2017 Top 25 Employers

Select an employer's name and you will go to the careers page on that organization's web site.

Learn more about the Top 25 employers in Cambridge.

2017 Rank NAME OF EMPLOYER 2017 EMPLOYEES1 BUSINESS
1 HARVARD UNIVERSITY 12,287 HIGHER EDUCATION
2 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
 9,043 HIGHER EDUCATION
3 CITY OF CAMBRIDGE2
 3,098 GOVERNMENT
4 NOVARTIS INST. FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
 2,326 BIOTECHNOLOGY
5 MT. AUBURN HOSPITAL 2,109 HEALTH CARE
6 BIOGEN 2,100 BIOTECHNOLOGY
7 CAMBRIDGE INNOVATION CENTER3
 1,872 START UP INCUBATOR
8 AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES
 1,845 INTERNET TECHNOLOGY
9 CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
 1,824 HEALTH CARE
10 DRAPER LABORATORY
 1,557 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
11 TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICALS/MILLENNIUM
 1,554 BIOTECHNOLOGY
12 HUBSPOT 1,360 MARKETING SOFTWARE
13 SANOFI AVENTIS
 1,318 BIOTECHNOLOGY
14 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
 1,273 GOVERNMENT
15 EF EDUCATION FIRST
 1,269 TRAVEL & EDUCATION PROGRAMS
16 PFIZER
 1,200 BIOTECHNOLOGY
17 GOOGLE
 1,200 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
18 BROAD INSTITUTE
 1,135 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
19 IBM INNOVATION CENTER/WATSON 1,077 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
20 PEGASYSTEMS
 810 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
21 ALNYLAM PHARMACEUTICALS 673 BIOTECHNOLOGY
22 FORRESTER RESEARCH
 617 BUSINESS SERVICES
23 SHIRE/BAXALTA 588 BIOTECHNOLOGY
24 MODERNA THERAPEUTICS 531 BIOTECHNOLOGY
25 LESLEY UNIVERSITY 517 HIGHER EDUCATION

Footnotes

  1. All figures collected between 9/1/17 and 11/20/17, unless otherwise noted. Employment at many Cambridge firms is dynamic. responding to changing market factors. Announcements affecting employment since the end if data collection are not factored into this table. All figures reflect employment within the City of Cambridge only. Whenever possible, totals are based on Full Time Equivalents (FTEs). Part time workers were counted as 0.5 FTEs, unless otherwise indicated by employer response.
  2. City of Cambridge figures include School Department employees.
  3. The Cambridge Innovation Center is a start up incubator that houses employees from 657 firms.
  4. Employers deleted since 2016: Abt Associates, Intersystems, Shaws/Star Supermarkets.
  5. Employers added since 2016: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Lesley University, Moderna Therapeutics.

Source: Cambridge Community Development Department and cited employers, except as noted, 2016.

Top 25 Data from 1995 through 2017

Top 25 Employer information from 1995 to present can be found on the Cambridge Open Data site. You can use the filter tools to limit your display to one or more years of interest. Data can also be exported from the open data portal.

For More Information

For more information about socioeconomic and demographic statistics about Cambridge, please contact Cliff Cook, ccook@cambridgema.gov, Senior Planning Information Manager, at 617/349-4656.