Author: Taylor Warfield, Former Bain Manager and interviewer.

Last Updated: June 8, 2026

 

The best EY-Parthenon office depends on what you want from your career, since the firm's seven US offices and dozens of international ones differ sharply in prestige, project mix, pay-to-cost ratio, and how hard they are to land. This guide ranks the offices that matter, explains what separates Boston from New York from Chicago, and gives you a simple framework to choose.

 

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Key Takeaways

 

There is no single best EY-Parthenon office, but Boston, New York, and Chicago are the strongest choices for most candidates, and the right pick comes down to your target practice, exit goals, and odds of getting hired.

 

• Boston is the prestigious flagship and the original home of The Parthenon Group, with deep roots in education, healthcare, and growth strategy

 

• New York is the largest US office and the center of deal work, which means the most roles, the biggest network, and the longest hours

 

• Chicago offers the best balance of pay and lifestyle, with a lower cost of living than the coasts and a strong industrials and consumer base

 

• Base pay is nearly flat across US cities, so a high cost of living quietly shrinks your real compensation

 

• London is the top international office and a hub for restructuring and private equity due diligence

 

How should you choose the best EY-Parthenon office?

 

Choose your EY-Parthenon office by matching it to your goals across five factors, not by chasing a name. I call this the PLACE framework, and it works because the offices differ more in practice mix and lifestyle than in raw prestige. Run any office you are considering through these five questions.

 

1. Practice and industry fit: Does the office actually staff the practice (Strategy, Transaction Strategy and Execution, or Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy) and the industries you care about?
   
   
2. Lifestyle and travel: How long are the hours, how heavy is the travel, and what are the in-office expectations?
   
   
3. Advancement and network: How large is the office, how varied is the staffing, and where do its alumni land?
   
   
4. Cost of living versus pay: Since base pay barely moves between US cities, will a high-cost city erode your real income?
   
   
5. Entry odds: How competitive is the office to break into given its size and applicant volume?

 

Where are EY-Parthenon's offices located?

 

EY-Parthenon operates in roughly 45 cities worldwide, with seven core offices in the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Smaller US locations include Dallas, Denver, and the Washington DC area, while major international hubs span London, Frankfurt, Singapore, and a fast-growing set of offices across India. After folding in EY's Strategy and Transactions teams in 2025, the firm now counts more than 25,000 professionals across 150 countries.

 

Office	Strength and focus	Relative size
Boston	Education, healthcare, growth strategy (HQ)	Large
New York	Transaction work, financial services, private equity	Largest
Chicago	Industrials, consumer, healthcare	Large
San Francisco	Technology, private equity value creation	Mid
Los Angeles	Media, consumer, private equity	Mid
Houston	Energy	Smaller
Washington DC area	Public sector and government	Smaller
London	Restructuring, private equity due diligence	Large (international)
India	Strategy, value creation, offshore deal work	Fast-growing

 

Which EY-Parthenon offices are the best to target?

 

Boston and New York are the two strongest offices for prestige and project quality, Chicago is the best value play, and London leads internationally. EY-Parthenon sits among the tier-2 consulting firms, below MBB but ahead of most generalist Big Four advisory work, so office choice shapes your experience more than it would at a firm with one dominant headquarters.

 

Boston: the prestigious flagship

 

Boston is EY-Parthenon's headquarters and the birthplace of The Parthenon Group, founded in 1991 by two former Bain consultants before joining EY in 2014. The office carries the most heritage and runs deep in education, healthcare, and corporate and growth strategy work. If prestige inside the firm and classic strategy projects matter most to you, Boston is the safest bet.

 

New York: the largest and most deal-heavy office

 

New York is the biggest US office and the engine of EY-Parthenon's transaction work, including commercial due diligence for private equity and corporate clients. That scale buys you the widest network, the most staffing options, and the highest absolute pay, since New York and Boston top the firm's US compensation. The tradeoff is hours, because deal teams routinely run past 12-hour days when a diligence is live.

