Massachusetts posts the highest estimated safety-manager salary in this group — about $104,000 a year — powered by its biotech, life-sciences and hospital sector, though its high cost of living is part of the story too.
Massachusetts’s state OSHA coverage is limited to public employees. Since 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DLS) has administered a State Plan for state and local government workers. Private-sector employers — which is where most safety-manager jobs in the state actually sit, including the biotech and hospital sectors — remain under federal OSHA.
Massachusetts safety and EHS managers earn an estimated median of $104,000 a year, with most roles paying between $81,120 and $140,400 — the highest figures in this group of states. The estimate scales the BLS national median for occupational health & safety specialists — $83,910 (SOC 19-5011, OES May 2024) — to Massachusetts’s wage level; actual pay depends on industry, employer size, certifications and experience. The state’s outsized life-sciences and biotech sector, centered on the Boston/Cambridge area, along with a dense concentration of hospitals, academic medical centers and universities, supports demand for experienced EHS professionals and helps push pay above most other states in this list. That said, Massachusetts is also one of the higher cost-of-living states in the country, especially around metro Boston, so the bigger number should be weighed against a correspondingly higher cost base rather than treated as pure upside.
EHS hiring concentrates around Boston, Worcester and Springfield. Boston and the surrounding Cambridge/Kendall Square area account for the bulk of biotech- and life-sciences-linked demand; Worcester and Springfield offer more traditional manufacturing and healthcare-facility roles at a somewhat lower cost of living than the Boston core.
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What do safety managers earn in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts safety and EHS managers earn an estimated median of about $104,000 a year, with most roles between $81,120 and $140,400 depending on industry, employer size, certifications and experience, scaling BLS national OES data to Massachusetts's wage level.
Does Massachusetts have its own OSHA program?
Only for public employees. Massachusetts's Department of Labor Standards has run a State Plan covering state and local government workers since 2022. Private-sector employers are regulated directly by federal OSHA.
Why is the Massachusetts safety-manager salary the highest in this group?
Massachusetts has an outsized life-sciences and biotech sector centered on Boston/Cambridge, along with a large concentration of hospitals and academic medical centers — industries that pay a premium for EHS talent, in one of the country's higher cost-of-living metro areas.
Does Massachusetts's cost of living offset the higher salary?
To a meaningful degree. Massachusetts is consistently ranked among the higher cost-of-living states, particularly around Boston, so the estimated median here should be read against that higher baseline.
Salary figures are estimates derived from BLS national OES data scaled to state wage levels — not a guarantee or an offer. Verify current local data with BLS and employers. ← All states · Home