According to the Mass Big Data Initiative, Massachusetts is home to more than 537 data-centric companies, which continues to entice investors to drive the state’s big data enterprises. As more money pours into Massachusetts’s data science industry, professionals working in this inventive field are expected to achieve ever-greater salaries.
Ever since former Gov. Deval Patrick announced the Massachusetts Big Data Initiative in 2012, the state’s employers have been creating more high paying data scientist jobs.
To chart the state’s big data accomplishments in recent years, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative released the Massachusetts Big Data Indicators 2015, which reported:
- There were 537 companies enhancing big data capabilities, 53 of these companies were launched since 2013
- There were 52 big data active meetup groups connecting data scientists throughout the state
- There were over seventy data science-related programs and five data science-specific programs available in the state
- The state had received roughly 2.4 billion in investment spending for big data companies since 2013
Forbes has also named Massachusetts the #6 fastest-growing state for tech jobs in 2015. At that time, tech jobs were experiencing an annual growth rate of 3.75%. Since almost one in ten workers held jobs in tech fields like data science, the Boston Globe claimed Massachusetts’s labor force the “techiest in the nation”.
As of 2016, data scientists enjoyed particularly handsome salaries in the Boston area, which boasts the state’s Innovation District. Since 2010, the 1,000-acre stretch of land located on South Boston’s waterfront property has seen the conception of 200 new companies and an additional 5,000 jobs. Nearly 30% of all new job growth in the District is attributed to the state’s prosperous tech industry.
Cambridge is also a top-paying city for data scientists in the Massachusetts. Tech giants such as Kayak, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon all have a strong presence in the city’s Kendall Square and therefore the competition for tech talent remains fierce, and high salaries reflect this ferocity. In both Boston and Cambridge data scientists are commonly offered handsome starting salaries.
Starting Salary Ranges for Data Scientist in Massachusetts’s Major Cities
In 2016, the IT staffing agency Robert Half Technology provided the starting salaries for data scientists in Massachusetts’s key cities. All salary information was extracted from past job placements and only represent base salary offers. Other incentives and bonuses were not included:
Boston Area
- Boston: $145,000-$205,000
- Cambridge: $145,000-$205,000
- Fall River: $101,000-$142,000
Springfield Area
- Springfield: $113,000-$160,000
- Pittsfield: $89,000-$126,000
Other Cities
- Worcester: $106,000-$150,000
- Lowell: $122,000-$172,000
- New Bedford: $101,000-$142,000
The Highest Paying Occupations and Industries for Data Scientists in Massachusetts
In 2014, the United States Department released the following statistics to show which industries were associated with the highest data science salaries in Massachusetts that year:
Statistical Modeling
- $135,800
Computer and Information Research Science
- $165,300
Operations Research
- $133,200
Financial Services
- $185,100
Healthcare and Public Health
- $121,400
Salaries for Data Scientists in Operations Research in the Major Metropolitan Areas of Massachusetts
Salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that operations research analysts in Springfield earned a substantially higher average salary than those in the other major metro areas of the state as of 2014:
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy – $133,610
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA NECTA Division – $123,880
- Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford MA-NH NECTA Division – $136,030
- Springfield – $147,630
- Taunton-Norton-Raynham MA NECTA Division – $120,800
- Worcester – $137,000
Where Statistical Modeling Specialists in Massachusetts Find the Highest Salaries
As published by the United States Department of Labor in 2014:
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy – $137,650
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA NECTA Division – $130,230
- Framingham MA NECTA Division – $161,090
- Springfield – $139,220
- Worcester – $112,010
Where to Find the Highest Computer and Information Research Scientist Salaries in Massachusetts
As published by the United States Department of Labor in 2014:
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy – $165,190
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA NECTA Division – $167,390
- Worcester – $136,970
The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics information shown here reflects salary data for broad occupational classifications that include data scientists. These estimates are expressed as 90th percentile salaries to reflect the fact that data scientists are recognized as the top earners within each classification.