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Senior consultant salary

Quoted expert
Robin Cormier

Average senior consultant salary

$100,188

$48.17 hourly rate

Entry-level senior consultant salary
$76,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Senior Consultant Salaries

The average salary for a senior consultant in the United States is approximately $100,188 per year. This figure can vary significantly depending on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For example, senior consultants in major metropolitan areas often command higher salaries due to increased demand and cost of living adjustments.

In addition to location, experience plays a crucial role in determining salary. Entry-level senior consultants may start at lower salaries, but those with extensive experience can earn significantly more. As you gain expertise, expect to see your earning potential grow, especially in specialized fields such as technology and finance.

Highest Paying States

Some of the highest paying states for senior consultants include California, New York, and Massachusetts, where salaries can exceed the national average. Additionally, industries such as management consulting and IT consulting tend to offer competitive compensation packages.

As the demand for skilled consultants continues to rise, individuals seeking a career in this field should consider the various opportunities available. From pursuing advanced certifications to networking with industry professionals, there are numerous pathways to enhance your career and earning potential as a senior consultant.

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Where can a Senior Consultant earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
143k
123k
103k
83k
63k
Columbus, OH$115,264
Philadelphia, PA$92,958
Compare salary by company
Vs
151k
131k
111k
91k
Conning$136,111
Microsoft$120,508

Senior consultant salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a senior consultant typically falls between $84,000 and $118,176.
zippia
$100,188yearly
indeed[1]
$111,465yearly
comparably[2]
$84,000yearly
Salary.com[3]
$102,873yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$118,176yearly
payscale[5]
$93,254yearly

Average senior consultant salary by state

The highest-paying states for senior consultants are New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The lowest average senior consultant salary states are Idaho, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior consultants

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Jersey$112,949$54.30
2Massachusetts$107,904$51.88
3District of Columbia$115,181$55.38
4Connecticut$105,203$50.58
5North Carolina$101,554$48.82
6Texas$102,023$49.05
7Virginia$104,541$50.26
8Illinois$100,087$48.12
9Alabama$102,382$49.22
10New Hampshire$98,243$47.23
11New York$106,311$51.11
12Washington$105,919$50.92
13Rhode Island$95,486$45.91
14Alaska$103,927$49.96
15Maryland$110,343$53.05
16Minnesota$97,162$46.71
17Missouri$96,906$46.59
18Oregon$96,638$46.46
19Georgia$97,458$46.85
20California$101,429$48.76
21Oklahoma$96,099$46.20
22Ohio$94,361$45.37
23Pennsylvania$92,687$44.56
24Wisconsin$96,569$46.43
25Arizona$95,539$45.93
26Michigan$96,699$46.49
27Hawaii$95,880$46.10
28Colorado$100,023$48.09
29Vermont$89,158$42.86
30Tennessee$90,583$43.55
31New Mexico$91,168$43.83
32Nevada$87,108$41.88
33South Carolina$92,160$44.31
34Montana$87,041$41.85
35West Virginia$86,584$41.63
36Iowa$89,587$43.07
37Delaware$90,729$43.62
38Kentucky$88,370$42.49
39Louisiana$90,610$43.56
40Florida$87,375$42.01
41Mississippi$86,687$41.68
42Indiana$86,314$41.50
43Utah$74,621$35.88
44Kansas$85,187$40.96
45South Dakota$80,634$38.77
46Wyoming$82,809$39.81
47Maine$87,390$42.01
48Idaho$82,536$39.68
49Nebraska$82,526$39.68
50Arkansas$75,943$36.51
51North Dakota$79,316$38.13

Highest paying cities for senior consultants

The highest-paying cities for senior consultants are Washington, DC, Jersey City, NJ, and Boston, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington, DC$115,264$55.42
2Jersey City, NJ$113,016$54.33
3Boston, MA$107,799$51.83
4Seattle, WA$106,769$51.33
5New York, NY$106,398$51.15
6Richmond, CA$106,335$51.12
7Stamford, CT$105,423$50.68
8Arlington, VA$104,995$50.48
9Austin, TX$102,677$49.36
10Raleigh, NC$101,945$49.01
11Chicago, IL$100,341$48.24
12Denver, CO$99,895$48.03
13Saint Louis, MO$97,939$47.09
14Atlanta, GA$97,402$46.83
15Minneapolis, MN$97,238$46.75
16Detroit, MI$96,862$46.57
17Milwaukee, WI$96,695$46.49
18Phoenix, AZ$95,602$45.96
19Cleveland, OH$95,042$45.69
20Philadelphia, PA$92,958$44.69

