared to other parts of America., this is likely because the city has such strong ties to Big Pharma where Data Scientists are much more in demand. Those entering the field in Boston may find fewer opportunities for upward mobility, as the city’s market is relatively saturated with professionals who already have significant experience. Beginner-level roles in Boston tend to be competitive, with many candidates having similar qualifications due to the concentration of universities and educational programs. The demand for new talent is often less driven by the need to innovate, but rather to sustain the analytics work already in progress.
The global trend for Data Analysts has been fast growing salaries since the pandemic, but this has directly linked with growing expectations and a blurred line between what a Data Analyst does vs a Scientist. In Boston, we do see more tightly defined roles and expectations for analysts but the relatively flat demand for means that breaking into mid- or senior-level positions can be challenging without diversifying.
Boston ranked last #20/23 for wage growth for Data Analysts. At beginner level there was only a 16.07% rise, intermediate level only saw 22.66% and expert level 30.43% much lower than most of America.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Data Scientists
Data scientist roles in Boston are experiencing wage growth, making it one of the few tech hubs where demand for these professionals is strong and salaries are on the rise. The city’s well-established industries, particularly in healthcare and biotech, provide steady opportunities for data scientists to work on high-impact projects, such as predictive modelling, patient data analysis and drug discovery. These sectors are increasingly relying on machine learning and AI to drive innovation, making data scientists key players in advancing critical business and scientific outcomes. While Boston’s data science market may not be as fast-paced or experimental as other tech hubs like San Francisco, it offers a unique advantage for professionals looking for stable, well-established career paths. Big companies in Boston provide data scientists with clear growth trajectories, often within specific industries, allowing them to specialise in areas like healthcare analytics, or genomics. While we see stagnant wage growth over the course of the last five years, this is largely reflective of larger global trends for Data Scientists and Boston still ranks #10/23 for wage growth.
Average Salaries ($K) By Experience
Hiring Data Roles For Boston Companies
Boston offers employers access to one of the most highly skilled data talent pools in the America, thanks to its proximity to top-tier universities like MIT and Harvard. However, the hiring landscape is extremely competitive, particularly in biotech, finance, and AI-driven industries, where demand for top-tier talent consistently outpaces supply. Retention is a challenge as skilled professionals are frequently poached by leading tech firms or well-funded startups. Employers looking to secure top data talent need to offer not only competitive compensation but also clear career development opportunities, meaningful work, and strong retention incentives.
For businesses outside of Boston’s core industries, such as biotech and finance, attracting top-tier data talent can be even more challenging. Companies in sectors with less inherent data maturity may struggle to compete with industry leaders offering cutting-edge projects and higher salaries. In such cases, working with a data agency like 173tech can be a strategic solution, particularly for marketing, growth, and customer analytics projects. Whether it’s leveraging machine learning for customer segmentation, optimising marketing spend with predictive analytics, agencies can provide specialised expertise without the long-term cost and commitment of hiring in-house.
173tech Direct Comparison
- Head Of Data (5+ yrs) $305k
- Data Engineer (5+ yrs) $135k
- Data Engineer (0-3 yrs) $80k
- Data Analyst (3-5 yrs) $88k
- $608k per yr + Tax + Pension + Holidays
- Candice (15+ yrs) Ruben (8+ yrs) Oliver (10+ yrs)
- Adrian (15+ yrs)
- Oscar (2+ yrs)
- Emeric (3+ yrs) Mai (4+ yrs) Noel (2+ yrs) Amy (2+ yrs)
- $240k
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