Best states for a business consultant

Q: What is the best state for business consultants?

The best state to be a business consultant is Alaska based on business consultant salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for business consultants?

The highest paying state for business consultants is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for business consultants?

The worst state for business consultants is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

John Alpers

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for business consultants in the United States. Business consultant positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for business consultants.We wanted to look at the best states for business consultants -- where there are plenty of business consultant jobs to go around and business consultants get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

We figured that the best places for business consultant jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.Alaska is the best state, and Anchorage is the city with the highest pay for business consultants.

10 best states for business consultants in 2026

1. Alaska
Total business consultant jobs: 181
Average annual salary: $111,630
Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Business consultant jobs in Alaska
2. New Jersey
Total business consultant jobs: 1,629
Average annual salary: $100,877
Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Business consultant jobs in New Jersey
3. District of Columbia
Total business consultant jobs: 658
Average annual salary: $99,527
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
2.32
Business consultant jobs in District of Columbia
4. Massachusetts
Total business consultant jobs: 1,678
Average annual salary: $94,613
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Business consultant jobs in Massachusetts
5. Oregon
Total business consultant jobs: 727
Average annual salary: $94,218
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Business consultant jobs in Oregon
6. Washington
Total business consultant jobs: 936
Average annual salary: $101,025
Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Location Quotient:
0.76
Business consultant jobs in Washington
7. Nevada
Total business consultant jobs: 522
Average annual salary: $81,081
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
Business consultant jobs in Nevada
8. Rhode Island
Total business consultant jobs: 236
Average annual salary: $83,809
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Business consultant jobs in Rhode Island
9. New Hampshire
Total business consultant jobs: 320
Average annual salary: $86,176
Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Business consultant jobs in New Hampshire
10. Michigan
Total business consultant jobs: 1,468
Average annual salary: $81,094
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Business consultant jobs in Michigan

Business consultant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a business consultant

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a business consultant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Alaska	$111,630	$85,000	739,795	181
2	New Jersey	$100,877	$74,000	9,005,644	1,629
3	District of Columbia	$99,527	$73,000	693,972	658
4	Massachusetts	$94,613	$70,000	6,859,819	1,678
5	Oregon	$94,218	$68,000	4,142,776	727
6	Washington	$101,025	$74,000	7,405,743	936
7	Nevada	$81,081	$58,000	2,998,039	522
8	Rhode Island	$83,809	$61,000	1,059,639	236
9	New Hampshire	$86,176	$63,000	1,342,795	320
10	Michigan	$81,094	$60,000	9,962,311	1,468
11	California	$94,325	$68,000	39,536,653	5,387
12	Connecticut	$88,537	$65,000	3,588,184	578
13	Texas	$89,378	$65,000	28,304,596	2,584
14	Virginia	$89,576	$66,000	8,470,020	1,460
15	North Carolina	$83,167	$61,000	10,273,419	1,552
16	Alabama	$77,011	$56,000	4,874,747	972
17	Illinois	$83,653	$62,000	12,802,023	2,157
18	Oklahoma	$77,096	$57,000	3,930,864	645
19	Utah	$77,195	$56,000	3,101,833	904
20	Ohio	$76,826	$57,000	11,658,609	1,897
21	Maryland	$93,150	$68,000	6,052,177	689
22	Vermont	$79,413	$58,000	623,657	169
23	New York	$88,833	$65,000	19,849,399	2,064
24	Delaware	$82,165	$60,000	961,939	223
25	Colorado	$87,069	$64,000	5,607,154	676
26	Minnesota	$80,933	$60,000	5,576,606	1,087
27	Wisconsin	$76,074	$56,000	5,795,483	1,067
28	Pennsylvania	$79,595	$58,000	12,805,537	1,532
29	Maine	$80,140	$59,000	1,335,907	172
30	Louisiana	$78,712	$56,000	4,684,333	516
31	Arizona	$80,141	$59,000	7,016,270	856
32	Missouri	$75,803	$57,000	6,113,532	1,226
33	Idaho	$77,121	$56,000	1,716,943	280
34	Georgia	$78,516	$57,000	10,429,379	1,379
35	Montana	$70,607	$52,000	1,050,493	315
36	West Virginia	$72,747	$54,000	1,815,857	233
37	Indiana	$73,492	$54,000	6,666,818	1,102
38	Nebraska	$69,323	$52,000	1,920,076	523
39	Kansas	$69,290	$52,000	2,913,123	657
40	Wyoming	$73,549	$54,000	579,315	100
41	North Dakota	$74,400	$56,000	755,393	131
42	Iowa	$71,997	$54,000	3,145,711	662
43	New Mexico	$71,288	$52,000	2,088,070	368
44	Mississippi	$66,329	$48,000	2,984,100	456
45	Kentucky	$68,006	$50,000	4,454,189	702
46	South Dakota	$60,392	$45,000	869,666	278
47	Tennessee	$69,980	$52,000	6,715,984	890
48	Arkansas	$59,611	$44,000	3,004,279	558
49	Florida	$68,310	$46,000	20,984,400	2,198
50	Hawaii	$65,498	$51,000	1,427,538	137
51	South Carolina	$68,092	$50,000	5,024,369	590

Highest paying states for business consultants

Rank	State	Avg. Business Consultant Salary
1	Alaska	$111,630
2	New Jersey	$100,877
3	District of Columbia	$99,527
4	Massachusetts	$94,613
5	Oregon	$94,218
6	Washington	$101,025
7	Nevada	$81,081
8	Rhode Island	$83,809
9	New Hampshire	$86,176
10	Michigan	$81,094
11	California	$94,325
12	Connecticut	$88,537
13	Texas	$89,378
14	Virginia	$89,576
15	North Carolina	$83,167
16	Alabama	$77,011
17	Illinois	$83,653
18	Oklahoma	$77,096
19	Utah	$77,195
20	Ohio	$76,826
21	Maryland	$93,150
22	Vermont	$79,413
23	New York	$88,833
24	Delaware	$82,165
25	Colorado	$87,069
26	Minnesota	$80,933
27	Wisconsin	$76,074
28	Pennsylvania	$79,595
29	Maine	$80,140
30	Louisiana	$78,712
31	Arizona	$80,141
32	Missouri	$75,803
33	Idaho	$77,121
34	Georgia	$78,516
35	Montana	$70,607
36	West Virginia	$72,747
37	Indiana	$73,492
38	Nebraska	$69,323
39	Kansas	$69,290
40	Wyoming	$73,549
41	North Dakota	$74,400
42	Iowa	$71,997
43	New Mexico	$71,288
44	Mississippi	$66,329
45	Kentucky	$68,006
46	South Dakota	$60,392
47	Tennessee	$69,980
48	Arkansas	$59,611
49	Florida	$68,310
50	Hawaii	$65,498
51	South Carolina	$68,092

Expert opinions on the best states for business consultants

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for business consultants to find work opportunities?
John Alpers
Assistant Professor of Business, Carson-Newman University
In my opinion, technical careers will continue to grow and flourish. Some of these skills can be taught virtually, but not all. I think anyone who can parlay this new environment and find a way to create value for an organization will be in demand.

Business consultant best states FAQs

What is the best state for business consultants?

What is the highest paying state for business consultants?

What is the worst state for business consultants?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for business consultant jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

Total business consultant jobs:	181
Average annual salary:	$111,630
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$85,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$145,000
Location Quotient:	1.28

Best states for a business consultant

10 best states for business consultants in 2026

1. Alaska

2. New Jersey

3. District of Columbia

4. Massachusetts

5. Oregon

6. Washington

7. Nevada

8. Rhode Island

9. New Hampshire

10. Michigan