2026 compensation · United States

Consulting salaries with the evidence attached.

Compare base pay, estimated signing and performance bonuses, and partner profit-share ranges across six leading consulting firms. Every number tells you whether it was observed, interpolated or modeled.

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Observed base pay

Federal employer filings remain distinct from every estimate.

Bonuses shown separately

Signing and performance ranges are modeled and never presented as guaranteed.

Sources at record level

Primary evidence and secondary checks travel with the selected result.

Salary progression at a glance

2026 US consulting salary ranges by career level

Each range spans the lowest lower bound and highest upper bound among the firms in that group. Total cash includes estimated signing and performance bonuses; partner totals use a separate profit-share model.

US consulting base salary and estimated total compensation by career level for MBB and Tier II firms
Career levelMBB baseMBB estimated totalTier II baseTier II estimated total
Entry level$112,000–$145,000$117,000–$173,000$112,000–$129,000$112,000–$154,000
Senior pre-MBA$112,000–$208,100$117,000–$253,100$124,000–$172,000$129,000–$202,000
Post-MBA / consultant$190,000–$240,300$240,000–$315,300$157,000–$205,000$192,000–$280,000
Project manager$212,000–$252,900$262,000–$382,900$212,000–$243,000$242,000–$323,000
Principal / associate partner$243,000–$283,000$318,000–$483,000$253,000–$268,000$293,000–$388,000
Partner / managing director$250,000–$500,000$500,000–$5,000,000+$200,000–$400,000$300,000–$1,500,000+

MBB means McKinsey, BCG and Bain. Tier II means Kearney, L.E.K. Consulting and Oliver Wyman in this edition. These are ranges, not guaranteed offers. Data last reviewed 18 July 2026.

US salary evidence finder

Find the compensation range that applies to your role

Base wages retain their federal-filing evidence. Bonuses and partner compensation are estimated separately, shown as ranges and marked clearly.

Last source review: July 18, 2026

McKinsey & Company · Business Analyst

Primary-source base

New York, NY · FY2026 Q1 determinations

Estimated first-year cash

$117,000–$173,000

Base plus estimated signing and performance bonus

Filed annual base

$112,000–$145,000

Estimated performance bonus

$0–$23,000

Estimated signing bonus

$5,000

Estimated first-year cash range. The signing payment is one-time; the performance range includes a zero outcome because variable pay is not guaranteed. Benefits, retirement contributions and relocation payments are excluded.

Employer-filed wage range in one certified LCA determination.

Based on 1 matching certified determination in the extracted quarter.

Compare entry level across firms

Observed and estimated records are never mixed without a label.

USD · estimated first-year cash

Firm and roleFirst-year cashEvidenceSelect

McKinsey & Company

Business Analyst

$117,000–$173,000Primary-source base

Boston Consulting Group

Associate

$117,000–$157,000Interpolated base

Bain & Company

Associate Consultant

$117,000–$140,000Primary-source base

Kearney

Business Analyst

$112,000–$154,000Interpolated base

L.E.K. Consulting

Associate

$112,000–$154,000Interpolated base

Oliver Wyman

Entry-level Consultant

$112,000–$154,000Interpolated base

Complete salary table

Base salary, bonus and total compensation by firm

Base pay preserves its evidence label. Signing and performance bonuses are estimates and remain separate from the filed or interpolated base. Use the finder above to inspect the sources attached to an individual result.

