Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
7 metro areas in Massachusetts publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 50,530 jobs. The three largest employers of software developers are Boston-Cambridge-Newton (42,310 jobs), Providence-Warwick (5,020 jobs), Worcester (1,800 jobs), which hold 97.2% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $126,670 to $166,090 a year, against $165,210 for the whole state and $135,980 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $135,980 a year for software developers (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $82,460 and the highest-paid tenth over $214,670). Employment is projected to change by +10.2% between 2025 and 2035, with about 95,300 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Software developers in Massachusetts: the highest median pay is in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area ($166,090 a year); the most jobs are in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area (42,310). Statewide the median is $165,210 with 48,190 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 42,310 | $166,090 | $102,950 | $214,100 | 1.44 | 15% | 108.3 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 280 | $154,860 | $98,080 | $235,060 | 0.46 | 9% | 95.1 |
| Worcester, MA | 1,800 | $146,950 | $95,400 | $202,790 | 0.47 | 12% | 102.5 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 210 | $133,690 | $97,060 | $191,520 | 0.20 | 15% | 98.4 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 5,020 | $130,690 | $84,130 | $172,090 | 0.65 | 12% | 101.8 |
| Springfield, MA | 650 | $127,740 | $93,370 | $175,280 | 0.30 | 11% | 96.1 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 260 | $126,670 | $96,370 | $210,150 | 0.37 | 13% | 100.2 |
National page: Software developers →Cities of Massachusetts
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area, with a median of $166,090 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area, with 42,310 jobs.