Packers and Packagers, Hand Salary in Boston, MA (2024)
Packers and Packagers, Hand in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earn a median of $34,070 per year ($16.38 per hour) based on 13,600 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -4.2% against the national median of $35,580 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where packers and packagers, hand actually sit across the pay range in Boston, MA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $15.25 | $31,730 | |
| 25th percentile | $15.36 | $31,950 | |
| Median | $16.38 | $34,070 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $17.94 | $37,310 | |
| 90th percentile | $20.52 | $42,690 | |
| Average (mean) | $17.16 | $35,690 |
How Boston, MA compares
The local median of $34,070 runs -4.2% below the US median of $35,580 for this occupation; it pays 47.3% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($64,620); within the metro it ranks 682nd of 688 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA — this occupation | $34,070 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $35,580 | -4.2% |
| Boston, MA — all occupations | $64,620 | -47.3% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $42,450 | -19.7% |
At a location quotient of 1.29, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 129% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 682nd of 688 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Boston, MA
To put $34,070 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 682nd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Neurologists | $228,070 | 180 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $228,050 | 200 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $221,710 | 430 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $219,380 | 7,670 |
| Pediatricians, General | $213,240 | 2,360 |
| Physicians, All Other | $212,030 | 6,650 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $207,150 | 22,280 |
| Marketing Managers | $200,010 | 11,440 |
| Lawyers | $194,740 | 18,900 |
| Astronomers | $189,430 | 60 |
Where packers and packagers, hand earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $26,840 to $42,450. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $42,450 | 24,430 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $42,290 | 55,160 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $40,750 | 5,620 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $40,460 | 4,690 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $39,160 | 3,030 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $38,940 | 3,260 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $38,870 | 13,600 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $38,300 | 5,840 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $36,880 | 3,360 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $36,820 | 3,490 |
See the full national picture on the Packers and Packagers, Hand salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for packers and packagers, hand in Boston, MA?
The median annual wage is $34,070, or $16 per hour. That means half of the packers and packagers, hand working in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $35,690.
What do the highest and lowest paid packers and packagers, hand in Boston, MA earn?
The bottom 10% earn $31,730 or less, while the top 10% earn $42,690 or more — a spread of $10,960 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $31,950 and $37,310.
Is packers and packagers, hand pay in Boston, MA above the local average?
Yes, it is 47.3% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $64,620. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Boston, MA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $34,070 the metro median is 4.2% lower than the US median of $35,580 for packers and packagers, hand. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $26,840 to $42,450.
How many packers and packagers, hand work in Boston, MA?
BLS counts about 13,600 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 5.02 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.29, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 129% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 4.6%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.