Boston’s tech workforce is stacked against a big, steady baseline, with the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro at 3.157 million total private-industry employees in 2022. At the same time, Massachusetts education and talent signals point upward, including 39.8% of adults age 25 plus holding a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2022 and a Boston level of 33.7%. When you line those human and economic factors up with the region’s venture leadership and cybersecurity demand, you start to see why Boston technology jobs rarely follow a single predictable path.
Key Takeaways
- 2,424,708 people live in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area (2023)
- Approximately 4.86 million people live in Massachusetts (2023 estimate)
- Boston’s population was 675,000 in 2020 (U.S. Census)
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area had 3,157,000 total employees across all private industries (2022 CEW)
- In 2023, the median annual wage for information security analysts in the Boston metro was $120,000 (BLS OEWS 2023)
- In 2022, Massachusetts had 12,210 establishments in computer systems design services (BLS QCEW)
- U.S. venture capital investment in AI companies increased to $75.9 billion in 2021 (global; for context on tech funding environment)
- Massachusetts attracted $7.6B in venture capital in 2023 (PitchBook state-level data)
- Boston ranked #2 among U.S. metro areas for venture funding in 2023, behind only Silicon Valley (CB Insights/PitchBook-style rankings reported in trade press)
- Boston ranked #5 among U.S. metros for cybersecurity employment demand in 2023 (CyberSeek metro heat map; demand index)
- Massachusetts ranked #6 for GDP growth among states in 2023 at 3.4% (BEA state GDP by industry/summary)
- Massachusetts had $613.1B in total GDP in 2022 (BEA state GDP)
- Worldwide information security and risk management spending is forecast to reach $188.3B in 2024 and $252.7B in 2025 (Gartner)
- Worldwide public cloud end-user spending is forecast to reach $679B in 2024 (Gartner)
- Worldwide spending on AI software is forecast to reach $154B in 2024 (Gartner)
Boston and Massachusetts lead tech growth with strong talent, venture funding, and cybersecurity demand.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics11 stats
01
2,424,708 people live in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area (2023)https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bostoncitymassachusetts,US/PST045223
02
Approximately 4.86 million people live in Massachusetts (2023 estimate)https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MA/PST045223
03
Boston’s population was 675,000 in 2020 (U.S. Census)https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bostoncitymassachusetts/PST045222
04
In 2022, 39.8% of Massachusetts adults ages 25+ had a bachelor’s degree or higher (ACS estimate)https://data.census.gov/table?g=0400000US25&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S1501
05
In 2022, 33.7% of Boston residents ages 25+ had a bachelor’s degree or higher (ACS estimate)https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US2507000&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S1501
06
Boston’s per capita income was $84,000in 2022 (ACS 1-year estimate)https://data.census.gov/table?q=B19301&g=1600000US2507000&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S1901
07
Massachusetts per capita income was $83,600in 2022 (ACS 1-year estimate)https://data.census.gov/table?q=B19301&g=0400000US25&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S1901
08
Boston had 10.1% of residents living below the poverty level in 2022 (ACS estimate)https://data.census.gov/table?q=poverty&g=1600000US2507000&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S1701
09
Massachusetts had 7.4% of residents living below poverty level in 2022 (ACS estimate)https://data.census.gov/table?q=poverty&g=0400000US25&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S1701
10
Boston had 68.9% of workers commuting by driving alone, carpool, public transit, walking, or other (ACS commuting mode shares, 2022)https://data.census.gov/table?q=commuting&g=1600000US2507000&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S0801
11
Massachusetts had 33.5% of workers commuting by public transportation (ACS commuting mode shares, 2022)https://data.census.gov/table?q=public+transportation+commute&g=0400000US25&y=2022&tid=ACSST1Y2022.S0801
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Boston’s strong education and income profile stands out in the tech industry demographics, with 33.7% of adults age 25 and older holding a bachelor’s degree or higher versus 39.8% statewide and a per capita income of $84,000 in 2022.
