Pediatricians, General in Massachusetts
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$153,517
after federal, FICA and Massachusetts tax
Tax takes
$67,653
30.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$141,832
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
$221,170
Kept after tax
$153,517
Worth in national money
$141,832
State rank
17
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Massachusetts is 17 of 49 states for pediatricians, general, with a middle wage of $221,170. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 485 occupations Massachusetts reports, pediatricians, general comes in at 4 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $221,170 the take-home is $153,517. But Massachusetts costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $141,832 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $228,920, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Massachusetts ranks 17 of 49 for pediatricians, general at $221,170. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Pediatricians, general ranks 4 of 485 occupations by median in Massachusetts, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Massachusetts income tax is $153,517 for pediatricians, general, from $221,170. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $141,832. ⚠️ 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 $228,920 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Pediatricians, General
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $125,170 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $221,170 |
| Top tenth earn over | $324,950 |
| This salary | $221,170 |
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 | $153,517 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $164,255 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$27,198 |
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 | $206,232 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$36,061 |
| 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 $221,170. The published range is $125,170 up to $324,950, 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 $153,517, worked from $221,170. 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 4 of 485.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $141,832 uses one figure for the whole of Massachusetts. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 485 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 4.
- Reported values are medians; for pediatricians, general in Massachusetts the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $125,170 to $324,950. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Massachusetts take-home of $153,517, on $221,170 for work ranking 4 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 4 of 485 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $141,832, worked from $221,170, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Massachusetts address, on work sitting at 4 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 $228,920, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $125,170 at the bottom tenth to $324,950 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Massachusetts run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $141,832 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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 $153,517.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
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 $228,920. 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 drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($125,170) and the ninetieth ($324,950) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $141,832 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 $153,517 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.