This Massachusetts Department Has the 14 Highest Paid Employees in the State

Massachusetts is one of the best states to live in the U.S. The small but heavily populated New England state is famous for its stunning and varying landscapes from beaches to mountains, its rich history, world-renowned colleges, and some pretty spectacular sports teams.

In addition to all its offerings, Massachusetts is also a great place to live based on its quality of life. Massachusetts is home to some of the best public education in the country and has one of the highest median incomes and one of the highest GDP per capita in the nation. Several media outlets, including wisevoter.com, rank Massachusetts as the second wealthiest state in the country, behind only New York state

Massachusetts residents might hold an annual median income of just under $89,026, according to census.gov, but there are plenty of Bay State residents who take home far more than that. In fact, one of the best employers in Massachusetts is the state itself.

In 2025 the state of Massachusetts employed over 45,000 full-time employees with a total payroll of over $11.75 billion dollars, finishing about $1.5 billion higher than last years total. So who makes the most out off those 45,000 people? The short answer? UMass employees.

The University of Massachusetts educational system employees 14 of the top 15 highest-paid state workers. In total, UMass accounted for $1.62 billion in state payroll expenditures.

For the third year in a row, the highest paid state employee is UMass Men’s Basketball Head Coach Francisco Martin with a salary of $2,004,060. UMass Chan Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins ranked second, earning $1,241,074, while UMass Head Football Coach Joseph Harasymiak came in third with a salary of $1,222,055