The 36 Best-Paying Cities for Management Consultants in the United States
A management consultant must sometimes do it all. A typical day might include travel, presentations to a CEO or C-Suite executives, or burning the midnight oil to analyze more and more data.
Despite the hard work, a career in management consulting is competitive and can be lucrative financially.
Here is everything you might want to know about what a management consultant does and how much someone can earn in the role.
What is management consulting?
Management consultants help companies, governments and other organizations solve complex problems or adopt new technologies or industry best practices. Leaders might rely on a consultant’s advice or strategies to improve their financial and operational performance for the long term.
Consultants often have analytical skills to collect, interpret and analyze data, plus communications skills to interview employees and stakeholders, and convince leaders to adopt their recommendations.
Some top management consulting firms to work for are Accenture, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, EY, Kearney, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, Mercer, Oliver Wyman, PwC, Roland Berger and more.
Management consultant salary: How much do you get paid in management consulting?
The average total compensation of a management consultant in the United States is $91,564 to $194,248, according to data from the professional social network Blind.
A management consultant’s total compensation typically includes an annual salary and a cash bonus.
These are the 36 best-paying cities for management consultants, across all levels, in the United States ranked by average total compensation, according to the more than 5 million verified professionals on Blind.
1. Austin, Texas
- Average total compensation: $194,248
- Median total compensation: $157,000
- Average salary: $142,634
- Median base salary: $137,500
2. San Francisco
- Average total compensation: $186,141
- Median total compensation: $151,715
- Average salary: $142,718
- Median base salary: $148,000
3. Seattle
- Average total compensation: $185,714
- Median total compensation: $160,000
- Average salary: $138,663
- Median base salary: $138,700
4. San Jose, Calif.
- Average total compensation: $183,574
- Median total compensation: $170,000
- Average salary: $155,356
- Median base salary: $152,000
5. Washington, D.C.
- Average total compensation: $166,304
- Median total compensation: $135,000
- Average salary: $136,067
- Median base salary: $125,000
6. Dallas
- Average total compensation: $153,521
- Median total compensation: $127,000
- Average salary: $129,513
- Median base salary: $125,000
7. Boston
- Average total compensation: $151,106
- Median total compensation: $119,500
- Average salary: $127,377
- Median base salary: $110,000
8. Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
- Average total compensation: $141,729
- Median total compensation: $138,861
- Average salary: $141,729
- Median base salary: $138,861
9. New York
- Average total compensation: $138,339
- Median total compensation: $107,000
- Average salary: $124,354
- Median base salary: $105,000
10. Irvine, Calif.
- Average total compensation: $136,217
- Median total compensation: $130,000
- Average salary: $130,752
- Median base salary: $130,000
11. Nashville, Tenn.
- Average total compensation: $135,709
- Median total compensation: $127,750
- Average salary: $126,009
- Median base salary: $115,250
12. Pittsburgh
- Average total compensation: $135,310
- Median total compensation: $126,000
- Average salary: $114,123
- Median base salary: $102,500
13. Chicago
- Average total compensation: $135,164
- Median total compensation: $113,000
- Average salary: $121,882
- Median base salary: $110,000
14. Los Angeles
- Average total compensation: $134,985
- Median total compensation: $105,000
- Average salary: $116,598
- Median base salary: $98,000
15. Richmond, Va.
- Average total compensation: $134,600
- Median total compensation: $116,000
- Average salary: $118,000
- Median base salary: $116,000
16. Minneapolis
- Average total compensation: $126,936
- Median total compensation: $88,200
- Average salary: $119,491
- Median base salary: $83,450
17. Santa Clara, Calif.
- Average total compensation: $124,271
- Median total compensation: $100,000
- Average salary: $113,563
- Median base salary: $100,000
18. Short Hills, N.J.
- Average total compensation: $124,104
- Median total compensation: $102,000
- Average salary: $124,104
- Median base salary: $102,000
19. Atlanta
- Average total compensation: $119,369
- Median total compensation: $102,000
- Average salary: $107,970
- Median base salary: $100,000
20. Charlotte, N.C.
- Average total compensation: $119,120
- Median total compensation: $114,349
- Average salary: $115,898
- Median base salary: $110,698
21. Hartford, Conn.
- Average total compensation: $118,754
- Median total compensation: $102,000
- Average salary: $108,718
- Median base salary: $102,000
22. Orlando, Fla.
- Average total compensation: $118,247
- Median total compensation: $110,000
- Average salary: $110,855
- Median base salary: $110,000
23. Houston
- Average total compensation: $118,245
- Median total compensation: $100,000
- Average salary: $107,936
- Median base salary: $91,400
24. San Diego
- Average total compensation: $117,184
- Median total compensation: $106,900
- Average salary: $111,122
- Median base salary: $106,900
25. Detroit
- Average total compensation: $116,786
- Median total compensation: $74,000
- Average salary: $99,939
- Median base salary: $74,000
26. Montvale, N.J.
- Average total compensation: $115,326
- Median total compensation: $114,138
- Average salary: $115,326
- Median base salary: $114,138
27. Philadelphia
- Average total compensation: $114,887
- Median total compensation: $89,800
- Average salary: $107,566
- Median base salary: $89,800
28. Miami
- Average total compensation: $112,250
- Median total compensation: $110,000
- Average salary: $108,750
- Median base salary: $100,000
29. Cleveland
- Average total compensation: $107,184
- Median total compensation: $100,000
- Average salary: $95,664
- Median base salary: $97,500
30. Sacramento, Calif.
- Average total compensation: $104,260
- Median total compensation: $102,000
- Average salary: $102,794
- Median base salary: $102,000
31. Milwaukee
- Average total compensation: $102,860
- Median total compensation: $80,300
- Average salary: $94,860
- Median base salary: $80,300
32. Denver
- Average total compensation: $102,847
- Median total compensation: $92,000
- Average salary: $99,975
- Median base salary: $90,000
33. Raleigh, N.C.
- Average total compensation: $100,152
- Median total compensation: $88,328
- Average salary: $95,622
- Median base salary: $82,200
34. Columbus, Ohio
- Average total compensation: $92,681
- Median total compensation: $65,000
- Average salary: $91,143
- Median base salary: $65,000
35. McLean, Va.
- Average total compensation: $91,583
- Median total compensation: $81,349
- Average salary: $91,146
- Median base salary: $81,349
36. Arlington, Va.
- Average total compensation: $91,564
- Median total compensation: $94,000
- Average salary: $85,028
- Median base salary: $79,700
Methodology
Blind analyzed the salaries and total compensation of management consultants in the United States on its platform. Cities were ranked by the average total compensation, including cash salary and any bonuses. All data is self-reported by verified professionals on the professional social network Blind.