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Business consultant salary
Average business consultant salary
$87,214
Understanding Business Consultant Salaries
The role of a business consultant is crucial in guiding organizations toward effective strategies and improved performance. As of October 2025, the average salary for a business consultant is $87,214 annually. However, this figure can vary significantly depending on multiple factors.
For instance, experience level plays a vital role. Entry-level consultants may start at a lower range, while those with more than ten years of experience often see salaries exceeding $100,000. Additionally, location is critical; states like California and New York typically offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
To further illustrate, here are some of the highest-paying states for business consultants:
- California
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Washington
- Virginia
For those looking to advance their careers, specializing in industries such as finance or technology can lead to even higher salaries. Explore job openings that fit your expertise on Zippia and take the next step in your consulting career.
Let Zippia find your next business consultant job
Let Zippia find your next business consultant job
Where can a Business Consultant earn more?
Business consultant salaries by experience level
Business consultant salary estimates from across the web
Average business consultant salary by state
The average business consultant salary in Alaska, Washington, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average business consultant salary states are South Carolina, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for business consultants
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $111,630 | $53.67 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $100,877 | $48.50 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $99,527 | $47.85 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $94,613 | $45.49 |
| 5 | Oregon | $94,218 | $45.30 |
| 6 | Washington | $101,025 | $48.57 |
| 7 | Nevada | $81,081 | $38.98 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $83,809 | $40.29 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $86,176 | $41.43 |
| 10 | Michigan | $81,094 | $38.99 |
| 11 | California | $94,325 | $45.35 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $88,537 | $42.57 |
| 13 | Texas | $89,378 | $42.97 |
| 14 | Virginia | $89,576 | $43.07 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $83,167 | $39.98 |
| 16 | Alabama | $77,011 | $37.02 |
| 17 | Illinois | $83,653 | $40.22 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $77,096 | $37.07 |
| 19 | Utah | $77,195 | $37.11 |
| 20 | Ohio | $76,826 | $36.94 |
| 21 | Maryland | $93,150 | $44.78 |
| 22 | Vermont | $79,413 | $38.18 |
| 23 | New York | $88,833 | $42.71 |
| 24 | Delaware | $82,165 | $39.50 |
| 25 | Colorado | $87,069 | $41.86 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $80,933 | $38.91 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $76,074 | $36.57 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $79,595 | $38.27 |
| 29 | Maine | $80,140 | $38.53 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $78,712 | $37.84 |
| 31 | Arizona | $80,141 | $38.53 |
| 32 | Missouri | $75,803 | $36.44 |
| 33 | Idaho | $77,121 | $37.08 |
| 34 | Georgia | $78,516 | $37.75 |
| 35 | Montana | $70,607 | $33.95 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $72,747 | $34.97 |
| 37 | Indiana | $73,492 | $35.33 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $69,323 | $33.33 |
| 39 | Kansas | $69,290 | $33.31 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $73,549 | $35.36 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $74,400 | $35.77 |
| 42 | Iowa | $71,997 | $34.61 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $71,288 | $34.27 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $66,329 | $31.89 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $68,006 | $32.70 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $60,392 | $29.03 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $69,980 | $33.64 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $59,611 | $28.66 |
| 49 | Florida | $68,310 | $32.84 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $65,498 | $31.49 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $68,092 | $32.74 |
Highest paying cities for business consultants
The highest-paying cities for business consultants are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Jersey City, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $104,938 | $50.45 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $101,382 | $48.74 |
| 3 | Jersey City, NJ | $101,094 | $48.60 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $94,740 | $45.55 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $90,827 | $43.67 |
| 6 | San Antonio, TX | $89,727 | $43.14 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $88,910 | $42.75 |
| 8 | Hartford, CT | $88,751 | $42.67 |
| 9 | Denver, CO | $86,758 | $41.71 |
| 10 | Raleigh, NC | $84,009 | $40.39 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $83,944 | $40.36 |
| 12 | Saint Paul, MN | $81,002 | $38.94 |
| 13 | Warminster, PA | $80,212 | $38.56 |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ | $80,132 | $38.52 |
| 15 | Alpharetta, GA | $78,259 | $37.62 |
| 16 | Dublin, OH | $76,508 | $36.78 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $75,973 | $36.53 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $73,307 | $35.24 |
| 19 | Des Moines, IA | $71,504 | $34.38 |
| 20 | Bellevue, NE | $69,323 | $33.33 |
Business Consultants are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Business consultant salary details
A business consultant's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $117,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a business consultant's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| 75th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| Average | $87,214 | $7,268 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
| 10th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
Highest paying business consultant jobs
The highest paying types of business consultants are senior management consultant, principal consultant, and strategy consultant.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Management Consultant | $101,157 | $8,430 | $48.63 | 177,578 |
| Contractor/Consultant | $84,811 | $7,068 | $40.77 | 64,573 |
| Business Advisor | $96,469 | $8,039 | $46.38 | 125,154 |
| Implementation Consultant | $80,195 | $6,683 | $38.56 | 70,450 |
| Strategy Consultant | $115,244 | $9,604 | $55.41 | 70,241 |
| Data Consultant | $94,945 | $7,912 | $45.65 | 149,791 |
Top companies hiring business consultants now:
Which companies pay business consultants the most?
