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Principal consultant salary
Average principal consultant salary
$116,478
Average Principal Consultant Salary
The average salary for a Principal Consultant in the United States is approximately $116,478 per year, equating to around $56 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on location, with states like California and New York offering higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for skilled consultants.
Many Principal Consultants work in industries such as management consulting, technology, and finance, where they leverage their expertise to solve complex business challenges. Experience also plays a crucial role in shaping salary levels; those with extensive backgrounds can command higher pay.
Highest Paying States
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Illinois
Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers make informed career decisions. Whether you're contemplating a new role or seeking to advance within your current position, knowing the salary landscape for Principal Consultants is essential for achieving your career goals.
Let Zippia find your next principal consultant job
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Where can a Principal Consultant earn more?
Principal consultant salary estimates from across the web
Average principal consultant salary by state
The highest-paying states for principal consultants are Oregon, California, and Alaska. The lowest average principal consultant salary states are Kentucky, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal consultants
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $134,286 | $64.56 |
| 2 | Washington | $132,548 | $63.73 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $120,361 | $57.87 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $122,269 | $58.78 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $119,749 | $57.57 |
| 6 | Nevada | $123,355 | $59.31 |
| 7 | California | $133,920 | $64.38 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $117,416 | $56.45 |
| 9 | Alaska | $132,746 | $63.82 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $117,186 | $56.34 |
| 11 | Idaho | $118,321 | $56.89 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $118,360 | $56.90 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $116,377 | $55.95 |
| 14 | Delaware | $120,666 | $58.01 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $119,677 | $57.54 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $119,267 | $57.34 |
| 17 | Virginia | $116,384 | $55.95 |
| 18 | Alabama | $115,397 | $55.48 |
| 19 | New York | $118,881 | $57.15 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $121,365 | $58.35 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $116,704 | $56.11 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $114,844 | $55.21 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $108,517 | $52.17 |
| 24 | Arizona | $109,290 | $52.54 |
| 25 | Michigan | $111,746 | $53.72 |
| 26 | Texas | $111,713 | $53.71 |
| 27 | Illinois | $110,671 | $53.21 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $110,817 | $53.28 |
| 29 | Maryland | $118,534 | $56.99 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $109,216 | $52.51 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $114,168 | $54.89 |
| 32 | Utah | $106,527 | $51.21 |
| 33 | Maine | $109,633 | $52.71 |
| 34 | Vermont | $105,946 | $50.94 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $108,005 | $51.93 |
| 36 | Ohio | $108,572 | $52.20 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $108,092 | $51.97 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $102,013 | $49.04 |
| 39 | Iowa | $107,255 | $51.56 |
| 40 | Missouri | $107,543 | $51.70 |
| 41 | Indiana | $104,860 | $50.41 |
| 42 | Colorado | $105,327 | $50.64 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $101,420 | $48.76 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $105,069 | $50.51 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $98,018 | $47.12 |
| 46 | Florida | $106,457 | $51.18 |
| 47 | Montana | $97,004 | $46.64 |
| 48 | Georgia | $105,017 | $50.49 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $99,250 | $47.72 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $93,443 | $44.92 |
| 51 | Kansas | $90,523 | $43.52 |
Highest paying cities for principal consultants
The highest-paying cities for principal consultants are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Nashua, NH.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $143,636 | $69.06 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $133,637 | $64.25 |
| 3 | Nashua, NH | $120,041 | $57.71 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $119,352 | $57.38 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $119,002 | $57.21 |
| 6 | Hartford, CT | $118,405 | $56.93 |
| 7 | Reston, VA | $117,176 | $56.33 |
| 8 | Jersey City, NJ | $116,789 | $56.15 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $114,924 | $55.25 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $112,778 | $54.22 |
| 11 | Northbrook, IL | $111,457 | $53.59 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $110,852 | $53.29 |
| 13 | Raleigh, NC | $109,883 | $52.83 |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ | $109,377 | $52.59 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $108,196 | $52.02 |
| 16 | Milwaukee, WI | $108,196 | $52.02 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $107,203 | $51.54 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $106,228 | $51.07 |
| 19 | Denver, CO | $105,344 | $50.65 |
| 20 | Alpharetta, GA | $104,890 | $50.43 |
Principal consultant salary details
A principal consultant's salary ranges from $90,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $150,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal consultant's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $150,000 | $12,500 | $72 |
| 75th Percentile | $133,000 | $11,083 | $64 |
| Average | $116,478 | $9,707 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
Highest paying principal consultant jobs
The highest paying types of principal consultants are executive consultant, senior management consultant, and senior consultant, information technology.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultant/Project Manager | $100,754 | $8,396 | $48.44 | 213,963 |
| Consultant/Team Lead | $97,051 | $8,088 | $46.66 | 83,268 |
| Program Management Consultant | $101,157 | $8,430 | $48.63 | 177,578 |
| Application Consultant | $95,522 | $7,960 | $45.92 | 99,368 |
| Management Consultant | $99,360 | $8,280 | $47.77 | 153,045 |
| Solutions Consultant | $94,839 | $7,903 | $45.60 | 103,093 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for principal consultants, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Robin Cormier
Assistant Professor, Montana State University - Billings
Top companies hiring principal consultants now:
Which companies pay principal consultants the most?
Principal consultant salaries at Pure Storage and F5 are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal consultant salary at companies like Palo Alto Networks and Bunge are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pure Storage | $147,630 | $70.98 |
| 2 | F5 | $147,010 | $70.68 |
| 3 | Palo Alto Networks | $142,618 | $68.57 |
| 4 | Bunge | $141,853 | $68.20 |
| 5 | Icertis | $139,378 | $67.01 |
| 6 | Slalom | $136,367 | $65.56 |
| 7 | CDW | $135,224 | $65.01 |
| 8 | Atlassian | $135,110 | $64.96 |
| 9 | FireEye | $133,941 | $64.39 |
| 10 | ServiceNow | $132,758 | $63.83 |
| 11 | Applied Predictive Technologies | $132,438 | $63.67 |
| 12 | BMC Software | $132,320 | $63.62 |
| 13 | Advent Software | $132,296 | $63.60 |
| 14 | SADA | $132,284 | $63.60 |
| 15 | FADEL | $131,229 | $63.09 |
| 16 | Qualtrics | $130,192 | $62.59 |
| 17 | Amazon | $130,152 | $62.57 |
| 18 | BNY Mellon | $129,963 | $62.48 |
| 19 | Informatica | $129,539 | $62.28 |
| 20 | Thomson Reuters | $128,979 | $62.01 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal consultant salary trends
The average principal consultant salary has risen by $17,143 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal consultant earned $99,335 annually, but today, they earn $116,478 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for principal consultants over the last decade.
Compare principal consultant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal consultant salary over time
Compare principal consultant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $116,000 | $56.00 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $112,000 | $53.87 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $109,000 | $52.61 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | $109,000 | $52.22 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $107,000 | $51.49 | +1.3% |
Recently added principal consultant salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erm | Principal Consultant, Renewable Energy/Power | Rolling Meadows, IL | 06/30/2025 | $115,500 |
| Erm | Principal Consultant, Environmental Permitting and Impact Assessor | Philadelphia, PA | 06/30/2025 | $115,000 |
| Erm | Principal Consultant, Renewables | Irvine, CA | 06/30/2025 | $116,019 |
| Intapp | Principal Consultant | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $125,000 |
| Fractal Analytics | Principal Consultant-Healthcare Payer | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $180,000 |
| Charles River Associates | Associate Principal/Wholesale Power Markets Consultant (Energy Practice) | Washington, DC | 06/29/2025 | $115,000 |
| Oracle | Principal Consultant | Austin, TX | 06/29/2025 | $155,709 |
| Genpact | Senior Principal Consultant, Solution Owner | Atlanta, GA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Surefire Cyber | Principal Consultant, Digital Forensic and Incident Response (Dfir) (Remote) | Elkridge, MD | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Amazon | Principal Delivery Consultant, Advisory | Seattle, WA | 06/28/2025 | $164,500 |
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