The Booz Allen Hamilton consultant salary is likely one of the most important aspects in your decision to apply for a position at the firm. Well, your Booz Allen Hamilton consultant salary will be largely dependent upon your educational level (pre- or post-MBA), and your work location. If you are a lateral hire, your work experience will matter. However, all candidates coming straight out of an educational program are paid the same regardless of background.
The consulting industry is seeing increased competition with the proliferation of boutique firms and large corporations expanding their in-house strategy teams. Couple these trends with the increasing allure of industries like tech, and you have a perfect storm for rising consulting salaries.
BAH Consultant Salary Overview
Outside of McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, consulting salaries do tend to vary by location. Still, we’ve compiled typical salary numbers from Booz Allen Hamilton offers. If you’re looking to make your money go farther, pick an office in a lower cost of living city, as any COLA you receive will almost certainly not fill the gap.
Immediately out of an undergraduate or specialty master’s program, you can expect to make a base of $75,000 in your first year. Not bad, unless you are working in and around DC, where $75,000 per year doesn’t really go too far. In total, you can expect to make up to $79,000 in total cash in Year 1.
For those of you looking to break into Booz Allen Hamilton from a MBA or other Advanced Degree program, salaries are competitive with other boutique firms, but total comp is quite a bit lower than the top-tier firms. In the U.S., you can expect a base of around $140,000, with performance bonuses pushing your potential total compensation to the ~$175K range.
Booz Allen Hamilton Consultant Salary By Role
The real salary growth comes when you progress past an initial post-MBA role.
- Booz Allen Hamilton internship salary: $24/hr. for 10 weeks. ~$9,600 based on a 40-hour workweek (when staffed on a public sector project, it’s possible you only work from 9-5 if you have to be at the client site).
- Booz Allen Hamilton Consultant salary: $75,000
- Booz Allen Hamilton Senior Consultant salary: $90,000 – $120,000
- Booz Allen Hamilton Associate salary: ~$140,000
- Booz Allen Hamilton Senior Associate salary: ~$165,000-$220,000
- Booz Allen Hamilton Principal salary: $300K+
- Booz Allen Hamilton Officer salary: $500K+ (potential for much more based on individual sales and profit sharing)
Booz Allen Hamilton Career Path
If you remain with Booz Allen Hamilton and perform well, you can expect to be promoted every 2-3 years. There is typically a commensurate pay bump of 15-20% at each promotion step. The following is the typical time it will take for you to progress on your career path:
- Sr. Associate (2-3 years out of MBA/PhD) program
- Principal (4-5 years out of MBA/PhD) program
- Officer (6-8 years out of MBA/PhD) program
So if you started with the maximum Senior Consultant Salary of $120,000, and got a promotion every 2 years, after 6 years, you could potentially be making over $300,000 with a BAH Principal salary!
Booz Allen Salary Summary
There are no signs of slowing growth for consulting salaries, including at Booz Allen Hamilton. As consulting firms continue to compete with tech, banking, and each other, BAH entry level salaries will continue to rise. While at the lower end of the spectrum, Booz Allen consultant salaries remain competitive in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Additional Reading:
- Management Consultant Salary Report
- Best Consulting Firms For MBA Consultant Salary
- Booz Allen Hamilton Full Firm Profile
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide