Employment Indicators for Massachusetts (2024)

Total Employed

3,709,853
Civilian 16+

Private For-Profit

67.7 %
Largest Sector

Self-Employed

5.5%
Entrepreneurship

Government

12.7%
Public Sector

Massachusetts Workforce by Sector & Gender

Employment sector breakdown by gender in
Figure 1: Male vs Female participation in employment sectors (2024).

Massachusetts Employment Sector Breakdown

SectorTotal WorkersPercentage
Private For-Profit2,512,91767.7%
Government471,72912.7%
Self-Employed203,6335.5%
Private Non-Profit516,88213.9%

Massachusetts Gender Ratio Analysis by Employment Sector (2024)

SectorMale:Female Ratio
Private For-Profit1.24:1
Government0.74:1
Self-Employed1.23:1

Massachusetts Employment Trends (2010–2024)

Long-term employment trends in

Massachusetts Historical Employment Sector Trends

YearPrivateGovSelf-EmpNon-Profit
202467.7%12.7%5.5%13.9%
202367.9%12.6%5.6%13.7%
202268.5%12.5%5.6%13.3%
202168.5%12.4%5.6%13.3%
202068.8%12.3%5.7%13.0%
201969.2%12.1%5.7%12.9%
201869.2%12.1%5.8%12.8%
201769.1%12.1%5.8%12.8%
201668.9%12.3%5.9%12.8%
201568.6%12.4%6.1%12.8%
201468.4%12.7%6.1%12.8%
201368.1%12.8%6.2%12.7%
201268.2%13.0%6.3%12.5%
201168.3%13.0%6.4%12.2%
201068.6%13.0%6.5%11.8%

Employment Sector FAQs for Massachusetts

The largest employment sector in Massachusetts is Private For-Profit, which employs 67.7% of the local workforce.

There are approximately 3,709,853 civilian workers aged 16 and over currently employed in Massachusetts.

In the private for-profit sector, the male-to-female ratio is 1.24:1. This metric helps highlight gender participation across the most prominent industry classes.

Yes, the non-profit sector is notable in Massachusetts, accounting for 13.9% of all workers.

Since 2010, the total number of workers in Massachusetts has shown an increase, moving from 3,271,535 to 3,709,853 according to Census Bureau records.