2027 Boston Tech Salary Guide
Discover the expected salaries for tech experts in Boston with the 2027 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 2027
Motion's Boston 2027 IT Salary Guide provides essential information for navigating your tech job search or hiring plans in a changing IT landscape.
Plan Your 2027 Strategy
For the Boston Tech Hiring Market
Motion Recruitment's 2027 Boston Tech Salary Guide helps job seekers and company leaders understand how AI is reshaping skills, pay, and hiring in a market built on software, life sciences, and research.
Boston ranks in the top ten North American markets in CBRE's 2026 Scoring Tech Talent index and is home to about 27,500 AI-skilled workers. With about 147,000 tech workers across the city and an $80 billion contribution to its economy, the industry is a core part of Boston's growth.
It covers evidence-based hiring, rebuilding the entry-level ladder and where AI output still needs human review, with salary data for the top tech roles.
$76B
above the national average
Boston's pay premium over the national average is 3.7% in 2027.
$157K
average salary for Boston IT workers
The average base level salary for all Boston security workers is $157,607.
Emerging Tech Trends in Boston
AI Changes the Work, Human Judgment Decides the Outcome
Q: What Advice Would You Give Boston Tech Job Seekers and Hiring Managers in 2027?
From Shane Tomlinson, Executive Director of the Boston Office, Motion Recruitment
“Boston employers are asking more of AI and more of their people. Job seekers should show where AI sped up their work and where their own judgment made the difference, backed by projects, demos, or a portfolio. Hiring managers should invest in apprenticeships and mentoring so junior talent has somewhere to grow, and keep human review in every AI workflow. In a market built on research and universities, credibility and strong professional relationships still carry real weight.”
What will I find in Motion's IT Salary Guide?
- The state of tech employment in 2027, with the impact of layoffs, economic conditions, and the increase in IT job creation in non-tech companies.
- The continuing impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, including the full cycle of the AI economy, the need for rehiring after the failure of AI gains, and a lack of ROI for AI projects.
- Tech hiring and workplace trends, including the pessimism in the tech workforce and the disconnect between workers and management on topics like AI usage and RTO practices.
- Advice from market experts on what you can do to succeed in 2027.
- 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.
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Download city-specific salary guides below:
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Tech Specific Salary Guides
Download a salary guide based on a specific technology below
Find tech-role specific insights and download the guide.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Engineer, Pen Tester, Security Architect, and more
Software
Python Developer, Platform Engineer, Ruby on Rails Developer, and more
Data Science
Data Scientist, Data Warehouse Analyst, Data Architect, and more
Machine Learning
Machine Learning Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer, and more
Cloud Computing
Cloud Engineer, Cloud Architect, and more
Data Engineering
AI Engineer, Data Modeler, Database Engineer, and more
DevOps
DevOps Engineer, DevOps Architect/Coach, and more
Front End
Javascript Developer, Angular Developer, React Developer, and more
Network Engineer
Network Security Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, Network Architect, and more
DotNet
DotNet Architect, DotNet Developer, and more
Java
Java Architect, Java Developer, and more
Previous Salary Guides
Tech Salary Guide
North America
2026
Tech Hiring Market
Midyear Update
2025
Tech Salary Guide
North America
2025
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Boston tech market is characterized by significant variance across specializations for 2027. According to Motion Recruitment's 2027 Tech Salary Guide, tech salaries increased by 2.1% year-over-year on average.
iOS Developers earn between $134,055–$145,190 at the mid-level and $166,422–$224,012 at the senior level. General Software Professionals see mid-level earnings from $108,070–$142,049, while senior-level professionals earn between $139,524–$171,549.
Additionally, SQL Developers earn $99,388–$118,401 at the mid-level and $163,342–$173,713 at the senior level. These metrics underscore the expanding viability of specialized technical roles within the region.
Executive leadership roles command the highest compensation within the Boston technology sector. The Chief Technology Officer role represents the highest IT salary in Boston, with expected earnings between $234,352 and $351,471 in 2027.
Additionally, the VP of Engineering position also ranks among the top-earning roles, with a salary range between $226,666 and $298,333. While specialized development roles such as iOS Developers can reach $224,012, executive leadership remains the primary driver of peak compensation.
IT salaries in Boston vary based on specialization and experience level. The average base level compensation for Boston tech workers is $127,389.
Specific examples include mid-level Software professionals, who earn between $113,958 and $147,342, while senior-level professionals earn between $139,905 and $173,186. Additionally, mid-level Data professionals earn between $125,953 and $157,584, with senior-level roles earning between $154,525 and $187,983. In fact, mid-level Software Developers earn between $116,209 and $153,815, whereas senior-level developers earn between $130,155 and $164,786. These figures reflect the evolving landscape of the regional tech workforce.
Additionally, mid-level Helpdesk Support professionals in Boston earn between $57,540 and $81,471, with senior-level compensation ranging from $70,901 to $91,048. While these figures provide a baseline, specialized Support Engineers see higher ranges, with mid-level pay between $68,356 and $86,981 and senior-level pay between $100,252 and $129,637.