Why is the BEA RPP for Massachusetts different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Massachusetts's overall index of 107.7 reflects rents 130.1, services 166.1, and goods 100.0.

How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?

P10 to P90 spans $59,870 to $106,300. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Police Officer salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Massachusetts?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Massachusetts.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Massachusetts police?

Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. Massachusetts departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Massachusetts?

BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In Massachusetts, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most Massachusetts state and local positions at the senior level.

Massachusetts Police Officer Salary: BLS $79K Median, Real $73K (2026)

TL;DR

Headline Police Officer pay in Massachusetts is $78,610. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $73,007.
Quartile range $69,450 (bottom 25%) to $94,800 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $59,870 to $106,300.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
State ranks #18 nationally on nominal wage, #30 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Massachusetts

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$59,870	$55,603
P25 (lower quartile)	$69,450	$64,500
P50 (median)	$78,610	$73,007
P75 (upper quartile)	$94,800	$88,043
P90 (top tier)	$106,300	$98,723
Mean	$80,790	$75,031
Employment	17,000 Police Officers in Massachusetts

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Massachusetts index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.7
Goods	100.0
Services	166.1
Rents	130.1

Massachusetts is a high-cost state — RPP 107.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (130.1) and services (166.1).

After-tax take-home — Massachusetts (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Police Officer)	$78,610	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,541	10.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,931	5% flat 2026 (4% surtax above $1M)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,014	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$60,125	76.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$55,839	÷ (107.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Massachusetts state-tax burden means for Police Officer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $60,125 (76.5% of gross). After the 107.7 RPP, real take-home is $55,839.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. Massachusetts sits at #18 on nominal pay and #30 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Massachusetts falls 12 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the BEA RPP for Massachusetts different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Massachusetts's overall index of 107.7 reflects rents 130.1, services 166.1, and goods 100.0.
How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?: P10 to P90 spans $59,870 to $106,300. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Police Officer salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Massachusetts?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Massachusetts.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Massachusetts police?: Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. Massachusetts departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.
Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Massachusetts?: BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In Massachusetts, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most Massachusetts state and local positions at the senior level.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Massachusetts Police Officer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.