02 · Category
Employment & Workforce8 stats
01
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area had 3,157,000 total employees across all private industries (2022 CEW)https://data.bls.gov/cew/apps/table_maker/v4/table_maker.htm
02
In 2023, the median annual wage for information security analysts in the Boston metro was $120,000(BLS OEWS 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_35620.htm
03
In 2022, Massachusetts had 12,210 establishments in computer systems design services (BLS QCEW)https://data.bls.gov/cew/apps/data_views/data_views.htm
04
Boston had 4,700+ manufacturing establishments in 2022 (U.S. Census / County Business Patterns, NAICS 31-33)https://data.census.gov/table?q=cbp&g=1600000US2507000&tid=CBP2022.CB1400CBF&hidePreview=true
05
Massachusetts had 30,800 manufacturing establishments in 2022 (County Business Patterns)https://data.census.gov/table?q=CBP+manufacturing+establishments&g=0400000US25&tid=CBP2022.CB1500CBF&hidePreview=true
06
Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro had 137,500 manufacturing employees in 2022 (County Business Patterns)https://data.census.gov/table?q=cbp+manufacturing+employment&g=31080&tid=CBP2022.CB1500CBF&hidePreview=true
07
In 2023, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area’s unemployment rate was 3.8% (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics)https://www.bls.gov/lau/
08
In 2022, Boston had 117,000 technology-related jobs defined by BLS OEWS/IT occupational grouping (industry occupational compilation by Lightcast/ Burning Glass reported in Boston-specific employment outlook)https://www.bostonplans.org/studies-and-documents/technology-jobs
Interpretation
Employment & Workforce Interpretation
Boston’s Employment and Workforce picture is strong, with 3.157 million private-industry employees in 2022 and a tight 3.8% unemployment rate in 2023, while tech and IT roles remain highly valuable, including a $120,000 median wage for information security analysts in 2023.
03 · Category
Funding & Investment3 stats
01
U.S. venture capital investment in AI companies increased to $75.9 billion in 2021 (global; for context on tech funding environment)https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/ai-startup-funding-trends
02
Massachusetts attracted $7.6B in venture capital in 2023 (PitchBook state-level data)https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/where-us-venture-capital-went-in-2023
03
Boston ranked #2 among U.S. metro areas for venture funding in 2023, behind only Silicon Valley (CB Insights/PitchBook-style rankings reported in trade press)https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/boston-ranked-no-2-venture-capital-metros-2023-behind-silicon-valley-2024-01-18/
Interpretation
Funding & Investment Interpretation
Boston and Massachusetts are strengthening their Funding and Investment momentum as Massachusetts pulled in $7.6B in venture capital in 2023 and Boston ranked No. 2 for U.S. metro venture funding that year, even as U.S. AI venture investment climbed to $75.9B in 2021.
04 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
Boston ranked #5 among U.S. metros for cybersecurity employment demand in 2023 (CyberSeek metro heat map; demand index)https://www.cyberseek.org/heatmap.html
02
Massachusetts ranked #6 for GDP growth among states in 2023 at 3.4% (BEA state GDP by industry/summary)https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state/
03
Massachusetts had $613.1B in total GDP in 2022 (BEA state GDP)https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the Industry Trends spotlight, Boston’s rise to #5 for cybersecurity employment demand in 2023 and Massachusetts’s 3.4% GDP growth in 2023 reflect a strengthening technology-driven economy alongside a massive $613.1B total GDP base in 2022.
More related reading
05 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
Worldwide information security and risk management spending is forecast to reach $188.3B in 2024 and $252.7B in 2025 (Gartner)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-10-21-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-information-security-and-risk-management-spending-to-exceed-252-billion-in-2025
02
Worldwide public cloud end-user spending is forecast to reach $679B in 2024 (Gartner)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-06-18-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-grow-20-percent-in-2024-to-679-billion
03
Worldwide spending on AI software is forecast to reach $154B in 2024 (Gartner)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-23-gartner-forecasts-ai-software-market-to-reach-154-billion-in-2024
04
Global market size for generative AI is forecast to reach $51B in 2023 and $109B in 2024 (Gartner)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-10-gartner-says-generative-ai-business-value-to-triple
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Market size in Boston’s technology ecosystem is expanding rapidly as major spending categories surge, including information security rising from $188.3B in 2024 to $252.7B in 2025 and generative AI jumping from $51B in 2023 to $109B in 2024.
06 · Category
Research & Innovation1 stats
01
In 2023, Boston University reported $633M in research and development expenditures (BU research annual report)https://www.bu.edu/research/annual-report/
Interpretation
Research & Innovation Interpretation
In 2023, Boston University invested $633 million in research and development, underscoring how strongly Boston’s Research and Innovation ecosystem is backed by major university-led funding.
07 · Category
Workforce Trends1 stats
01
6.4% of Massachusetts IT workers were employed in the information sector in 2023, reflecting concentration of technical roles in information-related industrieshttps://www.onetcenter.org/overview.html
Interpretation
Workforce Trends Interpretation
In 2023, 6.4% of Massachusetts IT workers were employed in the information sector, signaling a clear workforce trend where technical talent is increasingly concentrated in information-related industries.
08 · Category
Education & Talent1 stats
01
In 2022, Massachusetts granted 17,480 master’s degrees in engineering/computer science fields, indicating strong graduate-level production for tech staffinghttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_318.20.asp
Interpretation
Education & Talent Interpretation
In 2022, Massachusetts awarded 17,480 master’s degrees in engineering and computer science, signaling a strong and sustained supply of advanced Education & Talent that can feed Boston’s tech workforce needs.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Boston Technology Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boston-technology-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Boston Technology Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/boston-technology-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Boston Technology Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/boston-technology-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)