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Job outlook for lead consultants in the United States
Lead consultant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected lead consultant job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 56,000 new jobs for lead consultants are projected over the next decade.
Lead consultant salaries have increased 8% for lead consultants in the last 5 years.
There are over 120,208 lead consultants currently employed in the United States.
There are 78,252 active lead consultant job openings in the US.
The average lead consultant salary is $103,221.
Are lead consultant jobs in demand?
Lead consultant job and salary trends over time
Lead consultant jobs over time
Lead consultant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 120,208 | 0.04% |
| 2020 | 96,545 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | 91,841 | 0.03% |
| 2018 | 122,941 | 0.04% |
| 2017 | 118,817 | 0.04% |
Average lead consultant salary over time
Lead consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $103,221 | $49.63 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $99,820 | $47.99 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $97,560 | $46.90 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $97,043 | $46.66 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $95,889 | $46.10 | +1.7% |
Lead consultant jobs by state
Most common states for lead consultants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 557 | 80% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 366 | 35% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 429 | 32% |
| 4 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 957 | 31% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 255 | 29% |
| 6 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 147 | 25% |
| 7 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 1,587 | 24% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 148 | 24% |
| 9 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 485 | 23% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 246 | 23% |
| 11 | Alaska | 739,795 | 165 | 22% |
| 12 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 921 | 21% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,586 | 20% |
| 14 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,992 | 20% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 364 | 19% |
| 16 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 329 | 19% |
| 17 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 554 | 18% |
| 18 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,029 | 17% |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 671 | 17% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 498 | 17% |
Most common cities for lead consultants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 6 | 15% | $99,255 |
| 2 | Frankfort | 3 | 11% | $84,285 |
| 3 | Lansing | 5 | 4% | $88,679 |
| 4 | Tallahassee | 5 | 3% | $91,561 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge | 4 | 2% | $99,922 |
| 6 | Des Moines | 4 | 2% | $92,308 |
| 7 | Boston | 9 | 1% | $102,216 |
| 8 | Atlanta | 7 | 1% | $91,621 |
| 9 | Sacramento | 6 | 1% | $124,614 |
| 10 | Indianapolis | 5 | 1% | $87,402 |
| 11 | Minneapolis | 4 | 1% | $93,616 |
| 12 | Orlando | 3 | 1% | $91,891 |
| 13 | Phoenix | 4 | 0% | $100,775 |
| 14 | Chicago | 3 | 0% | $92,301 |
| 15 | Denver | 3 | 0% | $91,935 |
| 16 | Detroit | 3 | 0% | $88,939 |
| 17 | Jacksonville | 3 | 0% | $90,861 |
| 18 | Los Angeles | 3 | 0% | $114,493 |
Lead Consultant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of lead consultant experts
Lewis-Clark State College
Duke University
Kansas State University
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
Wittenberg University
What hard/technical skills are most important for Lead Consultants?
Jenny Scott: Consulting requires knowing the job itself, so industry experience is paramount.
Both "big picture/systems" thinking, as well as the ability to identify and understand details (analytical skills), is key skill in business consulting.
Don't forget the value of written communication skills. With fewer in-person meetings, being able to professionally, succinctly, and effectively write is one of the most coveted and essential skills.
Presentation skills are still - if not more - important today. Being familiar with a variety of presentation tools and platforms can be helpful; however, finding one or a few where you can be highly proficient will help achieve both efficiencies of communications, message delivery, and desired outcome.
Michael Munger
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director, PPE ProgramDuke University
Department of Political Science
What skills stand out on Lead Consultant resumes?
Michael Munger: Political science is an ancient career synergy, one that explores the connections between ethical considerations and engineering policy that works. Someone who majors in Political Science is able to make arguments about the questions that have plagued philosophers for thousands of years while using the latest data techniques to scrape online sources of information on social media. So political science instructors have to combine ethics, knowledge of esoteric procedures and laws, and statistics!
What will help Lead Consultants increase their earning potential?
Brett Horton Ph.D.: - Willingness to take on increased responsibility
- Willingness to move locations
- Willingness to work in different departments to learn and grow with the organization
Dr. Anthony Stanowski
President & CEOCommission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Lead Consultants to find work opportunities?
Dr. Anthony Stanowski: Yes, the right places to look at are the places where you think you can make a difference. Where is your passion? Is it in inner-city areas, struggling to meet the needs of the poor and disenfranchised? Is it in rural areas where the challenges are how to knit together limited resources to provide to communities that are spread out to meet critical healthcare needs? Is it in sizeable academic health systems where the challenge lies in forming internal and external constituencies' coalitions to succeed?
Is it in integrated delivery systems that are national in scope, working to transform healthcare by knitting together insurance, pharmaceuticals, and patient care but are struggling against regulatory roadblocks and the established ways of doing things? Is your passion in the growing informatics sector, where you can help organizations use data more accurately? Is it in telemedicine? Health policy? Physician practice management? Know yourself and what you believe in. Work to make a difference. Healthcare is the noblest of fields, and I hope that people choosing to enter healthcare stay faithful to its calling.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Lead Consultants to find work opportunities?
Nancy McHugh Ph.D.: I think that there are opportunities in most parts of the country. It is more about what sort of work students are looking for. A lot of philosophy majors go to law school or into non-profit work. There are opportunities for that everywhere. We've had several students go into public health graduate programs, which also has lots of geographic options. That so many of us are learning to work well-remotely is opening up a lot of options for where people live that are not as tied to the location of one's employment. Thus, I'd say most locations can be ideal locations. It is a matter of what individuals are looking for.