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Management Consultant

$101,860
median / year
$60,640 – $171,640
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Study how organizations work and recommend changes to cut costs and improve efficiency.

You may also see this posted as: Business Analyst, Business Consultant, Management Analyst, Administrative Analyst, Employment Programs Analyst, Organizational Development Consultant.

Where you work

Offices, client sites, or remote; travel to clients is common.

The hours

Full-time; long hours and travel around projects.

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Gather and organize information on problems or procedures.
  • Confer with personnel concerned to ensure successful functioning of newly implemented systems or procedures.
  • Analyze data gathered and develop solutions or alternative methods of proceeding.
  • Document findings of study and prepare recommendations for implementation of new systems, procedures, or organizational changes.
  • Plan study of work problems and procedures, such as organizational change, communications, information flow, integrated production methods, inventory control, or cost analysis.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailIntegrityAchievement OrientationInnovation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Atlassian JIRAMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft Power BIMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SharePoint

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$101,860
per year
Hourly median
$48.97
per hour
What most earn
$60,640–$171,640
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~98,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+8.8%
Faster than average
Working in the U.S.
898,280
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 13.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Degree; an MBA is common later.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required; certification can help, but results matter most.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Analytical thinkingCommunicationProblem solvingTime management

The honest take

The generalist's six-figure path — firms recruit straight from campus.

Standard Occupational Classification 13-1111. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.