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The differences between principal consultants and project consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal consultant has an average salary of $116,478, which is higher than the $86,654 average annual salary of a project consultant.
The top three skills for a principal consultant include cloud, business development and C #. The most important skills for a project consultant are customer service, project management, and client facing.
| Principal Consultant | Project Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $116,478 | $86,654 |
| Hourly rate | $56.00 | $41.66 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 143,753 | 113,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A principal consultant is responsible for evaluating business' needs and opportunities, identifying potential leads to create project proposals, and maintaining strong business relationships that would generate revenues and increase the organization's profitability. Principal consultants must be up-to-date with the current market trends to ensure that the business adapts to the industry's changes. They also initiate new product development to expand its brand image, working closely with the marketing team for marketing strategies and promotions.
A project consultant is responsible for communicating with the clients for their specific needs, develop strategic plans, and determine project resources to achieve their business goals and objectives. Project consultants are employed across various industries, offering their knowledge and expertise to facilitate clients' requests and propositions. They also collaborate with different development teams to discuss project parameters and analyze opportunities to improve plans and progress efficiency. A project consultant must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, responding to clients' inquiries and concerns, and providing recommendations to ensure successful project completion.
Principal consultants and project consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Consultant | Project Consultant | |
| Average salary | $116,478 | $86,654 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $150,000 | Between $59,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Pure Storage | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a principal consultant and a project consultant in terms of educational background:
| Principal Consultant | Project Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal consultants' and project consultants' demographics:
| Principal Consultant | Project Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.4% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |