Updated April 6, 2023

Consultant Salary Estimate

$78,912

$37.94 hourly

Entry level Salary
$58,000 yearly

How much does a Consultant make?

The average salary for a consultant in the United States is $78,912. Consultant salaries typically range between $58,000 and $107,000 a year. The average hourly rate for consultants is $37.94 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much a consultant can expect to make. Consultants make the most in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Alaska, and New York.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for a consultant is $78,912 in the US.
  • The average consultant salary ranges between $58,000 and $107,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for consultants in the US typically range between $27 and $51 an hour.
  • The average consultant salary is $93,100 in New Jersey, $91,828 in Maryland, and $91,297 in Massachusetts. These are the three highest-paying states for consultants in the US.
  • L.E.K. Consulting has the highest average salary for consultants.
  • Technology is the highest-paying industry for consultants in the US.

Highest Paying States For Consultants

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a consultant is roughly $78,912 per year, which boils down to $37.94 per hour. Interestingly enough, consultants have the highest salaries in Washington, DC at about $95,478 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Washington, DC is $70,000. Additionally, consultants make more than the average salary in Englewood, NJ, Boston, MA, Richmond, CA, New York, NY, and Seattle, WA. On a more broad level, consultant salaries are highest in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Alaska, New York, Washington, and Connecticut. On the contrary, Kansas, Idaho, and New Mexico offer the lowest consultant salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Consultant average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1New Jersey$93,100$44.763,056
2Massachusetts$91,297$43.893,212
3District of Columbia$95,430$45.881,222
4Connecticut$85,585$41.151,328
5Rhode Island$81,603$39.23481
6North Carolina$80,858$38.873,031
7New Hampshire$81,107$38.99577
8Washington$86,737$41.701,899
9Alaska$90,651$43.58184
10Illinois$80,510$38.714,308
11New York$87,380$42.013,619
12Maryland$91,828$44.151,474
13Virginia$83,736$40.262,821
14California$83,756$40.2711,424
15Minnesota$78,007$37.502,214
16Oregon$79,866$38.401,338
17Vermont$76,121$36.60302
18Texas$78,983$37.974,867
19Ohio$76,344$36.702,457
20Colorado$82,226$39.531,326
21Wisconsin$75,871$36.481,426
22Michigan$76,651$36.851,707
23Alabama$77,398$37.21725
24Pennsylvania$75,241$36.172,907
25Hawaii$75,853$36.47336
26Arizona$73,682$35.421,842
27Missouri$74,221$35.681,811
28Maine$76,237$36.65247
29Georgia$74,586$35.862,793
30Delaware$76,287$36.68307
31West Virginia$72,093$34.66316
32Iowa$72,420$34.82753
33Nevada$68,752$33.05683
34Louisiana$72,227$34.72753
35Montana$66,652$32.04417
36Florida$66,985$32.205,233
37Indiana$68,136$32.761,409
38Idaho$65,198$31.35539
39Oklahoma$69,797$33.56507
40Nebraska$65,806$31.64606
41North Dakota$65,974$31.72238
42Tennessee$67,220$32.321,111
43South Carolina$69,330$33.33723
44Kentucky$66,131$31.79883
45Utah$59,894$28.801,165
46Kansas$65,375$31.43814
47Wyoming$63,922$30.73163
48New Mexico$65,025$31.26472
49South Dakota$65,548$31.51178
50Mississippi$65,420$31.45361
51Arkansas$55,786$26.82744

Highest Paying Cities For Consultants

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Washington, DC$95,478$45.9070
2Englewood, NJ$93,181$44.80
3Boston, MA$91,356$43.9252
4Richmond, CA$88,622$42.61
5New York, NY$87,547$42.0974
6Seattle, WA$87,490$42.0625
7Hartford, CT$85,643$41.1717
8Arlington, VA$84,336$40.5525
9Denver, CO$82,248$39.5443
10Raleigh, NC$81,762$39.3128
11Chicago, IL$80,773$38.8388
12Hillsboro, OR$79,777$38.351
13San Antonio, TX$79,644$38.2918
14Minneapolis, MN$78,025$37.5123
15Detroit, MI$76,836$36.9421

Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Englewood, NJ
  3. Boston, MA
  4. Richmond, CA
  5. New York, NY

Consultant Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a consultant can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $45,510, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $78,912 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $104,398. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Consultants Salary Details

Average Consultant Salary Graph
Average Consultant Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Consultant's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$107,000$8,917$51
75th Percentile$92,000$7,667$44
Average$78,912$6,576$38
25th Percentile$67,000$5,583$32
10th Percentile$58,000$4,833$28

Highest Paying Types of Consultants

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Program Management Consultant$101,157$8,430$48.63177,578
Implementation Consultant$80,195$6,683$38.5670,450
Application Consultant$95,522$7,960$45.9299,368
Management Consultant$99,360$8,280$47.77153,045
Contractor/Consultant$84,811$7,068$40.7764,573
Operations Consultant$87,229$7,269$41.94122,880

How Would You Rate The Starting Salaries For Consultants, As Well As The Prospects For Salary Advancement?

Robin Cormier

Assistant Professor, Montana State University - Billings

I would rate starting salaries for graduates in the field of school counseling as average to above average. School counselors' median starting salaries range anywhere from $56,000 to $90,000 a year in the United States. While school counseling is not one of the highest paying career fields, it is a fulfilling career that provides a practical work and private life balance in stress level and flexibility. School counselors have opportunities to advance their careers and salary through years of experience and continuing education.Show more

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. AT&T Jobs (469)
  2. Booz Allen Hamilton Jobs (431)
  3. Oracle Jobs (536)
  4. Accenture Jobs (2,081)
  5. IBM Jobs (4,280)

Which Companies Pay Consultants The Most?

According to our most recent salary estimates, L.E.K. Consulting and Nera Economic Consulting are the highest paying companies for consultants.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1L.E.K. Consulting$128,777$61.91
2Nera Economic Consulting$128,496$61.78
3DLA Piper$125,482$60.33
4Apple$125,116$60.157
5The Brattle Group$125,021$60.11
6Google$120,875$58.11138
7AppDynamics$117,486$56.48
8ConocoPhillips$117,391$56.448
9Bunge$116,675$56.0913
10Slalom$113,625$54.6345
11Microsoft$112,863$54.26
12Bed Bath & Beyond$111,694$53.701
13Avid$110,617$53.18
14Open Systems Technologies$110,146$52.95
15eBay$109,854$52.81
16SADA$109,766$52.77
17Intuitive Surgical$109,708$52.742
18Adobe$109,450$52.622
19Cisco$109,199$52.503
20TD Ameritrade$108,252$52.04

How Much Do Consultants Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much a consultant salaries can based on different industries:

  1. The technology industry pays consultants an average salary of $85,405

  2. The finance industry pay $82,820

  3. The lowest paying industry for consultants is the government industry. Consultants in this industry earn an average salary of $64,583

Highest Paying Industries For Consultants

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Technology$85,405$41.06
2Finance$82,820$39.82
3Manufacturing$82,697$39.76
4Professional$80,988$38.94
5Health Care$75,671$36.38
6Government$64,583$31.05

High Paying Consultant Jobs

Consultant Pay Trends

Average Consultant Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Consultant Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$78,900$37.94+2.7%
    2022$76,800$36.90+1.9%
    2021$75,300$36.19+1.4%
    2020$74,200$35.68+1.4%
    2019$73,200$35.20+0.0%

    Recently Added Consultant Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    State of OhioParent Consultant (PN 20013793) HybridColumbus, OH05/04/2023$53,699
    Work With Your HandzComfort ConsultantBoston, MA05/03/2023$300,000
    Hometeam Pest DefenseWarranty ConsultantNorth Charleston, SC05/02/2023$45,000
    Siemens HealthineersPLM Consultant RemoteBaltimore, MD05/02/2023$101,000
    Siemens HealthineersPLM Consultant RemoteRochester, NY05/02/2023$101,000
    Hudson River Community Credit UnionITM Member ConsultantCorinth, NY05/02/2023$33,392
    Florida Department of TransportationPlanning ConsultantHudson, NH05/02/2023$36,380
    IncentrikAveva/Osisoft PI ConsultantNew Orleans, LA05/02/2023$75,000
    Indy Developmental Residential ServiceBehavior ConsultantIndianapolis, IN05/02/2023$62,610
    IronroadRoofing ConsultantIndianapolis, IN05/02/2023$90,000

    Consultant Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Consultants The Most?

    New Jersey pays Consultants the most in the United States, with an average salary of $95,430 per year, or $45.88 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Consultant?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Consultant if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $93,100 per year.

    What Is A Good Starting Salary For A Consultant?

    A good starting salary for a consultant is $67,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a consultant in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for consultants is $89,807, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a consultant can vary by state.

    Do Consultants Make A Lot Of Money?

    Consultants can make a lot of money if they have a high education level and plenty of relevant experience in their field.

    Those with a doctorate earn about $85,178 annually compared to consultants with only a bachelor's degree at $76,727. Those with a master's degree earn about $83,578 annually.

    How Do Consultants Pay Taxes?

    Consultants pay taxes typically as self-employed professionals, this means they are responsible for paying both the employee and employer taxes concerning Medicare and Social Security. This is known as self-employment tax.

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