Actuary Salary in Cambridge, MA: Median $148,450 in 2026
Cambridge (MA) · COL index 178 · Unemployment 3.2% · Metro pop 118,000 · Rank #5 of 283 for Actuary salary
A Actuary in Cambridge earns an estimated median of $148,450 per year. That figure starts from the Massachusetts state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($89,800) and scales it by Cambridge's composite cost-of-living index of 178 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $87,087; the 90th percentile reaches $266,814. After federal, Massachusetts state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Actuary takes home approximately $105,197/year — about $8,766/month or $4,046 every other week.
Compared to the national Actuary median of $120,000, Cambridge pays +23.7%. Relative to the Cambridge median household income of $108,500, a Actuarysalary runs +36.8%. Local unemployment is 3.2%[3], with an estimated 2 annual Actuary openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (28,400).
Actuary Snapshot — Cambridge (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Cambridge | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuary median salary | $148,450 | $120,000 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $87,087 | $88,030 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $266,814 | $213,900 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $105,197 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $925,000 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $3,100/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $2,850/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $108,500 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 178.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | — | [3] |
How Actuary Salaries Work in Cambridge
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the Massachusetts state-level OEWS median ($89,800) and scaling by Cambridge's composite cost-of-living index (178)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and Massachusetts state income tax at a 4.9% effective rate ($7,203/yr on the $148,450 median)[10].
Cambridge also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. A tight labor market (unemployment below 4%) gives candidates pricing power in negotiations. Median household income in the metro is $108,500, which frames what "a good Actuary salary" means locally: a $$148,450 wage pays about 137% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Cambridge
Estimated annual expense shares on a $105,197 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Cambridge's COL index of 178. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Cambridge's COL index of 178[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $3,100/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Cambridge
Renting
Buying
At $8,766/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $2,630/mo. Cambridge's typical 1–2BR rent runs $3,100/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $2,850/mo), making rent affordable on a median Actuary salary. For homebuyers, the 6.2× price-to-income ratio is workable with a strong credit profile and manageable other debts.
How Cambridge Stacks Up for Actuarys
Against 283 major US cities: Cambridge ranks #5 for nominal Actuary salary, #270 for rent affordability, and #279 for overall purchasing power. High cost of living absorbs much of Cambridge's nominal wage premium. Actuarys here often trade pay for lifestyle, proximity to employers, or family roots — consider nearby metros on a salary-to-COL basis.
Nearby Cities — Actuary Salary Comparison
Cambridge's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs MA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge, MA ★ | $148,450 | 178 | $3,100 | — |
| Boston, MA | $194,400 | 162 | $2,750 | +31.0% |
| Worcester, MA | $139,200 | 116 | $1,650 | -6.2% |
| Springfield, MA | $117,600 | 98 | $1,150 | -20.8% |
| Lowell, MA | $141,600 | 118 | $1,650 | -4.6% |
| Oakland, CA | $210,000 | 175 | $1,895 | +41.5% |
Actuary Job Market in Cambridge
Cambridge has an estimated 2 annual Actuaryopenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 28,400 national Actuarys[1]. The 3.2% unemployment rate[3] signals a competitive labor market where skilled professionals can push for top-of-band offers.
About the profession: Actuaries use mathematics and statistics to assess financial risk for insurance companies, pension funds, and other organizations. It is consistently ranked among the best careers in America. Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree plus professional exams. This is one of the fastest-growing US occupations — 22% projected through 2034[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Cambridge
Early-career Actuarys in Cambridge start around $87,087, reach the city median ($148,450) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($266,814) at senior / specialized levels.
Related finance professions in Cambridge
Calculators for Actuarys in Cambridge
Other professions in Cambridge
Frequently Asked Questions — Actuary in Cambridge
How much does a Actuary make in Cambridge, MA?
The estimated median salary for a Actuary in Cambridge is $148,450/year, scaled from the BLS OEWS Massachusetts state median ($89,800) by Cambridge's composite cost-of-living index of 178 (US = 100). After federal, Massachusetts state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $105,197/year or $8,766/month.
Can a Actuary afford to live in Cambridge?
On $8,766/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $2,630/month. Cambridge's Zillow ZORI median rent is $3,100/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $2,850/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 25.1%, making housing affordable for a Actuary at the local median. Home-buyers face 6.2× price-to-income, needing roughly 6.2 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Actuary pay in Cambridge?
On $148,450 gross, a Actuary in Cambridge pays approximately $24,694 in federal income tax (16.6% effective), $7,203 in Massachusetts state income tax (4.9% effective), and $11,357 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 29.1%. Some Massachusetts cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Cambridge rank for Actuary salaries vs other cities?
Cambridge ranks #5 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Actuary salary, #270 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #279 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Actuary in Cambridge?
On $105,197 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Cambridge looks like: housing $37,200/yr (35.4%); food $18,531/yr; transportation $13,802/yr; healthcare $9,087/yr; utilities $7,311/yr; savings + discretionary $19,266/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Cambridge's COL index of 178 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Actuary job market like in Cambridge?
Cambridge's unemployment rate is 3.2% across the metro of 118,000. Estimated annual Actuary openings: ~2 (extrapolated from 28,400 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The tight labor market favors candidates in salary negotiations.
Do Cambridge employers pay above or below the Massachusetts median for Actuarys?
Yes — Cambridge's estimated Actuary median of $148,450 is 23.7% above the national median. Higher nominal pay in this city partially offsets the higher cost of living; the real picture depends on housing costs and state taxes.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Cambridge median is derived from the Massachusetts state-level BLS OEWS median ($89,800), scaled by Cambridge's composite cost-of-living index of 178. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Actuarymedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses Massachusetts's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 178index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 107.7(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
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