 

Chicago: the best balance of pay and lifestyle

 

Chicago gives you a large, well-staffed office with strong industrials, consumer, and healthcare work at a far lower cost of living than New York or San Francisco. Because EY-Parthenon base pay barely changes between US cities, your salary stretches much further here. Many consultants rate Chicago as the best ratio of compensation to quality of life in the US network.

 

San Francisco and Los Angeles: tech and private equity value creation

 

The West Coast offices skew toward technology, software, and private equity value creation, with growing deal-tech and operations work. They are smaller than the big three, which means tighter teams and faster visibility but fewer total seats. San Francisco's high cost of living is the main drawback given the flat base pay.

 

Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and the DC area: regional specialists

 

These offices are smaller and often built around a regional industry, such as energy in Houston or public-sector and government work near Washington DC. They can be easier to break into and offer lower living costs, which makes them strong landing spots for candidates from non-target schools or unconventional backgrounds. The tradeoff is a narrower project menu and a smaller internal network.

 

London: the best international office

 

London is EY-Parthenon's strongest office outside the US and a center for Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy and private equity due diligence across Europe. The restructuring practice here works on high-stakes, distressed situations that are hard to find at other firms. For candidates targeting Europe or restructuring specifically, London beats every US office.

 

India: the fastest-growing hub

 

EY-Parthenon has expanded aggressively across India, with offices supporting global strategy, value creation, and offshore deal work. Roles here differ from frontline US consulting and lean toward analytics and execution support. The sheer volume of openings, though, makes India one of the easier places to enter the EY-Parthenon network.

 

How does pay differ across EY-Parthenon offices?

 

EY-Parthenon base pay is nearly identical across US geographies, so the real difference between offices is cost of living, not the number on your offer letter. An undergraduate associate starts near $100,000 in base salary in every US location, with total compensation of roughly $109,000 to $131,000 once bonus is included. Partners can clear $650,000, but the early-career figure that matters for office choice is how far that flat base goes locally.

 

Because EY-Parthenon salary is set in flat US bands rather than by city, a New York associate and an Atlanta associate earn almost the same base, even though New York costs far more to live in. The numbers below give you the broad shape of pay by level.

 

Level	Base salary	Total compensation
Associate (undergraduate)	~$100,000	$109,000 to $131,000
Senior associate	$100,000 to $130,000	$104,000 to $158,000
Consultant (post-MBA)	$120,000 to $160,000	$130,000 to $200,000
Partner	Varies	$650,000+

 

Bonus targets sit around 20 to 25 percent, though recent payouts have run lighter for many teams. Your trajectory along the EY-Parthenon career path depends far more on performance and practice than on which city you sit in.

 

Which office fits your practice: Strategy, Transaction Strategy, or Turnaround and Restructuring?

 

EY-Parthenon runs three practices, and the best office for you is the one that staffs the practice you want. Strategy teams handle corporate and growth work, Transaction Strategy and Execution teams run due diligence and integrations, and Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy teams fix distressed companies. Each comes with a different interview and a different daily reality.

 

Strategy lives strongest in Boston, with growth, market entry, and portfolio work across education and healthcare. These roles screen with a strategy case interview built around growth and market sizing, so that is where to point your prep if Boston is your target.

 

These cases reward structured thinking and clean math, and my case interview course walks you through proven frameworks in as little as 7 days.

 

Transaction Strategy and Execution concentrates in New York and the larger offices, where private equity deal flow is heaviest. Expect commercial due diligence, operational due diligence, and post-merger integration work, plus the longest hours when a deal is live. This is the practice that builds the most finance-transferable skills.

 

Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy is the firm's specialty group for distressed businesses and is strongest in London and select US offices. Its recruiting uses a tougher, cash-focused restructuring case interview that leans on operations and balance-sheet detail rather than growth.

 

Because these cases run technical, candidates often benefit from case interview coaching to pressure-test their approach before the real thing.

