Budget Analysts in Massachusetts
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$69,442
after federal, FICA and Massachusetts tax
Tax takes
$22,818
24.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,157
Massachusetts costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Massachusetts — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$92,260
Kept after tax
$69,442
Worth in national money
$64,157
State rank
18
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Massachusetts is 18 of 51 states for budget analysts, with a middle wage of $92,260. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 485 occupations Massachusetts reports figures for, this is number 144.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $92,260 the take-home is $69,442. But Massachusetts costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $64,157 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $97,340, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Massachusetts ranks 18 of 51 for budget analysts at $92,260. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Massachusetts's occupational distribution, budget analysts sits at 144 of 485 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Massachusetts income tax is $69,442 for budget analysts, from $92,260. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $64,157. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $97,340 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Budget Analysts
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $67,860 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $92,260 |
| Top tenth earn over | $131,770 |
| This salary | $92,260 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Massachusetts | $69,442 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $73,735 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$11,722 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $86,158 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$16,191 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 108 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Massachusetts earn less than $92,260. The published range is $67,860 up to $131,770, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Massachusetts's $69,442, worked from $92,260. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 144 of 485.
- One number stands for prices across all of Massachusetts, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $64,157, the adjusted value of that $92,260 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 144 of 485 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for budget analysts in Massachusetts the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $67,860 to $131,770. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Massachusetts take-home of $69,442, on $92,260 for work ranking 144 of 485 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 144 of 485 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Massachusetts, so $64,157 — the adjusted value of that $92,260 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 144 of 485 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $97,340, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $67,860 at the bottom tenth to $131,770 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Massachusetts costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $64,157 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Massachusetts then takes its own share, leaving $69,442.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Massachusetts is $97,340. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($67,860 to $131,770) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Massachusetts rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Massachusetts's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $64,157 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $69,442 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Massachusetts income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.