US consulting base salaries, estimated bonuses and estimated total compensation by firm and role
Firm and roleCareer levelBase salarySigning bonusPerformance bonusEstimated total cashEvidence
McKinsey & CompanyBusiness AnalystEntry level$112,000–$145,000$5,000$0–$23,000$117,000–$173,000Filed base
McKinsey & CompanySenior Business AnalystSenior pre-MBA$112,000–$208,100$0–$10,000$5,000–$35,000$117,000–$253,100Filed base
McKinsey & CompanyAssociatePost-MBA / consultant$192,000–$240,300$30,000$20,000–$45,000$242,000–$315,300Filed base
McKinsey & CompanyEngagement ManagerProject manager$220,000–$251,100$0$50,000–$130,000$270,000–$381,100Filed base
McKinsey & CompanyAssociate PartnerPrincipal / associate partner$243,000–$283,000$0$75,000–$200,000$318,000–$483,000Filed base
Boston Consulting GroupAssociateEntry level$112,000–$129,000$5,000$0–$23,000$117,000–$157,000Interpolated base
Boston Consulting GroupSenior AssociateSenior pre-MBA$124,000–$172,000$0–$10,000$5,000–$35,000$129,000–$217,000Interpolated base
Boston Consulting GroupConsultantPost-MBA / consultant$190,000–$225,400$30,000$20,000–$50,000$240,000–$305,400Filed base
Boston Consulting GroupProject LeaderProject manager$225,400–$252,900$0$50,000–$130,000$275,400–$382,900Filed base
Boston Consulting GroupPrincipalPrincipal / associate partner$252,900–$268,400$0$75,000–$200,000$327,900–$468,400Filed base
Bain & CompanyAssociate ConsultantEntry level$112,000$5,000$0–$23,000$117,000–$140,000Filed base
Bain & CompanySenior Associate ConsultantSenior pre-MBA$135,000$0–$10,000$5,000–$35,000$140,000–$180,000Filed base
Bain & CompanyConsultantPost-MBA / consultant$192,000–$202,000$30,000$20,000–$63,000$242,000–$295,000Filed base
Bain & CompanyManagerProject manager$212,000$0$50,000–$130,000$262,000–$342,000Filed base
Bain & CompanyAssociate PartnerPrincipal / associate partner$253,000–$268,000$0$75,000–$200,000$328,000–$468,000Interpolated base
KearneyBusiness AnalystEntry level$112,000–$129,000$0–$5,000$0–$20,000$112,000–$154,000Interpolated base
KearneySenior Business AnalystSenior pre-MBA$124,000–$172,000$0–$5,000$5,000–$25,000$129,000–$202,000Interpolated base
KearneyAssociatePost-MBA / consultant$157,000–$194,000$20,000–$30,000$15,000–$45,000$192,000–$269,000Filed base
KearneyManagerProject manager$212,000–$235,000$0$30,000–$80,000$242,000–$315,000Filed base
KearneyPrincipalPrincipal / associate partner$253,000–$268,000$0$40,000–$120,000$293,000–$388,000Interpolated base
L.E.K. ConsultingAssociateEntry level$112,000–$129,000$0–$5,000$0–$20,000$112,000–$154,000Interpolated base
L.E.K. ConsultingSenior Associate ConsultantSenior pre-MBA$124,000–$172,000$0–$5,000$5,000–$25,000$129,000–$202,000Interpolated base
L.E.K. ConsultingFinancial Services ConsultantPost-MBA / consultant$185,000–$205,000$20,000–$30,000$15,000–$45,000$220,000–$280,000Filed base
L.E.K. ConsultingManagerProject manager$216,000–$243,000$0$30,000–$80,000$246,000–$323,000Interpolated base
L.E.K. ConsultingPrincipalPrincipal / associate partner$253,000–$268,000$0$40,000–$120,000$293,000–$388,000Interpolated base
Oliver WymanEntry-level ConsultantEntry level$112,000–$129,000$0–$5,000$0–$20,000$112,000–$154,000Interpolated base
Oliver WymanSenior ConsultantSenior pre-MBA$124,000–$172,000$0–$5,000$5,000–$25,000$129,000–$202,000Interpolated base
Oliver WymanAssociatePost-MBA / consultant$190,000–$205,000$20,000–$30,000$15,000–$45,000$225,000–$280,000Interpolated base
Oliver WymanEngagement ManagerProject manager$216,000–$243,000$0$30,000–$80,000$246,000–$323,000Interpolated base
Oliver WymanPrincipalPrincipal / associate partner$255,000$0$40,000–$120,000$295,000–$375,000Filed base

Wide ranges by design

Estimated consulting partner compensation

Partner pay is not a conventional salary. These modeled ranges separate fixed draw from variable profit share, and the open upper bounds represent senior equity-partner outcomes—not typical first-year partner pay.

Estimated US consulting partner fixed draw, profit share and total compensation by firm
Firm and titleEstimated fixed / drawEstimated profit shareEstimated total compensationEvidence
McKinsey & CompanyPartner$250,000–$500,000$250,000–$4,500,000+$500,000–$5,000,000+Modeled estimate
Boston Consulting GroupManaging Director & Partner$250,000–$500,000$250,000–$4,500,000+$500,000–$5,000,000+Modeled estimate
Bain & CompanyPartner$250,000–$500,000$250,000–$4,500,000+$500,000–$5,000,000+Modeled estimate
KearneyPartner$200,000–$400,000$100,000–$1,100,000+$300,000–$1,500,000+Modeled estimate
L.E.K. ConsultingPartner$200,000–$400,000$100,000–$1,100,000+$300,000–$1,500,000+Modeled estimate
Oliver WymanPartner$200,000–$400,000$100,000–$1,100,000+$300,000–$1,500,000+Modeled estimate

Bonus and partner figures are estimates, not official firm pay bands. Benefits, retirement contributions and relocation payments are excluded.

Transparent by design

Salary data methodology

The methodology lives with the tracker so its evidence labels and estimates can be evaluated in the same place as the results.

The tracker separates observed base wages, interpolated base estimates, estimated bonuses, and modeled partner compensation. These are different evidence classes and should not be read as equally certain.

