2026 Boston Tech Salary Guide

Discover the expected salaries for tech experts in Boston with the 2026 Tech Salary Guide. This guide features salary data for 100+ technology positions and includes the latest industry developments & expert insights to help navigate Boston’s changing IT landscape.

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IT Salaries and Market Insights for Boston in 2026

Motion's Boston 2026 IT Salary Guide provides essential information for navigating your tech job search or hiring plans in a changing IT landscape.

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Plan Your 2026 Strategy

For the Boston Tech Hiring Market

With 150,000 workers across the city, the Boston tech industry is a core part of the city’s growing economy. Motion Recruitment’s 2026 Boston Tech Salary Guide helps job seekers and company leaders navigate the constantly changing IT job market.
 
Within the Boston tech industry, artificial intelligence has altered the skills companies seek in tech workers, as agentic AI appears to be the next step in the technology. Businesses are bringing their workers back to the office, and workers are returning to previous employers in droves over the past year.
 
How does this impact your goals in 2026? Motion’s Boston Guide explores these topics and other trends shaping the IT job market, providing salary information for top tech roles.

$76B

Economic Impact

The Boston tech industry contributes $76 billion to the city's economy, one of the largest in the area.

$147K

average salary for Boston IT workers

The average base level compensation for all Boston IT workers is $147,997.

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Emerging Tech Trends in Boston

In Boston, tech professionals who proactively build expertise with agentic AI tools are positioned to excel as the market evolves. While many across the U.S. remain concerned about job security due to AI, most are not taking steps to upskill, over half report minimal or no training in generative AI. Those who focus on adopting new AI-driven productivity tools stand out in today's competitive environment.
Shane Tomlinson BW Circle

Q: What Advice Would You Give Boston Tech Job Seekers and Hiring Managers in 2026?

From Shane Tomlinson, Executive Director of the Boston Office, Motion Recruitment

“Job seekers in Boston should highlight transferable skills and AI expertise, as AI engineers saw significant salary growth while other roles remained flat. Hiring managers must invest in training to grow talent. In-person networking remains one of the most effective ways to stand out, with credibility and human connection as differentiators in this academic and biotech-driven hub.”

What will I find in Motion's IT Salary Guide?

What tech job data and trends are covered in the guide?
  • The state of tech employment in 2026, with the impact of layoffs, economic conditions, IT job creation and the tech talent shortage.

  • The continuing impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, including a spike in data center construction, the need for upskilling in the tech industry and how AI is evolving the wearables market.

  • Tech hiring and workplace trends, including tech workers heading back to the office and IT workers boomeranging back to previous employers.

  • Advice from market experts on what you can do to succeed in 2026.
What valuable insights into IT salary data can I discover?
  • You will find starting salaries for mid and senior level ranges for over 100 specific job titles across technology areas. There are also city-specific variances included, which you can use to measure the regional salary ranges per tech job.
 
  • You will see IT salaries for top roles from the most in-demand technology areas: Software, Data & AI, Security, Infrastructure & DevOps, Mobile, Functional, Product & UX and Executive.

Previous Salary Guides

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Midyear Update 2025

Tech Salary Guide
North America 2025

Tech Hiring Market
Midyear Update 2024

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good IT Salary in Boston?

Determining a good IT salary in Boston depends on the role and experience level, reflecting the strong and growing demand for technical expertise in the region. Based on 2026 data, mid-level IT professionals typically earn between just under $90,000 and over $170,000, depending on specialization.

For example, mid-level Database Engineers earn between $129,395 and $155,658, while senior Database Engineers can make from $128,716 up to $181,204. Mid-level Information Security Engineers see salaries from $117,545 to $153,531, with senior roles reaching as high as $168,172. Back-end Developers at mid-level earn approximately $131,580 to $170,164, and senior professionals can command salaries near $198,588.

Systems Engineers at a mid-level generally earn between $103,932 and $126,832, whereas senior Systems Engineers’ salaries range from $118,004 to $144,121. Systems Administrators have slightly lower salary bands, with mid-level pay ranging from $87,387 to $107,993 and senior levels around $117,075 to $126,142.

Overall, IT salaries in Boston reflect a competitive and thriving market. A good salary typically falls within these established ranges and underscores the value that experienced tech professionals bring to their organizations. While exact figures vary by skill set and demand, these benchmarks provide a solid guide to what constitutes strong compensation in Boston’s evolving tech landscape.

What IT job has the highest salary in Boston?

The IT job with the highest salary in Boston among senior level roles is the .Net Architect position. Senior level .Net Architects earn between approximately $151,000 and $211,000 annually, reflecting the significant impact of their expertise on software architecture and application development.

Other high-paying IT roles with similar senior-level salary ranges in Boston include Infrastructure and Security Architects, who earn between $161,000 and $183,000, and Data Engineers, whose salaries range from about $151,000 to $183,000. Cloud Engineers at the senior level also report a substantial salary band, approximately $142,000 to $187,000 annually.

This data underscores the expanding viability of specialized technical leadership and architectural roles that contribute directly to digital transformation, scalability, and security initiatives. The IT salary Boston landscape favors those with deep technical knowledge and the ability to manage complex, high-stakes projects while reducing critical errors. Staying attuned to these compensation metrics provides insight into the evolving landscape of technology talent demand.
 

Have IT salaries increased in Boston in 2026?

The IT salary landscape in Boston for 2026 indicates a continuing upward trend for numerous roles, reflecting the evolving landscape of technology demand and digital transformation. Salaries for mid- to senior level positions across specialties such as data science, platform engineering, and systems engineering show significant gains compared to historical averages.

For instance, senior data scientists in Boston are projected to earn between approximately $161,000 and $199,000 annually. Platform engineers also demonstrate strong compensation growth, with senior roles ranging from about $162,000 to nearly $198,000. Systems engineers see senior salaries between $118,000 and $144,000, while senior systems analysts earn from around $105,000 to $121,000.

Even mid-level positions have expanded viability, with mid-level platform engineers earning between $150,000 and $185,000, as well as mid-level data scientists making about $141,000 to $179,000.

These figures illustrate a broad-based increase in IT salaries in Boston for 2026, affirming the significant impact of advanced technical skills and leadership in driving organizational ROI and innovation. Maintaining this trajectory will require staying attuned to market demands and continuously addressing critical errors through skill development and strategic talent management within the tech workforce.
 

How much money does an IT manager get?
An IT manager salary in Boston reflects a substantial range driven by the level of responsibility and scope of the role. Based on market data for 2026, senior-level IT management, often framed under titles like Engineering Manager, earns between $158,085 and $195,036 annually in the Boston area.

This salary range underscores the expanding viability of IT leadership positions that require not only technical expertise but also strategic management and coordination of teams. The premium compensation aligns with the critical impact these managers have on digital transformation and operational scalability.

Additionally, compared to roles like project or program managers whose upper salaries tend to be lower, IT managers command higher pay due to their technical domain oversight. This data reflects a broader trend where specialized IT leadership continues to command competitive packages, especially in robust tech hubs such as Boston.