Insights / Hardest-to-fill healthcare jobs / Massachusetts
5 hardest-to-fill healthcare jobs in Massachusetts
Boston managers call aide pay generous, yet Boston still can't fill the shifts that matter.
Boston aides make about $40.9K, 14% above the national median, and Boston still scores 8.2.
Boston aide share is 0.97, a sliver thinner than a typical Boston metro.
Boston psychiatric technicians still score 7.4, so don't treat that Boston row as the easy backup. Massachusetts openings last December were 3.4, under the national rate of 4.0.
Each occupation and metro
1Home Health and Personal Care AidesBoston, MA
- Score
- 8.2
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.97
- Jobs per 1,000
- 26.785
- Metro median
- $40,910
- U.S. median
- $35,800
- Pay ratio
- 1.14
2Medical AssistantsBoston, MA
- Score
- 8.0
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.76
- Jobs per 1,000
- 3.975
- Metro median
- $50,740
- U.S. median
- $45,690
- Pay ratio
- 1.11
3PhlebotomistsBoston, MA
- Score
- 7.8
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.68
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.628
- Metro median
- $50,420
- U.S. median
- $45,230
- Pay ratio
- 1.11
4Medical Records SpecialistsBoston, MA
- Score
- 7.7
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.78
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.974
- Metro median
- $60,460
- U.S. median
- $51,140
- Pay ratio
- 1.18
5Psychiatric TechniciansBoston, MA
- Score
- 7.4
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 1.27
- Jobs per 1,000
- 1.280
- Metro median
- $57,610
- U.S. median
- $45,130
- Pay ratio
- 1.28
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Occupation | Metro | Score | Band | Location quotient | Jobs per 1,000 | Metro median | U.S. median | Pay ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Health and Personal Care Aides | Boston, MA | 8.2 | Hard | 0.97 | 26.785 | $40,910 | $35,800 | 1.14 |
| 2 | Medical Assistants | Boston, MA | 8.0 | Hard | 0.76 | 3.975 | $50,740 | $45,690 | 1.11 |
| 3 | Phlebotomists | Boston, MA | 7.8 | Hard | 0.68 | 0.628 | $50,420 | $45,230 | 1.11 |
| 4 | Medical Records Specialists | Boston, MA | 7.7 | Hard | 0.78 | 0.974 | $60,460 | $51,140 | 1.18 |
| 5 | Psychiatric Technicians | Boston, MA | 7.4 | Hard | 1.27 | 1.280 | $57,610 | $45,130 | 1.28 |
Takeaways
- Boston medical assistants score 8.0, and that Boston search stays difficult anyway.
- Boston phlebotomist share is 0.68, thinner than a typical Boston metro.
- Boston records specialists score 7.7, which means Boston can't file that req as simple.
- Boston technician share is 1.27, deeper than a typical metro, yet Boston still isn't easy.
For recruiters
- Staff Boston aides before other Boston rows, and write each Boston offer from local pay.
- Keep Boston technicians on the list, because that Boston search is not a gift.
- Log the Massachusetts wage in the Hiring Pack.
FAQ
- Are these posted wages or open jobs?
- No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.
- What should a recruiter do first?
- Follow the recruiter note on this page.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
The five rows are the five recruiting occupations on the hiring grid whose best scored metro page in Massachusetts has the highest score. A state with fewer than five scored recruiting occupations is omitted. Pages under 500 local workers are not scored and are not eligible. A metro page is scored only when OEWS employment for that occupation is at least 500. Below that, the page stays up and is left off this ranking. Postsecondary teaching occupations and medical scientists are left off even when they are scored. Nominal weights, before a missing shortage match is rescaled, are projected openings divided by 2025 employment 18%, projected growth 22%, the metro median divided by the U.S. median 40%, how common the occupation is locally compared with the country 8% (the location-quotient column; a lower figure means a thinner local bench), a matching HRSA shortage designation 8%, and statewide all-industry JOLTS for December 2025 4%. Bands are Standard under 4, Elevated from 4 up to 7, and Hard at 7 and above. The Massachusetts total-nonfarm job openings rate for December 2025 is 3.4. The U.S. rate is 4.0. Both are all-industry JOLTS rates. Rounded figures in the prose: $40,910 is stated as about $40.9K. a comparison of 1.14 is stated as 14 percent. $35,800 is stated as about $35.8K.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · May 2025
- BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, total nonfarm · December 2025
Run this opening as a Hiring Pack
The figures above are public statistics. A Hiring Pack starts from the role and the city on the req. One pack is $24.00. Starter is $149 a month for 30 packs and 3 users, Team is $299 for 100 packs and 10 users, and Pro is $699 for 300 packs and 25 users. Annual billing is 20% off, so those monthly prices are $119, $239, and $559. Enterprise is self-serve at $1,499, $2,499, and $3,999 a month.
Through Oct 16, 2026, one pack is free with no account, and a verified account can run unlimited packs.