Source hierarchy

Sources are used in this order:

  1. Employer-submitted government records for role-, employer-, and location-specific base wages.
  2. Official institutional reports for broader recruiting-channel benchmarks such as MBA signing bonuses.
  3. Current title-level salary aggregators and attributable secondary analysis as directional cross-checks.

Secondary evidence does not silently overwrite a primary-source wage. When the two disagree, the tracker keeps the primary value and exposes the secondary source for review.

Canonical base-wage data

The canonical dataset is extracted from the US Department of Labor FY2026 Q1 LCA disclosure workbook. These employer submissions for H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 cases include employer, job title, worksite, and wage fields. The Department of Labor disclosure archive and methodology provides coverage notes and record layouts.

A certified LCA determination is evidence that the employer filed that wage for that role and location. It does not prove that a candidate started work, that every employee at the level receives that amount, or that the range is a standard offer band. The filing also excludes signing bonuses, performance bonuses, and most benefits.

The current dataset covers McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Kearney, L.E.K., and Oliver Wyman records that could be mapped confidently to a general consulting career level. Practice-specific technical and actuarial titles are excluded from generalist comparisons unless the result explicitly identifies the practice.

How missing base wages are interpolated

When a firm has no matching primary record for a selected level, the tracker:

  1. takes the median lower and upper wage values from observed records at the same normalized level at other firms;
  2. constrains the estimate using the selected firm's nearest observed lower and upper levels, where available;
  3. rounds the result to the nearest $1,000; and
  4. labels it Interpolated base in the result and comparison table.

Interpolation makes gaps navigable; it does not manufacture an official firm figure. An interpolated result has a zero-record sample count and must not be described as a reported offer or employer pay band.

How base wages are cross-checked

Secondary checks are attached at record level where they are sufficiently specific. The MIT Sloan 2025–2026 MBA Employment Report, for example, provides an institutional benchmark for post-MBA consulting base salaries. Indeed and Glassdoor title pages are treated as directional checks because their populations, estimation methods, and title normalization can differ from federal filing data.

How bonuses are estimated

The tracker separates a one-time signing bonus from the recurring annual performance bonus. No bonus is presented as employer-filed or guaranteed.

For post-MBA consulting roles, three independent school reports provide the main anchor. Harvard Business School's Class of 2024 consulting data reports a $30,000 median signing bonus among recipients and a $40,000 median variable bonus among recipients. Yale SOM's 2025–2026 report and Michigan Ross's 2025 employment data independently report a $30,000 median signing bonus for consulting hires.

Those reports do not identify individual firms. Firm- and level-specific ranges are therefore modeled using the institutional anchors, adjacent-level progression, and current secondary compensation reports. The low end of a performance-bonus range may be zero because variable pay is discretionary. A displayed upper end is a strong-outcome or ceiling-style estimate, not an expected payout.

How partner compensation is estimated

Partner pay is not modeled as an ordinary employee salary plus bonus. Partnership remuneration commonly combines a fixed draw or guaranteed component with a much larger variable profit share. HMRC's partnership manual explains the underlying profit-share mechanics, while BCG UK LLP's 2025 accounts provide primary evidence of the partnership structure. Neither source provides an official US individual-partner pay band.

The tracker therefore uses deliberately wide modeled total-compensation ranges: $500,000 to $5 million-plus for MBB partners and $300,000 to $1.5 million-plus for the Tier 2 firms currently covered. These bands are cross-checked against a current former-consultant synthesis of anonymous salary data and industry estimates. The upper end represents senior equity-partner outcomes, not a typical newly promoted partner. Equity status, tenure, geography, book of business, firm profitability, and retirement arrangements can move actual compensation materially.

What the displayed total includes

For employee levels, estimated first-year cash equals displayed base wage plus estimated signing bonus plus estimated performance bonus. The signing payment is one-time, and the performance component is not guaranteed.

For partners, estimated total compensation equals modeled fixed or draw compensation plus modeled profit share. Benefits, retirement contributions, relocation payments, deferred compensation, taxes, and the value of firm investment opportunities are excluded.

Coverage and limitations

  • The current firm-level finder covers the United States only.
  • Government filings cover a specific visa-related population and are not a census of all employees or offers.
  • Titles are normalized across firms, so equivalent levels may still differ in responsibility or required tenure.
  • Bonuses can change with individual performance, firm performance, start date, and recruiting channel.
  • Partner outcomes have the lowest certainty and intentionally use the widest ranges.
  • Currency conversion alone does not make compensation packages across countries economically comparable.

Material source reviews are reflected in the page's review date. The tracker does not use private coaching or candidate-offer information as published evidence, and no independent reviewer is named because none was documented for this edition.

Final check: use these ranges to frame your research, then confirm the base, bonus target, eligibility rules and payment timing in a written offer or with the recruiter.

For broader context beyond the data, read the separate consulting salary article.