NextChapter

Best cities for AI-skill jobs in New England

Boston leads New England for AI skills: 21% of its professional openings ask for them, against 12% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Boston, MA: 21%
  • #2 Somerville, MA: 19%
  • #3 Framingham, MA: 16%
  • 28 cities ranked in New England
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 12% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Boston MA21%
  2. 2Somerville MA19%
  3. 3Framingham MA16%
  4. 4Waltham MA15%
  5. 5Watertown MA15%
  6. 6Cambridge MA15%
  7. 7Greenwich CT14%
  8. 8Norwood MA13%
  9. 9Lowell MA12%
  10. 10Lexington MA11%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Boston (21%) is well clear of Lexington at #10 (11%).
  • Norwood reaches #8 on a sample of 117 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Boston is the largest market in the top ten, with 5,338 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Some labor markets ask for AI skills in a large share of postings, others in very few. The share tells you how far AI has moved from a specialist skill into ordinary job requirements in that place.

How to use it

Compare your own city to the top of the list. A gap is a reason to build one AI skill and show it on your résumé before you apply, not a reason to move.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Boston MA

    21%

    AI-skill openings
    1,143
    All openings
    5,338
    Median posted pay
    $170k

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Confidential, Takeda Development Center Americas

    Based on 5,338 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  2. 2

    Somerville MA

    19%

    AI-skill openings
    68
    All openings
    354
    Median posted pay
    $164k

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 354 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Somerville

  3. 3

    Framingham MA

    16%

    AI-skill openings
    35
    All openings
    213
    Median posted pay
    $145k

    Hiring most here: Staples, Bose, TJX Companies

    Based on 213 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Framingham

  4. 4

    Waltham MA

    15%

    AI-skill openings
    97
    All openings
    634
    Median posted pay
    $193k

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 634 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  5. 5

    Watertown MA

    15%

    AI-skill openings
    22
    All openings
    146
    Median posted pay
    $205k

    Hiring most here: Tutor Intelligence, Kymera Therapeutics, Treeline Biosciences

    Based on 146 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Watertown

  6. 6

    Cambridge MA

    15%

    AI-skill openings
    176
    All openings
    1,204
    Median posted pay
    $198k

    Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

    Based on 1,204 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cambridge

  7. 7

    Greenwich CT

    14%

    AI-skill openings
    20
    All openings
    142
    Median posted pay
    $155k

    Hiring most here: iCapital, AQR Capital

    Based on 142 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Greenwich

  8. 8

    Norwood MA

    13%

    AI-skill openings
    15
    All openings
    117
    Median posted pay
    $179k

    Hiring most here: Moderna, Home Market Foods, Illinois Tool Works

    Based on 117 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Norwood

  9. 9

    Lowell MA

    12%

    AI-skill openings
    18
    All openings
    145
    Median posted pay
    $120k

    Hiring most here: Macom, UKG

    Based on 145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lowell

  10. 10

    Lexington MA

    11%

    AI-skill openings
    29
    All openings
    253
    Median posted pay
    $172k

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 253 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lexington

  11. 11

    Stamford CT

    10%

    AI-skill openings
    33
    All openings
    336
    Median posted pay
    $145k

    Hiring most here: Philip Morris International, Gartner, Charter Communications

    Based on 336 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Stamford

  12. 12

    Wilmington MA

    9%

    AI-skill openings
    15
    All openings
    165
    Median posted pay
    $144k

    Hiring most here: Onto Innovation, L3HARRIS Technologies, Symbotic

    Based on 165 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Wilmington

  13. 13

    Westborough MA

    9%

    AI-skill openings
    10
    All openings
    116
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Olympus America, Astellas (ADP)

    Based on 116 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Westborough

  14. 14

    Bedford MA

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    17
    All openings
    201
    Median posted pay
    $168k

    Hiring most here: The MITRE, Stoke Therapeutics, Entegris

    Based on 201 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bedford

  15. 15

    Burlington MA

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    19
    All openings
    227
    Median posted pay
    $148k

    Hiring most here: Veracode, Vericel, Tufts Medicine Care AT Home

    Based on 227 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Burlington

  16. 16

    Newton MA

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    9
    All openings
    111
    Median posted pay
    $151k

    Hiring most here: Panera Brands, Siemens Healthineers, The RMR Group

    Based on 111 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newton

  17. 17

    Hartford CT

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    28
    All openings
    366
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 366 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

  18. 18

    Andover MA

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    12
    All openings
    160
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: RTX, Vicor, Mercury Systems

    Based on 160 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Andover

  19. 19

    Portland ME

    6%

    AI-skill openings
    12
    All openings
    191
    Median posted pay
    $127k

    Hiring most here: Unum Group, BerryDunn, Springborn Staffing

    Based on 191 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Portland

  20. 20

    Springfield MA

    6%

    AI-skill openings
    6
    All openings
    105
    Median posted pay
    $99k

    Hiring most here: MassMutual

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  21. 21

    Quincy MA

    4%

    AI-skill openings
    7
    All openings
    169
    Median posted pay
    $161k

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Anduril, J.Jill

    Based on 169 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Quincy

  22. 22

    New Haven CT

    4%

    AI-skill openings
    12
    All openings
    304
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Hiring most here: Yale University, Yale New Haven Health, Knights of Columbus

    Based on 304 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New Haven

  23. 23

    Worcester MA

    4%

    AI-skill openings
    6
    All openings
    171
    Median posted pay
    $116k

    Hiring most here: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Umass Memorial Health Care, Milford Regional Medical Center

    Based on 171 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Worcester

  24. 24

    Marlborough MA

    3%

    AI-skill openings
    9
    All openings
    258
    Median posted pay
    $129k

    Hiring most here: RTX, Danaher, Hologic

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Marlborough

  25. 25

    Providence RI

    3%

    AI-skill openings
    6
    All openings
    207
    Median posted pay
    $112k

    Hiring most here: Gilbane, Brown University, Women and Infants Hospital

    Based on 207 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Providence

Full ranking

All 28 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Boston MA21%5,338
2Somerville MA19%354
3Framingham MA16%213
4Waltham MA15%634
5Watertown MA15%146
6Cambridge MA15%1,204
7Greenwich CT14%142
8Norwood MA13%117
9Lowell MA12%145
10Lexington MA11%253
11Stamford CT10%336
12Wilmington MA9%165
13Westborough MA9%116
14Bedford MA8%201
15Burlington MA8%227
16Newton MA8%111
17Hartford CT8%366
18Andover MA8%160
19Portland ME6%191
20Springfield MA6%105
21Quincy MA4%169
22New Haven CT4%304
23Worcester MA4%171
24Marlborough MA3%258
25Providence RI3%207
26Woburn MA2%180
27Manchester NH1%158
28Danbury CT0%106

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text.

The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for ai-skill jobs in new england?
Boston leads New England for AI skills: 21% of its professional openings ask for them, against 12% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
28 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 28 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text. The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for AI-skill jobs in New England,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-new-england

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-new-england">Best cities for AI-skill jobs in New England (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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