Author: Taylor Warfield, Former Bain Manager and interviewer

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

 

The top consulting firms in New York are McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Oliver Wyman, Deloitte, PwC, EY-Parthenon, KPMG, Accenture, and Alvarez & Marsal. This guide breaks down what each New York office is known for, what the roles pay, and how to land an offer in the most competitive consulting market in the country.

 

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Key Takeaways

 

New York is the largest consulting market in the United States, and the firms that matter there fall into three groups: elite strategy, Big 4 scale, and restructuring specialists.

 

• McKinsey's New York office is the firm's global headquarters and largest location, with more than 500 consultants at 3 World Trade Center

 

• 43 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in New York City, more than in any other US city

 

• Financial services shapes the client mix, so quantitative cases and finance fluency carry extra weight

 

• MBB pays the same base salary in New York as in Dallas or Atlanta, but Manhattan costs roughly 139% more than the US average

 

• Restructuring and economic consulting firms give New York a specialist bench no other American city matches

 

What Are the Top Consulting Firms in New York?

 

The top consulting firms in New York are McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Oliver Wyman, Deloitte, PwC, EY-Parthenon, KPMG, Accenture, and Alvarez & Marsal. McKinsey, BCG, and Bain lead on prestige and exit options. The Big 4 hire the largest volume of consultants, and restructuring specialists round out a market no other US city matches.

 

1. McKinsey & Company: global headquarters at 3 World Trade Center and the firm's largest office
   
   
2. Boston Consulting Group: floors 40 to 47 of 10 Hudson Yards, one of BCG's biggest offices worldwide
   
   
3. Bain & Company: a private equity powerhouse that doubled its Manhattan footprint in 2026
   
   
4. Oliver Wyman: global headquarters and the strongest pure financial services practice in the city
   
   
5. Deloitte: the largest US consulting headcount, run out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza
   
   
6. PwC: US headquarters at 300 Madison Avenue, strong in deals and technology
   
   
7. EY-Parthenon: EY's strategy arm, based at the firm's US headquarters in Manhattan West
   
   
8. KPMG: US headquarters at Two Manhattan West, weighted toward risk and regulatory work
   
   
9. Accenture: one of the largest consulting employers in the city, heavy on technology delivery
   
   
10. Alvarez & Marsal: global headquarters and the leading name in restructuring and turnaround

 

Here's how the ten largest New York offices compare on location and focus.

 

Firm	New York office	Best known for
McKinsey & Company	3 World Trade Center	Global headquarters, financial services and healthcare strategy
Boston Consulting Group	10 Hudson Yards	Digital transformation, insurance, media and consumer goods
Bain & Company	22 Vanderbilt	Private equity due diligence and results delivery
Oliver Wyman	1166 Avenue of the Americas	Global headquarters, banking risk and actuarial work
Deloitte	30 Rockefeller Plaza	Largest US consulting headcount across technology and operations
PwC	300 Madison Avenue	US headquarters, deals advisory and cloud transformation
EY	One Manhattan West	US headquarters, EY-Parthenon commercial diligence
KPMG	Two Manhattan West	US headquarters, risk, regulatory and financial services advisory
Accenture	Midtown Manhattan	Technology delivery and large-scale systems work
Alvarez & Marsal	600 Madison Avenue	Global headquarters, restructuring, turnaround and private equity performance

 

Why Does New York Have More Consulting Jobs Than Any Other US City?

 

New York has more consulting jobs than any other US city because it holds the densest concentration of large corporate clients in the country. According to 2026 Fortune 500 data compiled by US500, 43 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in New York City, generating about $2.07 trillion in annual revenue and employing roughly 2.16 million people.

 

More consulting firms base their global or US leadership here than anywhere else. McKinsey, Oliver Wyman, and Alvarez & Marsal all run worldwide operations from Manhattan. All four Big 4 firms put their US headquarters in the city.

 

Financial services drives the client mix in a way it does not in Chicago, Atlanta, or Dallas. Banks, asset managers, insurers, and private equity funds anchor the work, and a large share of engagements never leave the island.

 

That density cuts both ways. New York offers more seats than any other market, but it also draws the highest volume of applicants, since Columbia, NYU, and the Northeast Ivies all sit within a short train ride.

 

Which Strategy Consulting Firms Are Strongest in New York?

 

McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Oliver Wyman run the strongest strategy practices in New York. All four treat the city as a flagship location, and three of them place their largest or headquarters office here. These are the offices with the highest hiring bars and the best exit options into private equity, hedge funds, and corporate strategy.

 

McKinsey & Company

 

McKinsey's global headquarters sits at 3 World Trade Center on Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan. It is the firm's largest office, home to more than 500 consultants and a metro-area alumni network topping 3,000 people.

