Compared with the local labor market
General Counsel pay vs. Massachusetts
Across all employers in Massachusetts, the median wage for Lawyers — about 23,560 people — is $176,680. Department of Public Health (Dph) pays a median base salary of $180,641 for this role, 2% above that figure — about the 51st percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Department of Public Health (Dph) sits in the local pay range
$82,100
$119,960
$176,680
$282,080
$374,410
Department of Public Health (Dph) median · $180,641
The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in Massachusetts, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Public Health (Dph)’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Department of Public Health (Dph)’s median base salary is 13% above that national figure, about the 58th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$78,360
$102,990
$159,670
$221,370
$351,600
Department of Public Health (Dph) median · $180,641
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Massachusetts range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of Public Health (Dph) is $180,641, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
This role across Massachusetts
General Counsel is held in 2 Massachusetts departments. In Department of Public Health (Dph), the median of $180,641 ranks #1 of 2.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the General Counsel role in other Massachusettsdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.