Massachusetts is surely in line with modern trends. Which? The ones where University athletic coaches often dominate the top salary tiers due to the revenue-generating potential of college sports!

I thought for sure the highest paid employee for the State of Massachusetts would be in government. I was wrong.

The Highest Paid Public Employee In Mass.

The highest paid public sector employee in 2024 was Francisco Martin.

Francisco Martin, the head coach of UMass Men’s Basketball, maintained his position as the highest-paid state employee in 2024 for the second year in a row. He made $1.83 million. -boston25news.com

Martin’s compensation package includes a base salary supplemented by performance bonuses, retention incentives, and other contractual perks, which are common in high-profile coaching positions. His earnings are significantly higher than other public sector employees, including university presidents, medical professionals, and state officials.

The only non-UMass state employee who ranked inside the top 15 highest earners was Massachusetts State Police Detectives Captain Thomas McCarthy, who made a salary of $548,072 with $349,815 in overtime pay.

The MBTA was listed as the second highest earning state department behind UMASS.

What about private sector?

The medical field pops to mind as a profession that earns a ton of money. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ State Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics says that dermatologists earn the highest wages in Massachusetts with a mean annual salary of $414,270. -suburbs101.com

Dermatologists earn significantly more than other high-paying roles, such as cardiologists ($363,510) and ophthalmologists ($338,170), which rank second and third.