Average Salaries in Worcester, MA
Explore salaries across 491 occupations in Worcester, MA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $72.8K, +18.3% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 491 occupations and 342,980 total jobs in Worcester, MA.
How the metro compares
Worcester, MA is one of the higher-paying metros in the country. Average wages here run meaningfully above the national level, though local cost of living often offsets some of that premium.
Worcester, MA is a mid-sized metro labor market.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Neurologists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Worcester, MA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Worcester, MA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Neurologists | $228.5K | 60 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $221.7K | 80 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $221.7K | 200 |
| Chief Executives | $217.4K | 470 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $211.4K | 340 |
| Pediatricians, General | $201.1K | 240 |
| Marketing Managers | $176.5K | 650 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $172.4K | 630 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $168.6K | 1,170 |
| Financial Managers | $162.7K | 1,620 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Worcester, MA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 14,380 | $39.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 9,730 | $103.5K |
| General And Operations Managers | 8,760 | $109.4K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 8,710 | $34.5K |
| Retail Salespersons | 8,530 | $35.6K |
| Cashiers | 7,540 | $34.0K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 5,960 | $37.2K |
| Nursing Assistants | 5,490 | $44.1K |
| Office Clerks, General | 5,390 | $46.9K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 5,230 | $46.2K |
What Worcester, MA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Worcester, MA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Worcester, MA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemists And Biophysicists | 9.74 | $129.1K |
| Bioengineers And Biomedical Engineers | 6.31 | $99.1K |
| Chemical Engineers | 5.81 | $112.3K |
| Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage | 5.47 | $84.1K |
| Materials Scientists | 5.06 | $142.9K |
| Power Distributors And Dispatchers | 4.45 | $124.0K |
| Residential Advisors | 4.23 | $45.0K |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | 3.94 | $50.1K |
| Molding, Coremaking, And Casting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 3.92 | $35.2K |
| Microbiologists | 3.87 | $127.1K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Worcester, MA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.