 

Which EY-Parthenon office is easiest to get into?

 

The smaller regional and international offices are usually the easiest to enter, while New York and Boston are the most competitive. Offices in Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and the DC area receive fewer applicants per seat than the flagship locations. India also offers high volume, though the roles differ from frontline US consulting.

 

Office choice can be a smart strategic play. If your goal is simply to join EY-Parthenon and build a strategy resume, applying to a less saturated office raises your odds without lowering the value of the firm's name on your resume. Having coached candidates from non-target schools, I have watched several break in this way after striking out at the marquee offices.

 

Which EY-Parthenon office is best for exit opportunities?

 

New York gives you the strongest exit opportunities because its deal work feeds directly into private equity, corporate development, and tech strategy roles. Offices heavy in transaction and due diligence work build the most transferable skills for finance and operating exits. Boston and Chicago also place well, especially into corporate strategy and growth-stage companies.

 

Across the firm, common destinations include private equity portfolio operations, startups, large technology companies, and in-house strategy teams. The practice you sit in shapes your exits more than the city does, so a transaction seat in Chicago can out-position a pure strategy seat in New York for finance roles.

 

How do you land an offer at your target EY-Parthenon office?

 

To land an EY-Parthenon offer, you need to pass both a case interview and a behavioral round, and you should tailor each to the office and practice you are targeting. The EY-Parthenon case interview tests structured problem solving, business judgment, and clean quantitative work. The behavioral interview probes fit, motivation, and why you want this firm in particular.

 

Apply directly to the office that fits your practice goals rather than blanketing every location, since recruiters notice a focused, well-reasoned choice. Prepare cases that match your practice: growth and market entry for Strategy, diligence and profitability for Transaction Strategy and Execution, and turnaround scenarios for Restructuring.

 

My fit interview course covers the behavioral questions you will face in a few hours, so you can spend the rest of your time on cases.

 

Best EY-Parthenon office by goal

 

Here is the quick recommendation for the most common goals.

 

Your goal	Best office
Highest prestige and heritage	Boston
Most deal work and exit options	New York
Best pay-to-cost ratio	Chicago
Technology and private equity value creation	San Francisco or Los Angeles
Easiest to break into	Houston, Atlanta, Denver, or the DC area
Restructuring and European roles	London

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Is Boston or New York the better EY-Parthenon office?

 

It depends on your goals. Boston carries more prestige and heritage as the firm's headquarters and is best for classic growth strategy work in education and healthcare. New York is larger, more deal-focused, and stronger for exit opportunities, but the hours are longer.

 

Does EY-Parthenon pay more in New York than in other cities?

 

Not in base salary. EY-Parthenon sets base pay in flat US bands, so a New York associate earns close to what an associate in Atlanta or Denver earns. Because New York costs far more to live in, your real compensation is often higher in a lower-cost office like Chicago.

 

Which EY-Parthenon office is the easiest to get into?

 

The smaller regional offices such as Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and the Washington DC area tend to be easier to enter than New York or Boston. They receive fewer applicants per seat. Targeting a less saturated office is a legitimate way to raise your odds while keeping the EY-Parthenon name on your resume.

 

Is EY-Parthenon a prestigious firm?

 

Yes, within the tier just below MBB. EY-Parthenon has ranked near the top five most prestigious consulting firms in the Vault rankings and is widely seen as one of the strongest strategy houses outside McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. It is more prestigious than generalist Big Four advisory work.

 

What is the best EY-Parthenon office for private equity exits?

 

New York is the strongest for private equity exits because its transaction and due diligence work maps directly onto investing and portfolio operations roles. Any office with heavy Transaction Strategy and Execution staffing builds similar skills, so a deal-focused seat matters more than the city itself.

 

How many offices does EY-Parthenon have?

 

EY-Parthenon operates in roughly 45 cities worldwide, including seven core US offices: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. It also has major international offices in London, Frankfurt, Singapore, and a growing number across India.

 

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