Senior Consultants are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Jersey City, NJ
  3. Boston, MA
  4. Seattle, WA
  5. New York, NY

Senior consultant salary details

A senior consultant's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $131,000 at the 90th percentile.

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

What is a senior consultant's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$131,000$10,917$63
75th Percentile$115,000$9,583$55
Average$100,188$8,349$48
25th Percentile$86,000$7,167$41
10th Percentile$76,000$6,333$37

Highest paying senior consultant jobs

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

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Consultant/Team Lead$97,051$8,088$46.6683,268
Program Management Consultant$101,157$8,430$48.63177,578
Business Consultant$87,214$7,268$41.93128,033
Application Consultant$95,522$7,960$45.9299,368
Management Consultant$99,360$8,280$47.77153,045
Project Consultant$86,654$7,221$41.66113,013

How would you rate the starting salaries for senior 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 senior consultants now:

  1. Microsoft jobs (324)
  2. TASER Self-Defense jobs (259)
  3. AT&T jobs (299)
  4. Accenture jobs (692)
  5. CrossCountry Consulting jobs (298)

Which companies pay senior consultants the most?

Senior consultant salaries at Conning and Cambridge Associates are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior consultant salary at companies like Nera Economic Consulting and Pinnacle West Capital are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Conning$136,111$65.44
2Cambridge Associates$133,806$64.33
3Nera Economic Consulting$131,256$63.10
4Pinnacle West Capital$129,699$62.36
5AppDynamics$129,559$62.29
6Oculus$128,283$61.67
7DLA Piper$127,775$61.43
8Palo Alto Networks$125,034$60.11
9PayPal$124,543$59.88
10Gap Inc.$124,305$59.76
11F5$123,731$59.49
12Sungard Availability Services$123,590$59.42
13Cargill$123,032$59.15
14Bates White, LLC$122,714$59.00
15AvePoint$121,856$58.58
16McKinsey & Company Inc$121,694$58.51
17Dotdash$121,071$58.21
18Best Buy$120,994$58.17
19ByteDance$120,710$58.03
20Microsoft$120,508$57.94

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$100,000$99,000$98,000$97,000$96,000$95,000
MaleFemale

Senior consultant salary trends

The average senior consultant salary has risen by $10,481 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior consultant earned $89,707 annually, but today, they earn $100,188 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for senior consultants over the last decade.

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

Average senior consultant salary over time

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

Senior consultant salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$100,000$48.17+2.7%
2024$97,400$46.85+1.9%
2023$95,600$45.94+1.4%
2022$94,200$45.30+1.4%
2021$93,000$44.69+0.0%

Recently added senior consultant salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Cambia Health SolutionsSR. Member Experience Transformation ConsultantPortland, OR06/30/2025$134,300
John HancockSR. Disaster Recovery ConsultantBoston, MA06/30/2025$104,860
RyanSenior Consultant (R&D Tax Credit)Houston, TX06/30/2025$83,500
ErmSenior Consultant, RenewablesSyracuse, NY06/30/2025$73,148
ErmSenior Consultant, ScientistSacramento, CA06/30/2025$85,000
Franklin TempletonSenior Retirement Plan ConsultantBoston, MA06/30/2025$70,000
Marsh McLennan Agency-MichiganOliver Wyman-Private Capital-Senior Consultant/AssociateChicago, IL06/30/2025$135,000
NtrsSR Consultant, Private Equity AccountingChicago, IL06/30/2025$74,700
OracleSenior ConsultantAustin, TX06/29/2025$69,430
CorporateSenior Treasury Consultant-Hybrid, EdenMinnetonka, MN06/29/2025$89,800

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