Consulting salary lookup, by firm and level
After an MBA, McKinsey and Bain file a $192,000 median base and BCG $190,000. Out of college the three file $110,000 to $112,000. Median base salary at 14 consulting and advisory firms, level by level, from public US Department of Labor H-1B filings (January 2025 to June 2026). Pick a firm to see its ladder and pay by city, compare up to three firms, or rank them by hiring stage. Base pay only: no bonus, US offices only, and a filing is not an offer.
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Consulting pay, from the filings
Every number is the median of what a firm filed with the Department of Labor for that title. Levels with too few filings say so instead of showing a number.
McKinsey selected. MBA hire ranking shows 7 firms.
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McKinsey: base salary by level
US Department of Labor H-1B LCA disclosures, filings from January 2025 to June 2026, read October 15, 2026. Median and range (10th to 90th percentile) of filed base salary.
| Level | Filings | Median base | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Analyst | 58 | $112,000 | $112,000 |
| Senior Business Analyst | 107 | $112,000 | $112,000 |
| Associate | 149 | $192,000 | $192,000 |
| Engagement Manager | 124 | $220,000 | $200K to $220K |
| Associate Partner | 59 | $243,000 | $243,000 |
| Partner | 10 | $275,000 | $275,000 |
Posted first-year base
- Business Analyst: $112,000 to $125,000 (job posting, read October 26, 2026)
- Associate: $192,000 (job posting, read October 26, 2026)
Pay by city
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 8 | $112,000 |
| Boston, MA | 4 | $112,000 |
| Chicago, IL | 3 | $112,000 |
| Newark, NJ | 3 | $112,000 |
Up to eight cities with three or more filings each.
Bonus, total pay and method: McKinsey salary. By level: McKinsey Business Analyst salary, McKinsey Associate salary.
Compare firms side by side
| Stage | McKinsey | BCG | Bain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate hire | $112,000Business Analyst, 58 filings | $110,000Associate, 113 filings | $112,000Associate Consultant, 21 filings |
| MBA hire | $192,000Associate, 149 filings | $190,000Consultant, 497 filings | $192,000Consultant, 55 filings |
| First manager | $220,000Engagement Manager, 124 filings | $225,400Project Leader, 173 filings | $212,000Manager, 38 filings |
McKinsey
- Business Analyst$112,000
- Senior Business Analyst$112,000
- Associate$192,000
- Engagement Manager$220,000
- Associate Partner$243,000
- Partner$275,000
BCG
- Associate$110,000
- Senior Associate$145,000
- Consultant$190,000
- Project Leader$225,400
- Principal$252,900
- Partner$268,400
Bain
- Associate Consultant$112,000
- Senior Associate Consultant$135,000
- Consultant$192,000
- Manager$212,000
- Senior Manager$222,000
- Associate Partner$260,000(few filings)
Rank firms by level
The title most MBA hires join at. Highest median base first.
| # | Firm and title | Median base | Filings | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | McKinsey, Associate | $192,000 | 149 | $192,000 |
| 1= | Bain, Consultant | $192,000 | 55 | $192K to $202K |
| 3 | BCG, Consultant | $190,000 | 497 | $190,000 |
| 4 | L.E.K. Consulting, Consultant | $185,000 | 30 | $185K to $200K |
| 5 | Kearney, Associate | $172,500 | 44 | $157K to $188K |
| 6 | PwC, Senior Associate | $138,650 | 52 | $123K to $175K |
| 7 | Deloitte Consulting, Senior Consultant | $129,699 | 932 | $91K to $170K |
Filings from January 2025 to June 2026. Only firms with 10 or more filings at a level are ranked. Elsewhere in the tool, levels with fewer than 3 filings show "Not enough filings" instead of a number.
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Start your free weekHow to read H-1B pay data
H-1B filings are the most complete public record of what consulting firms pay. They also leave a lot out.
- 1
What a filing is
Before a US employer hires someone on an H-1B visa, it files a Labor Condition Application with the Department of Labor. The filing names the job title, the work site and the wage. The DOL publishes every one. Each filing here is one case number.
- 2
Base pay only, and not an offer
The wage is base salary. Bonuses, signing bonuses, profit sharing and benefits are not in it. A filing is the wage the employer committed to pay a visa holder, not proof of a hire, and it covers US offices only.
- 3
Read the count with the median
The strategy firms file one salary per level: 442 of 497 BCG Consultant filings name exactly $190,000. Deloitte Senior Consultant filings run from $90,917 to $169,500, because pay there varies by office and practice. With fewer than 3 filings we show no number.
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Consulting salary
Pay by firm and hiring stage, with bonus and total pay from dated reports.
Consulting firm tiers
How the firms are usually grouped, and what each tier hires for.
Consulting career path
What each level does and where people go next.
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Source: US Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application disclosure data, filings submitted January 2025 to June 2026, read through h1bdata.info. Each firm's line gives the date we read its filings, and each firm's salary page lists the exact job titles matched and the searches read. Posted pay is from the firms' own US job postings, linked next to each figure. Filings read October 15, 2026 to October 25, 2026.
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