The 36 Highest Paying Cities for Management Consultants in the US

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.

Also published on Teamblind’s blog