Business consultant salaries at ZS and Dell are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average business consultant salary at companies like Boehringer Ingelheim and Adobe are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZS | $115,428 | $55.49 |
| 2 | Dell | $115,217 | $55.39 |
| 3 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $115,016 | $55.30 |
| 4 | Adobe | $114,460 | $55.03 |
| 5 | Moody's | $113,053 | $54.35 |
| 6 | Slalom | $112,327 | $54.00 |
| 7 | Palantir | $112,289 | $53.99 |
| 8 | Salient | $109,415 | $52.60 |
| 9 | Autodesk | $109,301 | $52.55 |
| 10 | HP | $105,226 | $50.59 |
| 11 | TIBCO Software | $103,448 | $49.73 |
| 12 | HSBC Bank | $102,391 | $49.23 |
| 13 | Element Fleet Management | $101,919 | $49.00 |
| 14 | BNY Mellon | $100,434 | $48.29 |
| 15 | Baker Hughes | $100,204 | $48.17 |
| 16 | Better | $99,879 | $48.02 |
| 17 | ServiceNow | $99,837 | $48.00 |
| 18 | Northern Trust | $99,230 | $47.71 |
| 19 | Salesforce | $98,103 | $47.16 |
| 20 | AT&T | $97,743 | $46.99 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Business Consultant salary by industry
The average business consultant salary varies across industries:
- The average business consultant salary in the technology industry is $89,294, the highest of any industry.
- The average business consultant salary in the finance industry is $88,040.
- Business consultants in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $77,712, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for business consultants
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $89,294 | $42.93 |
| 2 | Retail | $88,040 | $42.33 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $87,812 | $42.22 |
| 4 | Professional | $86,739 | $41.70 |
| 5 | Finance | $85,558 | $41.13 |
| 6 | Telecommunication | $84,008 | $40.39 |
| 7 | Health Care | $79,429 | $38.19 |
| 8 | Hospitality | $77,712 | $37.36 |
High paying business consultant jobs
Business consultant salary trends
The average business consultant salary has risen by $9,124 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average business consultant earned $78,090 annually, but today, they earn $87,214 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for business consultants over the last decade.
Compare business consultant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average business consultant salary over time
Compare business consultant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Business consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $87,200 | $41.93 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $84,800 | $40.78 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $83,200 | $39.99 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $82,000 | $39.44 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $80,900 | $38.90 | +0.0% |
Recently added business consultant salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Venture | Business Consultant-Long Beach, CA | U.S. Autoforce | Santa Fe Springs, CA | 06/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| Dairy Queen | Franchise Business Consultant | Dover, DE | 06/29/2025 | $92,800 |
| Dairy Queen | Franchise Business Consultant | Annapolis, MD | 06/29/2025 | $92,800 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | Louisville, KY | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | Severn, MD | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | Las Vegas, NV | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | South Portland, ME | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | Norfolk, VA | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | Atlanta, GA | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
| Carebridge | Business Consultant | Fine, NY | 06/29/2025 | $92,064 |
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