Author: Taylor Warfield, Former Bain Manager and interviewer

Last Updated: June 17, 2026

 

The best KPMG office for most people is New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, or Atlanta, because these flagship locations offer the deepest client roster, the strongest industry specialization, and the clearest path to promotion. This guide ranks KPMG's top US offices and gives you a simple way to decide which one fits your career goals, industry interests, and lifestyle.

 

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Key Takeaways

 

The best KPMG office is the one where the local industries, the pay after cost of living, and the team size match the career you actually want.

 

• New York is KPMG's flagship and US headquarters, and the top pick for finance and private equity

 

• San Francisco leads for technology, with more than 3,000 professionals across the Bay Area

 

• Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta pair strong client work with low cost of living and no or low state income tax

 

• Big-city offices recruit earlier and draw the most applicants, while regional offices are often easier to enter

 

• Pick your office by industry first, then weigh pay against cost of living and lifestyle

 

What Is the Best KPMG Office to Work At?

 

The best KPMG office depends on your industry interests, but the strongest US locations are New York for financial services and private equity, San Francisco for technology, Chicago for manufacturing and healthcare, Dallas and Houston for energy, and Washington, D.C. for government and risk. Each one offers large teams, high-profile clients, and a deep bench of partners to learn from.

 

KPMG runs 80 or more offices across the United States, with roughly 36,000 employees and partners as of fiscal year 2025. That scale means no two offices feel the same, and the city you choose shapes your clients, your hours, and your paycheck more than most candidates expect.

 

Globally, KPMG is one of the Big Four, with more than 275,000 people across over 140 countries and $38.4 billion in revenue in 2024. Having coached hundreds of candidates into firms like this, I can tell you the office decision is one of the most underrated choices you will make.

 

How Should You Choose the Best KPMG Office for You?

 

Choose your KPMG office by matching the local industry mix to your career goals first, then weighing compensation against cost of living, office size, recruiting odds, and lifestyle. The most famous city is not always the right one for you.

 

Before you rank cities, get honest about why KPMG made your list in the first place, since that reason points straight at the office that fits. Here are the criteria that matter most.

 

• Industry exposure: each office specializes in the industries that dominate its city, so a tech focus points to San Francisco and an energy focus points to Houston or Dallas

 

• Pay versus cost of living: KPMG uses market-based pay, so New York and San Francisco post higher salaries that a high cost of living and state income tax can quickly erase

 

• Office size and deal flow: larger offices run more complex engagements and offer more partners to learn from, while smaller offices give you broader exposure faster

 

• Recruiting competitiveness: flagship offices recruit earlier and reject far more applicants, so a slightly smaller office can be a smarter point of entry

 

• Lifestyle and commute: weigh housing, weather, travel, and how long you are willing to sit in traffic before you sign

 

• Internal mobility: KPMG lets you transfer between offices and countries as you advance, so your first office is a starting point, not a life sentence

 

One quick note on money: nominal salary is the wrong number to optimize. You can dig into the full breakdown in our guide to KPMG consulting salary, but the short version is that take-home pay after rent and taxes often favors lower-cost cities.

 

What Are the Best KPMG Offices in the US?

 

The best KPMG offices in the US are its largest, most established locations, each anchored to a distinct industry base. Below is how the strongest offices stack up and who each one is right for.

 

New York: the flagship for finance and private equity

 

New York is KPMG's flagship and home to its US headquarters at Two Manhattan West. It is the first KPMG US office, established in 1897, and remains the center of the firm's boldest work.

 

If you want financial services, private equity, healthcare, media, or consumer clients, New York gives you the deepest roster in the country. The trade-off is a punishing cost of living and the most competitive recruiting of any office.

 

San Francisco: the top office for technology

 

San Francisco is KPMG's largest office in the Bay Area and Pacific Northwest, home to more than 3,000 professionals. It serves technology, private equity, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, and consumer clients across the region.

 

This is the office to target if you want to work with high-growth tech companies and Silicon Valley clients. Expect Bay Area housing costs and California state income tax to take a real bite out of your paycheck.

 

Chicago: the Midwest hub for industry and healthcare

 

Chicago is one of KPMG's largest offices and the firm's anchor in the Midwest, with a strong base in manufacturing, retail, and healthcare clients. It sits in the heart of downtown, surrounded by the headquarters of major national companies.

 

The cost of living is high for the region but far gentler than New York or San Francisco. For many candidates, Chicago hits the sweet spot of big-city client work and a livable paycheck.

 

Dallas: scale, energy clients, and no state income tax

 

KPMG opened its Dallas office in 1915 and it now houses more than 2,000 professionals, making it one of the firm's largest. The office serves clients across energy, financial services, technology, and consumer industries.

 

Texas has no state income tax and Dallas offers affordable housing, so your take-home pay stretches much further than in coastal cities. That combination of scale and low cost makes Dallas one of the best-value offices in the network.

 

Houston: the energy capital

 

Houston is the place to be if you want to work in energy, oil and gas, and infrastructure, since many of those clients are headquartered downtown. You may end up working just blocks from the companies you serve.

 

Like Dallas, Houston pairs serious client work with no state income tax and a low cost of living. It is an underrated office for candidates who want a high standard of living on a consulting salary.

 

Atlanta: Southern hub with an innovation center

 

KPMG runs two Atlanta offices, Downtown and Midtown Ignition, and is home to more than 1,700 partners and professionals. The Ignition center focuses on digital innovation and design-led problem solving, which sets Atlanta apart from a standard regional office.

