Software Developers salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Massachusetts tax rules.
The figures
The median Software Developers in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earns $166,090 a year ($79.85 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn between $131,880 and $183,740 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $102,950 or less and the top 10 percent earn $214,100 or more. BLS estimates 42,310 Software Developers jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area — 15.649 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.44 (well above the national concentration). That is 2.5% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH is the #7 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn about $6.87 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $114,491.58 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Software Developers is about $4.84 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands #4 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #8 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $166,090 falls between the national median ($135,980) and the national 75th percentile ($171,980). Across all occupations, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median is $66,620 a year — Software Developers pay is 149.3% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $78.10 | $162,440 |
| 10th percentile | $49.50 | $102,950 |
| 25th percentile | $63.40 | $131,880 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $79.85 | $166,090 |
| 75th percentile | $88.34 | $183,740 |
| 90th percentile | $102.93 | $214,100 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($214,100 against $102,950). The middle half spans $51,860 — from $131,880 to $183,740. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($102.93) is 2.08 times the 10th ($49.50). In the upper half of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $183,740 takes home $127,985.34 and the 90th percentile wage of $214,100 takes home $147,218.38 — $19,233.04 more net for $30,360 more gross. Against the median take-home of $116,803.88, the top decile keeps 1.26 times as much. The mean wage of $162,440 sits 2.2% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. Among the 30 covered occupations in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above General and Operations Managers at $133,800. Software Developers accounts for 1.6% of all employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH employs 1.1 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Massachusetts
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Massachusetts; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $166,090.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $28,595.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $10,297.58 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $2,408.30 |
| Massachusetts income tax | $7,984.50 |
| Total deductions | $49,286.12 |
| Net pay (annual) | $116,803.88 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $4,492.46 |
| Total deduction rate | 29.67% of gross |
At the median, $116,803.88 of the $166,090 gross is kept ($4,492.46 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 29.67%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 25.76% at the 10th percentile, 27.86% at the 25th percentile, 30.34% at the 75th percentile, 31.24% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $32,853.48 on a gross rise of $51,860.
The same engine at the other published points of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($102,950) | $76,427.92 | $2,939.54 | 25.76% |
| 25th percentile ($131,880) | $95,131.86 | $3,658.92 | 27.86% |
| Median ($166,090) | $116,803.88 | $4,492.46 | 29.67% |
| 75th percentile ($183,740) | $127,985.34 | $4,922.51 | 30.34% |
| 90th percentile ($214,100) | $147,218.38 | $5,662.25 | 31.24% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $76,427.92 a year at the 10th percentile to $147,218.38 at the 90th — a spread of $70,790.46 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median wage of $66,620 takes home $52,686.34 a year ($2,026.40 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.92%). The Software Developers median take-home of $116,803.88 sits $64,117.54 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH also covers parts of New Hampshire. The take-home estimate above uses Massachusetts rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Hampshire paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Software Developers earns $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $166,090 is $30,110 (22.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $162,440 a year in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $14,340 (9.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $214,100 is 127% of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH all-occupations 90th percentile ($168,090), and its 10th percentile of $102,950 is 280% of the area-wide 10th ($36,760).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $166,090 | $79.85 | $162,440 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
$166,090 a year ($79.85 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $162,440 a year. Ranked by median pay, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH stands #4 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $166,090 in Massachusetts?
About $116,803.88 a year ($4,492.46 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 29.67% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $183,740, take-home is $127,985.34.
How does pay in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH median of $166,090 is $30,110 (22.1%) above the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $214,100, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
$214,100 a year or more ($102.93 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
On $214,100 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $147,218.38 a year ($5,662.25 per biweekly paycheck) in Massachusetts under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 31.24%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
BLS estimates 42,310 Software Developers jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area — 15.649 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
The location quotient is 1.44 — well above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
From $76,427.92 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($102,950) to $147,218.38 at the 90th ($214,100), under the same single-filer assumptions in Massachusetts.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
About $6.87 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 42,310 multiplied by the mean wage of $162,440.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.