Boston sub-market · Rank #11 of 17 for this discipline
Market making in Boston
What is the market making market like in Boston?
Boston is a secondary centre for market making, with demand concentrated in a smaller set of desks. Market makers quote continuous two-sided prices and earn the spread while managing inventory risk. Options market making is the largest and most quantitative variant, requiring volatility modelling alongside fast systems. Typical holding horizon is continuous, hiring concentrates on quant trader, hft / low-latency engineer, quant developer, and 1 of the firms we track run a Boston desk. Pay sits at roughly 86% of the New York benchmark for the equivalent role and seniority, quoted in USD.
Market making compensation in Boston
Modelled total compensation for the roles this discipline hires, across every seniority we model, in USD.
| Role | Range | Reference estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Quant Trader | $172k – $2.6m | $387k |
| HFT / Low-Latency Engineer | $172k – $1.2m | $331k |
| Quant Developer | $155k – $1.0m | $292k |
Methodology
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQuantIndex 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.
Boston · Market making · KnowQuant 2026.1