 

Atlanta offers big-city career options with a lower cost of living than the coasts and an easy travel hub. The downtown commute can be brutal, so factor in where you plan to live.

 

Boston: life sciences, healthcare, and tech

 

KPMG's New England region, anchored in Boston, is home to more than 2,000 professionals and support staff and serves 21 Fortune 500 clients. The office is strong in financial services, technology, life sciences, healthcare, private equity, and real estate.

 

Boston is a magnet for candidates who want healthcare and life sciences work near world-class universities and research. Housing is expensive, but the client mix and city culture are hard to beat.

 

Washington, D.C.: government and risk

 

Washington, D.C. is the office for federal, government, risk, and regulatory consulting, given its proximity to agencies and policymakers. If public sector work is your goal, no other KPMG office comes close.

 

The cost of living is high, though more manageable than New York. Security clearances and public sector experience here can open doors that follow you for the rest of your career.

 

How Do KPMG's Biggest US Offices Compare?

 

Use the table below to compare KPMG's strongest US offices at a glance by primary industries and cost-of-living considerations. Office sizes are drawn from KPMG's own 2025 location pages where available.

 

Office	Primary industries	Size signal	Cost of living
New York	Financial services, private equity, media	Flagship and US HQ	Very high
San Francisco	Technology, life sciences, private equity	3,000+ professionals	Very high
Chicago	Manufacturing, retail, healthcare	Major Midwest hub	Moderate to high
Dallas	Energy, financial services, technology	2,000+ professionals	Low, no state income tax
Houston	Energy, oil and gas, infrastructure	Major energy office	Low, no state income tax
Atlanta	Diversified, digital innovation	1,700+ across two offices	Moderate
Boston	Life sciences, healthcare, technology	2,000+ in the region	High
Washington, D.C.	Government, risk, regulatory	Public sector leader	High

 

Which KPMG Offices Are the Hardest to Get Into?

 

New York and San Francisco are the hardest KPMG offices to get into, because they recruit earliest, draw the most applicants, and hold the highest bar for advisory and strategy roles. Regional offices in cities like Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta are typically easier points of entry.

 

In my experience interviewing candidates, where you apply changes your odds as much as your resume does. Applying to a flagship office with a generic application is the quickest way to get screened out, while a strong, location-specific pitch to a regional office often lands.

 

A sharp, results-focused resume is what gets you past the first screen, and my resume review service gives you unlimited revisions with a 24-hour turnaround.

 

For advisory and strategy roles, KPMG uses case-style interviews, so the office you target should match the kind of cases you prepare for. You can see exactly what to expect in our breakdown of the KPMG case interview before you commit to a location.

 

If you want to learn case interviews quickly, my case interview course walks you through proven structures in as little as 7 days.

 

One more lever candidates ignore: the application itself. A tailored cover letter that names the office and its industries signals genuine intent and separates you from the flood of generic applicants.

 

Should You Consider KPMG's Global Offices?

 

Yes, KPMG's global offices are worth considering if you want international experience or eventually plan to relocate. The firm spans more than 140 countries, and several international hubs rival the best US offices for prestige and client quality.

 

London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney, and Toronto are among KPMG's strongest international offices. They handle large multinational clients and feed the firm's global rotation programs, which makes them attractive for anyone targeting a cross-border career.

 

Because KPMG operates as a network of member firms, recruiting timelines, pay, and entry requirements differ by country. If global mobility is your goal, choose a large US office first, build a track record, then use internal transfers to move abroad.

 

If you are still weighing KPMG against its peers, comparing it to KPMG and Deloitte side by side is a useful sanity check before you commit to a specific office. It is also worth seeing where KPMG lands on lists of the best consulting firms to work for.

 

The best KPMG office is the one where the industries, the pay after cost of living, and the team size line up with the career you actually want, not simply the most famous city on the list. Start by ranking your top two or three industries, then target the offices known for them and tailor every application to that specific location.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the best KPMG office to work at?

 

The best KPMG office depends on the industry you want to work in. New York is the strongest for financial services and private equity, San Francisco for technology, Chicago for manufacturing and healthcare, Dallas and Houston for energy, and Washington, D.C. for government and risk. These flagship offices have the largest teams and the most high-profile clients.

 

What is KPMG's largest office?

 

New York is KPMG's flagship US office and home to the firm's US headquarters at Two Manhattan West. It was the first KPMG US office, established in 1897. San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, and Boston are also among the largest, each home to roughly 1,700 to 3,000 professionals.

 

How many KPMG offices are there in the US?

 

KPMG operates 80 or more offices across the United States, with roughly 36,000 employees and partners as of fiscal year 2025. Globally, KPMG spans more than 140 countries and over 275,000 professionals.

 

Does it matter which KPMG office you apply to?

 

Yes. Your office determines the industries you serve, how competitive recruiting is, and your cost of living relative to pay. Larger offices in New York and San Francisco recruit earlier and draw far more applicants, while regional offices can be easier to enter and offer closer client relationships.

 

Which KPMG office pays the most?

 

KPMG uses market-based pay, so high-cost cities like New York and San Francisco post the highest nominal salaries. After accounting for taxes and cost of living, offices in lower-cost cities such as Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta often leave you with more disposable income.

 

Is KPMG a good place to work?

 

KPMG is one of the Big Four professional services firms and is widely viewed as a strong place to build a career in audit, tax, or advisory. It offers structured training, internal mobility between offices, and recognized brand value. Employee satisfaction varies by office and practice, so research your specific target location.

 

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