Hiring a mathematician in Boston, MA

Employers in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area pay mathematicians a median of $104,190, with the middle half of the market between $81,510 and $104,600. Boston residents working in computer and mathematical occupations report a median of $101,408, which is 3% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a mathematician earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$81,510
Median	$104,190
75th percentile	$104,600

Half of mathematicians in this area earn between $81,510 and $104,600. A band set below $81,510 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Boston residents earn

$101,408

Median earnings of Boston residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 20,329 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 3% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Address the relationships of quantities, magnitudes, and forms through the use of numbers and symbols.
Disseminate research by writing reports, publishing papers, or presenting at professional conferences.
Maintain knowledge in the field by reading professional journals, talking with other mathematicians, and attending professional conferences.
Apply mathematical theories and techniques to the solution of practical problems in business, engineering, the sciences, or other fields.
Conduct research to extend mathematical knowledge in traditional areas, such as algebra, geometry, probability, and logic.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 15-2021.

Tools and technologies in demand

C#, C++, Python, The MathWorks MATLAB, Adobe Photoshop, Apple macOS, Bash, C.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Boston?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

That matters here, because 54.1% of Boston adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Boston commute runs 30.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.8% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Suffolk County, computer systems design and related services employs 22,045 and turns over 6.6% a quarter, with 1,646 hires against 1,910 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $17,353 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about mathematicians. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $20,838 to $31,257 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.