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The differences between senior consultants and principal 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 $100,188 average annual salary of a senior consultant.
The top three skills for a senior consultant include healthcare, project management and java. The most important skills for a principal consultant are cloud, business development, and C #.
| Senior Consultant | Principal Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $100,188 | $116,478 |
| Hourly rate | $48.17 | $56.00 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 241,206 | 143,753 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Senior consultants are individual contributors whose services are tapped by the organization for guidance on specific projects. They are experienced experts in a particular field that the company operates in or would like to have projects in. They are given primers on specific projects, and they comment on the feasibility of the undertaking. Once the task is deemed feasible, senior consultants act as guides throughout the project's planning and initial implementation stages. They provide their expert opinion to ensure the success of the project.
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.
Senior consultants and principal consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Consultant | Principal Consultant | |
| Average salary | $100,188 | $116,478 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $131,000 | Between $90,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Conning | Pure Storage |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior consultant and a principal consultant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Consultant | Principal Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between senior consultants' and principal consultants' demographics:
| Senior Consultant | Principal Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1% | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |