Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between consultants and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $78,912 average annual salary of a consultant.
The top three skills for a consultant include customer service, strong analytical and project management. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Consultant | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $78,912 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $37.94 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 171,733 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Consultants and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Consultant | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $78,912 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $107,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a consultant and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Consultant | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between consultants' and project managers' demographics:
| Consultant | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |