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Strategic consultant salary

Quoted expert
Robin Cormier

Average strategic consultant salary

$104,820

$50.39 hourly rate

Entry-level strategic consultant salary
$80,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Strategic Consultant Salary Overview

Strategic consultants play a crucial role in guiding organizations toward efficient operations and enhanced profitability. The average salary for a strategic consultant is $104,820 annually, equating to about $50 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly depending on factors such as experience, geographic location, and industry sector.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level consultants typically earn around $70,000, while those with several years of experience can see salaries rise to over $120,000. Senior consultants or those in specialized roles may command even higher salaries, especially in competitive markets.

Highest Paying States

  • California: $120,000
  • New York: $115,000
  • Massachusetts: $110,000

As you navigate your career as a strategic consultant, consider the impact of location and experience on your salary. This information will help you make informed decisions about your career path and negotiate effectively for your next role.

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Where can a Strategic Consultant earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
147k
127k
107k
87k
67k
Columbus, OH$122,687
Baton Rouge, LA$96,853
Compare salary by company
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152k
132k
112k
92k
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Google$130,176
Arcadis$102,439

Strategic consultant salaries by experience level

Strategic consultant salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a strategic consultant typically falls between $98,376 and $176,823.
zippia
$104,820yearly
glassdoor[1]
$176,823yearly
Salary.com[2]
$98,376yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$116,250yearly

Average strategic consultant salary by state

The highest-paying states for strategic consultants are Texas, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The lowest average strategic consultant salary states are Montana, Nebraska, and Iowa.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for strategic consultants

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Jersey$117,697$56.59
2Connecticut$115,777$55.66
3Texas$121,572$58.45
4New Hampshire$109,669$52.73
5Rhode Island$104,086$50.04
6Massachusetts$111,718$53.71
7Illinois$107,438$51.65
8District of Columbia$115,582$55.57
9Oregon$107,257$51.57
10Washington$114,356$54.98
11California$115,296$55.43
12South Dakota$98,011$47.12
13New York$108,530$52.18
14North Carolina$100,850$48.49
15Alabama$98,768$47.48
16Colorado$111,676$53.69
17Minnesota$103,804$49.91
18Michigan$102,457$49.26
19Pennsylvania$97,877$47.06
20Nevada$100,076$48.11
21Georgia$101,923$49.00
22Missouri$101,608$48.85
23Maine$101,938$49.01
24Oklahoma$96,018$46.16
25West Virginia$98,496$47.35
26Maryland$108,318$52.08
27Wyoming$95,522$45.92
28Virginia$98,143$47.18
29Arizona$98,057$47.14
30Vermont$93,322$44.87
31New Mexico$96,081$46.19
32Wisconsin$96,315$46.31
33Indiana$88,581$42.59
34Alaska$99,720$47.94
35Utah$89,248$42.91
36Delaware$94,938$45.64
37Tennessee$93,622$45.01
38Louisiana$96,772$46.52
39Ohio$90,887$43.70
40Florida$92,383$44.41
41Mississippi$87,517$42.08
42South Carolina$94,121$45.25
43Montana$85,153$40.94
44Idaho$87,552$42.09
45Kentucky$88,702$42.65
46Hawaii$85,665$41.19
47Nebraska$84,470$40.61
48Arkansas$81,594$39.23
49North Dakota$78,434$37.71
50Iowa$84,016$40.39
51Kansas$76,878$36.96

Highest paying cities for strategic consultants

The highest-paying cities for strategic consultants are San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX, and Washington, DC.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$122,687$58.98
2Austin, TX$122,037$58.67
3Washington, DC$115,645$55.60
4Seattle, WA$114,994$55.29
5Quincy, MA$111,925$53.81
6Denver, CO$111,234$53.48
7New York, NY$108,647$52.23
8Chicago, IL$107,663$51.76
9Portland, OR$106,261$51.09
10Carson City, NV$104,011$50.01
11Minneapolis, MN$103,852$49.93
12Van Buren, MI$102,446$49.25
13Portland, ME$102,429$49.24
14Atlanta, GA$101,741$48.91
15Saint Louis, MO$101,711$48.90
16Charlotte, NC$100,295$48.22
17Norfolk, VA$98,574$47.39
18Philadelphia, PA$98,417$47.32
19Phoenix, AZ$98,316$47.27
20Baton Rouge, LA$96,853$46.56

Strategic consultant salary details

A strategic consultant's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $136,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average strategic consultant salary graph
Average strategic consultant salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a strategic consultant's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$136,000$11,333$65
75th Percentile$120,000$10,000$58
Average$104,820$8,735$50
25th Percentile$91,000$7,583$44
10th Percentile$80,000$6,667$38

Highest paying strategic consultant jobs

The highest paying types of strategic consultants are executive consultant, senior management consultant, and principal consultant.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Business Development Consultant$85,153$7,096$40.94168,111
Program Management Consultant$101,157$8,430$48.63177,578
Management Consultant$99,360$8,280$47.77153,045
Business Consultant$87,214$7,268$41.93128,033
Small Business Consultant$47,982$3,999$23.07116,476
Project Consultant$86,654$7,221$41.66113,013

How would you rate the starting salaries for strategic 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.

Top companies hiring strategic consultants now:

  1. Dell jobs (11)
  2. Kaiser Permanente jobs (8)
  3. Microsoft jobs (34)
  4. Thomson Reuters jobs (5)
  5. SAP jobs (8)

Which companies pay strategic consultants the most?

Strategic consultant salaries at Google and Cornerstone OnDemand are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average strategic consultant salary at companies like State Street and Dell are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Google$130,176$62.58
2Cornerstone$118,957$57.19
3State Street$117,205$56.35
4Dell$115,958$55.75
5Cybersource$114,664$55.13
6Epsilon$113,616$54.62
7Microsoft$113,412$54.52
8Henry Ford Health System$112,257$53.97
9SAP$111,899$53.80
10Cargill$110,238$53.00
11Booz Allen Hamilton$110,206$52.98
12Yale New Haven Health$108,465$52.15
13CVS Health$106,439$51.17
14IBM$104,327$50.16
15LightEdge Solutions$103,835$49.92
16Randstad North America, Inc.$103,791$49.90
17Zebra Technologies$102,850$49.45
18VitalChek$102,655$49.35
19Gulfstream Aerospace$102,448$49.25
20Arcadis$102,439$49.25

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$105,000$103,800$102,600$101,400$100,200$99,000
MaleFemale

Strategic Consultant salary by industry

The average strategic consultant salary varies across industries:

  • The average strategic consultant salary in the media industry is $112,963, the highest of any industry.
  • The average strategic consultant salary in the finance industry is $105,574.
  • Strategic consultants in the insurance industry earn an average salary of $87,535, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for strategic consultants

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Media$112,963$54.31
2Technology$105,574$50.76
3Manufacturing$101,426$48.76
4Finance$101,085$48.60
5Telecommunication$99,660$47.91
6Professional$94,054$45.22
7Health Care$87,627$42.13
8Insurance$87,535$42.08

High paying strategic consultant jobs

Strategic consultant salary trends

The average strategic consultant salary has risen by $10,965 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average strategic consultant earned $93,855 annually, but today, they earn $104,820 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for strategic consultants over the last decade.

Compare strategic consultant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average strategic consultant salary over time

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

Strategic consultant salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$105,000$50.39+2.7%
2025$102,000$49.01+1.9%
2024$100,000$48.07+1.4%
2023$98,600$47.40+1.4%
2022$97,300$46.76+0.0%

Recently added strategic consultant salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
NtrsStrategic Remediation Validation-Consultant (Audit and Controls Testing)Chicago, IL06/30/2025$74,200
Cardinal HealthConsultant, Strategic Planning & ExecutionDublin, OH06/25/2025$79,700
H1 InsightsStrategic Insights Consulting, Life SciencesNew York, NY06/09/2025$130,000
Dell Products LPStrategic ConsultantAustin, TX06/05/2025$168,300
SolugenixSenior Strategic Sourcing ConsultantIrvine, CA06/05/2025$201,500
Delcor Technology SolutionsSR. Strategic ConsultantWashington, DC05/26/2025$160,000
Collaborative RoboticsStrategic Automation Consultant, FlywheelSeattle, WA05/26/2025$160,000
Us BankStrategic Initiatives Risk Consultant-Consumer Product SupportDenver, CO05/24/2025$119,765
Us BankStrategic Initiatives Risk Consultant-Consumer Product SupportTempe, AZ05/24/2025$119,765
Us BankStrategic Initiatives Risk Consultant-Business Banking Product SupportFargo, ND05/24/2025$119,765

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