SOC 15-1243

Data Engineer Salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + MA
COL Index: 162.67 (+62.7% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 66.2% Realized
$107,005 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $161,650 $77.72/hr
Effective Tax Drag 27.8% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 24% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$44,946 $1,728.69/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $77.72 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$9,699/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$2,328/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$25,202
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$10,022
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$2,344
Massachusetts Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$7,378
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$107,005 ($4,115.58 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Data Engineer Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $161,650
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $126k 25th $134k Median: $161,650 50th (Median) $162k 75th $173k 90th $200k You: $161,650
10th (Entry) $126,320 $60.73/hr
25th (Junior) $134,470 $64.65/hr
50th (Median) $161,650 $77.72/hr
75th (Senior) $173,230 $83.28/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $200,110 $96.21/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Data Engineer in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
1
Associate Data EngineerPython, SQL, ETL scripting, data warehouse basics
$103,132$49.58/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Data EngineerSpark, Kafka, dbt, columnar storage optimization, orchestration
$152,959$73.54/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Data EngineerReal-time stream architecture, lakehouse design, data quality frameworks
$194,675$93.59/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff Data ArchitectEnterprise data platform strategy, distributed storage scaling
$237,550$114.21/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH medianView National Data Engineer Salary Data
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
28% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $2,518/month Requires minimum annual gross of $100,720
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $3,008/month Requires minimum annual gross of $120,320
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $35.97/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $31.43/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$161,650-$44,946$107,005$4,115.58
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$191,959-$55,065$125,377$4,822.20
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$222,269-$63,967$144,966$5,575.61
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$252,578-$74,505$162,918$6,266.08
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$282,888-$85,759$180,155$6,929.04
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Data Engineer in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and Massachusetts tax codes.

Market Baseline
$161,650/yr
$77.72/hr · SOC 15-1243
Statutory Tax Drag
27.8% Effective
-$44,946 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
28% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$6,399/mo
Post-$2,518/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1243
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Data Engineer in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: Market Snapshot

Data Engineer roles in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH report a median annual wage of $161,650, 15.9% above the national median of $139,500. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $126,320 to $200,110, and HUD’s $2,518 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 18.7% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $35.97 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Data Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$197,960+22.5%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$175,860+8.8%
Reno, NV$170,390+5.4%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$169,310+4.7%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$168,390+4.2%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$163,590+1.2%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$163,350+1.1%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$162,870+0.8%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$162,640+0.6%
Springfield, MA$161,730+0.0%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Natural Sciences Managers$291,000$139.90/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$214,960$103.35/hr
Marketing Managers$213,910$102.84/hr
Financial Manager$209,780$100.86/hr
Sales Managers$206,610$99.33/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$205,130$98.62/hr
Compensation and Benefits Managers$185,590$89.23/hr
Human Resources Managers$184,990$88.94/hr
Public Relations Managers$176,390$84.80/hr
Purchasing Managers$174,640$83.96/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 132 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Data Engineer Salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (2026) Overview

Data Engineer median pay in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH is $161,650 a year ($77.72/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Data Engineer in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Data Engineer in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

The median annual wage is $161,650 ($77.72 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $126,320 and $200,110. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Data Engineer in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH after taxes?

On the median wage of $161,650, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $113,891 a year ($9,491 a month) after $47,759 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 29.54%, using 2026 tax rules.