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1 / 35#35. Personal service managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $56,570
- Median hourly wage: $27.20
- Total employment: 90 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying management jobs for people in Boston
Managers are the glue holding companies and organizations together. At the executive level, managers are responsible for overall strategy and improving the bottom line. At lower levels, managers make decisions, build relationships, help customers, and lead teams to complete projects.
Effective managers need a wide array of skills. They must be versatile enough to adapt to new initiatives, market changes, and technology. Good communication is also essential to work with customers and team members, and leadership and project management skills drive better results for the organization.
People drawn to this role often enjoy setting goals and working with others to achieve them. Many get satisfaction from mentoring others and helping them grow to the best of their abilities.
As companies grow, more layers of management are often added to streamline productivity and oversee different teams. Depending on a manager's capabilities, teams can range from a few people to 15 or more. However, some companies believe that too much bureaucracy can slow output, leading to managerial cuts. In 2023, managers and executives accounted for half of all layoffs, according to Live Data Technologies. Amazon and United Parcel Service contributed to the trend, eliminating thousands of management jobs in 2024.
Organizational flattening may make headlines, but having a good manager can go a long way toward keeping workers motivated and projects on track. A 2021 Gallup report found that managerial quality is responsible for 70% of a team's engagement level, meaning that the right leader can make a profound impact on an organization.
As vital as managers are, compensation for these jobs varies by industry. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying management jobs in Boston. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 35#34. Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
- Median annual wage: $71,240
- Median hourly wage: $34.25
- Total employment: 1,730 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
3 / 35#33. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $80,890
- Median hourly wage: $38.89
- Total employment: 5,170 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 35#32. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $86,840
- Median hourly wage: $41.75
- Total employment: 3,000 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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5 / 35#31. Funeral home managers
- Median annual wage: $92,530
- Median hourly wage: $44.49
- Total employment: 160 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 35#30. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $93,490
- Median hourly wage: $44.95
- Total employment: 4,970 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 35#29. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $93,550
- Median hourly wage: $44.98
- Total employment: 350 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
8 / 35#28. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $95,470
- Median hourly wage: $45.90
- Total employment: 770 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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9 / 35#27. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $96,990
- Median hourly wage: $46.63
- Total employment: 490 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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10 / 35#26. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $98,550
- Median hourly wage: $47.38
- Total employment: 180 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 35#25. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $111,450
- Median hourly wage: $53.58
- Total employment: 7,340 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 35#24. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $115,760
- Median hourly wage: $55.66
- Total employment: 3,160 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 35#23. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $124,900
- Median hourly wage: $60.05
- Total employment: 4,490 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 35#22. Emergency management directors
- Median annual wage: $125,530
- Median hourly wage: $60.35
- Total employment: 140 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 35#21. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $128,110
- Median hourly wage: $61.59
- Total employment: 6,890 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 35#20. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $129,330
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 7,310 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
17 / 35#19. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $129,850
- Median hourly wage: $62.43
- Total employment: 76,980 people (28.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
18 / 35#18. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $134,980
- Median hourly wage: $64.90
- Total employment: 14,330 people (5.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 35#17. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $135,270
- Median hourly wage: $65.03
- Total employment: 320 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 35#16. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $141,590
- Median hourly wage: $68.07
- Total employment: 3,710 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 35#15. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $156,590
- Median hourly wage: $75.28
- Total employment: 6,970 people (2.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 35#14. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $159,780
- Median hourly wage: $76.82
- Total employment: 1,010 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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23 / 35#13. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $160,100
- Median hourly wage: $76.97
- Total employment: 1,510 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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24 / 35#12. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $169,100
- Median hourly wage: $81.30
- Total employment: 1,930 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
25 / 35#11. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $170,900
- Median hourly wage: $82.17
- Total employment: 2,080 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 35#10. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $174,840
- Median hourly wage: $84.06
- Total employment: 9,240 people (3.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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27 / 35#9. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $175,360
- Median hourly wage: $84.31
- Total employment: 11,110 people (4.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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28 / 35#8. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $178,800
- Median hourly wage: $85.96
- Total employment: 7,160 people (2.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
29 / 35#7. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $180,050
- Median hourly wage: $86.56
- Total employment: 5,700 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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30 / 35#6. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $181,910
- Median hourly wage: $87.46
- Total employment: 580 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 35#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $188,490
- Median hourly wage: $90.62
- Total employment: 22,830 people (8.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
32 / 35#4. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $200,010
- Median hourly wage: $96.16
- Total employment: 11,440 people (4.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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33 / 35#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $207,150
- Median hourly wage: $99.59
- Total employment: 22,280 people (8.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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34 / 35#2. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $219,380
- Median hourly wage: $105.47
- Total employment: 7,670 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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35 / 35#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 5,540 people (2.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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