What the payroll numbers show
Every season we compare each club's payroll with the league median that year. A spending index of 100 means a payroll equal to the median club, a club paying twice the median scores 200. From 2010 to 2019 the Boston Red Sox had a mean spending index of 165.7; from 2021 to 2026 it was 125.7, which is 39.9 points lower. The 2020 season, shortened to 60 games, is left out of both periods.
| Period | Seasons | Mean spending index | Mean payroll rank | Best rank | Worst rank | Top-three payrolls | Seasons over the tax line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 to 2019 | 10 | 165.7 | 2.5 | 1 | 5 | 9 of 10 | 6 of 10 |
| 2021 to 2026 | 6 | 125.7 | 9.7 | 6 | 13 | 0 of 6 | 2 of 5 |
Over the first period the club's payroll ranked as high as number 1 and as low as number 5, and sat in the top three in 9 of 10 seasons. Over the second period it ranked as high as number 6 and as low as number 13, and was in the top three in 0 of 6 seasons. The club made the playoffs in 4 of 10 seasons in the first period and 3 of 6 in the second.
The competitive balance tax (the luxury tax) line is a league-wide payroll threshold; the club was over it in 6 of 10 seasons in the first period and 2 of 5 seasons in the second (2026 tax bills are not known until December).
The largest single-season moves in the index inside the table below were 2003 (177.3 to 144.9, down 32.4 points), 2004 (144.9 to 204.3, up 59.4 points), and 2023 (141.0 to 114.7, down 26.3 points).
Year by year
Payroll, league rank among the clubs that played, the spending index and the record, 2002 to 2026. Payroll is in millions of US dollars, as recorded that season (not adjusted for inflation).
| Season | Payroll ($M) | Payroll rank | Spending index | Record | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 208.0 | 10 | 118.2 | 87-75 | Yes |
| 2025 | 197.1 | 12 | 122.2 | 89-73 | Yes |
| 2024 | 190.2 | 11 | 118.4 | 81-81 | No |
| 2023 | 182.9 | 13 | 114.7 | 78-84 | No |
| 2022 | 211.8 | 6 | 141.0 | 78-84 | No |
| 2021 | 187.1 | 6 | 139.9 | 92-70 | Yes |
| 2020 (60 games) | 84.2 | 4 | 131.8 | 24-36 | No |
| 2019 | 229.2 | 1 | 163.2 | 84-78 | No |
| 2018 | 227.4 | 1 | 161.1 | 108-54 | Yes |
| 2017 | 209.9 | 2 | 148.2 | 93-69 | Yes |
| 2016 | 207.8 | 3 | 154.4 | 93-69 | Yes |
| 2015 | 183.5 | 3 | 155.2 | 78-84 | No |
| 2014 | 170.1 | 5 | 154.0 | 71-91 | No |
| 2013 | 170.7 | 3 | 170.6 | 97-65 | Yes |
| 2012 | 173.2 | 3 | 176.7 | 69-93 | No |
| 2011 | 170.5 | 2 | 179.9 | 90-72 | No |
| 2010 | 158.8 | 2 | 193.2 | 89-73 | No |
| 2009 | 121.3 | 4 | 149.7 | 95-67 | Yes |
| 2008 | 133.4 | 4 | 166.8 | 95-67 | Yes |
| 2007 | 143.0 | 2 | 169.0 | 96-66 | Yes |
| 2006 | 120.1 | 2 | 166.9 | 86-76 | No |
| 2005 | 123.5 | 2 | 186.6 | 95-67 | Yes |
| 2004 | 127.3 | 2 | 204.3 | 98-64 | Yes |
| 2003 | 99.9 | 6 | 144.9 | 95-67 | Yes |
| 2002 | 108.4 | 2 | 177.3 | 93-69 | No |
Valuation and revenue
Forbes' annual March valuations put the club at $1.3 billion in the 2013 list and $5.25 billion in the 2026 list, 4.0 times as much. The 2026 list shows $567 million of revenue and $78 million of operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).
Forbes publishes revenue for the season before each list year. Where we have both a payroll and a revenue figure for the same season, the payroll share of revenue was:
| Payroll season | Payroll ($M) | Forbes revenue ($M) | Payroll as percent of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 197.1 | 567 | 34.8 |
| 2024 | 190.2 | 574 | 33.1 |
| 2022 | 211.8 | 513 | 41.3 |
| 2021 | 187.1 | 479 | 39.1 |
Who owned the club
- John W. Henry / Fenway Sports Group (Tom Werner), 2002 to the present. Reported price: $660 million. (As listed on a public owners list; the group was then called New England Sports Ventures.)
Data notes
This page reports what the payroll and ownership records show. It does not say why payroll moved. Payroll is the sum of recorded player salaries through 2009 and the full club payroll allocation from 2010, which also counts injured-list, retained and buried money. The two series overlap for 2010 to 2016; computed on either one, a club's spending index differs by 9.4 points (mean over club-seasons), so a small change across 2009 and 2010 should not be read as a change in spending. Both comparison periods above are on the 2010-on series. Purchase prices and sale dates are as publicly reported; every row keeps its source, listed on the sources page. Valuations and revenue are Forbes' annual March estimates, and there is no 2024 list. See the Boston Red Sox owner page, how the spending index is built and the Boston Red Sox payroll history.
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