NextChapter

Best cities for software and engineering jobs in New England

Boston has the most software and engineering openings in New England: 910 openings, in a market where engineering is 24% of openings 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: 910 openings
  • #2 Waltham, MA: 184 openings
  • #3 Cambridge, MA: 135 openings
  • 24 cities ranked in New England
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 24% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Boston MA910 openings
  2. 2Waltham MA184 openings
  3. 3Cambridge MA135 openings
  4. 4Lexington MA114 openings
  5. 5Marlborough MA95 openings
  6. 6Wilmington MA88 openings
  7. 7Bedford MA85 openings
  8. 8Somerville MA83 openings
  9. 9Andover MA79 openings
  10. 10Woburn MA73 openings

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Boston (910 openings) is well clear of Woburn at #10 (73 openings).
  • Boston is the largest market in the top ten, with 910 engineering openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Engineering hiring clusters in a handful of metros. Counting engineering openings shows where the demand for software and engineering skills is deepest.

How to use it

Use it to decide where to network and which employers to follow. A big market also means more competition, so compare it with the pay and entry-level lists.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Boston MA

    910 openings

    Share of all openings
    17%
    Median engineering pay
    $182k
    All openings
    5,338

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

    Based on 910 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  2. 2

    Waltham MA

    184 openings

    Share of all openings
    29%
    Median engineering pay
    $194k
    All openings
    634

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 184 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  3. 3

    Cambridge MA

    135 openings

    Share of all openings
    11%
    Median engineering pay
    $164k
    All openings
    1,204

    Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

    Based on 135 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cambridge

  4. 4

    Lexington MA

    114 openings

    Share of all openings
    45%
    Median engineering pay
    $149k
    All openings
    253

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

    Based on 114 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lexington

  5. 5

    Marlborough MA

    95 openings

    Share of all openings
    37%
    Median engineering pay
    $126k
    All openings
    258

    Hiring most here: RTX, Danaher, Hologic

    Based on 95 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Marlborough

  6. 6

    Wilmington MA

    88 openings

    Share of all openings
    53%
    Median engineering pay
    $144k
    All openings
    165

    Hiring most here: Onto Innovation, L3HARRIS Technologies, Symbotic

    Based on 88 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Wilmington

  7. 7

    Bedford MA

    85 openings

    Share of all openings
    42%
    Median engineering pay
    $123k
    All openings
    201

    Hiring most here: The MITRE, Stoke Therapeutics, Entegris

    Based on 85 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bedford

  8. 8

    Somerville MA

    83 openings

    Share of all openings
    23%
    Median engineering pay
    $168k
    All openings
    354

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 83 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Somerville

  9. 9

    Andover MA

    79 openings

    Share of all openings
    49%
    Median engineering pay
    $107k
    All openings
    160

    Hiring most here: RTX, Vicor, Mercury Systems

    Based on 79 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Andover

  10. 10

    Woburn MA

    73 openings

    Share of all openings
    41%
    Median engineering pay
    $130k
    All openings
    180

    Hiring most here: RTX, Spear Bio, VEIR

    Based on 73 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Woburn

  11. 11

    Hartford CT

    68 openings

    Share of all openings
    19%
    Median engineering pay
    $118k
    All openings
    366

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

    Based on 68 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

  12. 12

    Quincy MA

    62 openings

    Share of all openings
    37%
    Median engineering pay
    $172k
    All openings
    169

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

    Based on 62 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Quincy

  13. 13

    Lowell MA

    59 openings

    Share of all openings
    41%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    145

    Hiring most here: Macom, UKG

    Based on 59 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lowell

  14. 14

    Burlington MA

    57 openings

    Share of all openings
    25%
    Median engineering pay
    $135k
    All openings
    227

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

    Based on 57 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Burlington

  15. 15

    Westborough MA

    50 openings

    Share of all openings
    43%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    116

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

    Based on 50 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Westborough

  16. 16

    Framingham MA

    49 openings

    Share of all openings
    23%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    213

    Hiring most here: Staples, Bose, TJX Companies

    Based on 49 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Framingham

  17. 17

    Danbury CT

    46 openings

    Share of all openings
    43%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    106

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, Creative Financial Staffing

    Based on 46 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Danbury

  18. 18

    Middletown RI

    45 openings

    Share of all openings
    65%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    69

    Hiring most here: Seacorp, Arcfield, American Systems

    Based on 45 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Middletown

  19. 19

    Acton MA

    41 openings

    Share of all openings
    49%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    83

    Hiring most here: Insulet, General Atomics

    Based on 41 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Acton

  20. 20

    Norwood MA

    37 openings

    Share of all openings
    32%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    117

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

    Based on 37 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Norwood

  21. 21

    Chelmsford MA

    36 openings

    Share of all openings
    51%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    70

    Hiring most here: Brooks Automation, ZOLL Medical, Teleflex

    Based on 36 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chelmsford

  22. 22

    Watertown MA

    36 openings

    Share of all openings
    25%
    Median engineering pay
    $225k
    All openings
    146

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

    Based on 36 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Watertown

  23. 23

    Manchester NH

    31 openings

    Share of all openings
    20%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    158

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Allegro Microsystems, Eversource Energy

    Based on 31 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Manchester

  24. 24

    Stamford CT

    31 openings

    Share of all openings
    9%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    336

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

    Based on 31 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Stamford

Full ranking

All 24 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Boston MA910 openings910
2Waltham MA184 openings184
3Cambridge MA135 openings135
4Lexington MA114 openings114
5Marlborough MA95 openings95
6Wilmington MA88 openings88
7Bedford MA85 openings85
8Somerville MA83 openings83
9Andover MA79 openings79
10Woburn MA73 openings73
11Hartford CT68 openings68
12Quincy MA62 openings62
13Lowell MA59 openings59
14Burlington MA57 openings57
15Westborough MA50 openings50
16Framingham MA49 openings49
17Danbury CT46 openings46
18Middletown RI45 openings45
19Acton MA41 openings41
20Norwood MA37 openings37
21Chelmsford MA36 openings36
22Watertown MA36 openings36
23Manchester NH31 openings31
24Stamford CT31 openings31

How this ranking works

A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering.

Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked.

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 30 engineering 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 software and engineering jobs in new england?
Boston has the most software and engineering openings in New England: 910 openings, in a market where engineering is 24% of openings across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
24 cities have at least 30 engineering openings, so the list has 24 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering. Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked. 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 software and engineering jobs in New England,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-new-england

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

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

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