 

The practice mix leans hard into financial services, healthcare, technology, media, and the public sector. Candidates who want banking or asset management work should treat McKinsey New York as the top target in the entire firm.

 

That same appeal makes it the hardest office to crack. In my experience at Bain, the New York applicant pool for any MBB office was consistently the deepest in North America, and McKinsey's is deeper still.

 

Boston Consulting Group

 

BCG occupies floors 40 to 47 of 10 Hudson Yards on Manhattan's West Side, with direct access to the High Line. Per BCG's own office page, the location opened in 1984 as the firm's tenth office worldwide and is now one of its largest.

 

The office serves financial services, insurance, healthcare, technology, media, consumer goods, and retail clients. It skews more toward digital and transformation work than McKinsey New York does.

 

Pay is close to identical across MBB at junior levels. Undergraduate Associates at BCG New York start at a $115,000 base in 2026, and post-MBA Consultants start at $190,000.

 

Bain & Company

 

Bain opened its New York office in 2000 to serve Tri-state area clients, and the office has grown fast since. In May 2024 the firm announced a move to 22 Vanderbilt, a Midtown tower with direct lobby access to Grand Central Terminal.

 

Commercial real estate reporting on the deal put the lease at 235,200 square feet, roughly double the office's previous footprint. That kind of expansion is a useful signal: firms do not double space in Manhattan unless headcount plans justify it.

 

Private equity is the defining practice. If you want commercial due diligence and portfolio value creation work, Bain New York is the strongest place to build that resume in the city.

 

Oliver Wyman

 

Oliver Wyman runs its global headquarters from 1166 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown, near Bryant Park. The firm has been based in New York since its founding in 1984.

 

No firm in the city is more concentrated in financial services. Banking risk, insurance, actuarial, and payments work make up a large share of the office, which means cases run heavier on math than at a typical generalist firm.

 

Total compensation at Oliver Wyman New York runs from about $116,000 to $340,000 depending on level, based on 2026 Levels.fyi data. Case interviews are candidate-led, which is a different rhythm from McKinsey's interviewer-led format.

 

Cases at these four firms are where most candidates lose the offer, not the resume screen. If you want to learn case interviews quickly, my case interview course walks you through proven strategies in as little as 7 days.

 

Which Big 4 Firms Have the Largest New York Consulting Practices?

 

All four Big 4 firms base their US headquarters in Manhattan, and together they hire far more consultants in New York than MBB does. Deloitte carries the largest consulting headcount, PwC is strongest in deals and technology, EY-Parthenon covers strategy, and KPMG concentrates on risk and regulatory work.

 

Deloitte

 

Deloitte's US national office sits at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, floor 41. Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries employ more than 80,000 professionals across the United States, and the New York office holds thousands of them across consulting, audit, tax, and financial advisory.

 

The firm has committed to moving its North American headquarters to 70 Hudson Yards, taking 800,000 square feet in the new tower. That relocation puts Deloitte within a few blocks of BCG.

 

Volume is the real story for candidates. Deloitte New York hires from a far wider set of schools than MBB does, which makes it the most realistic New York target for strong candidates from non-target programs.

 

PwC

 

PwC's US headquarters is at 300 Madison Avenue, a short walk from Grand Central Terminal. The New York office is the firm's largest US hub and supports financial services, healthcare, technology, and media clients.

 

Strategy& is the firm's strategy consulting arm and recruits separately from the broader advisory practice. Candidates targeting PwC New York should decide early which of the two tracks they want, because the interview formats differ.

 

EY-Parthenon

 

EY's US headquarters sits at One Manhattan West at 395 Ninth Avenue, with additional Manhattan offices in Chelsea and Union Square. EY-Parthenon is the strategy arm that grew out of EY's 2014 acquisition of Parthenon.

 

The New York group is weighted toward commercial due diligence and transaction strategy for private equity and corporate acquirers. Work often runs on tighter timelines than classic strategy projects, since diligence follows deal calendars.

 

Compensation lands below MBB but above the general advisory practice. EY-Parthenon New York is a strong choice if you want deal exposure without competing for one of the roughly two dozen Bain private equity seats each cycle.

 

KPMG

 

KPMG moved its US headquarters to Two Manhattan West, taking roughly 450,000 square feet across 12 floors of the 58-story tower. The firm previously ran its worldwide headquarters out of 345 Park Avenue.

 

Risk, regulatory, and financial services advisory dominate the New York practice. Pure strategy work is thinner here than at the other three Big 4 firms, so set expectations accordingly.

 

Training quality is the standard reason candidates pick it. KPMG New York is a reasonable first job for someone who wants structured development and a lighter travel load than most consulting roles.

 

What Other Major Consulting Firms Hire in New York?

 

Beyond MBB and the Big 4, a large tier of global firms recruits aggressively in New York. These offices often have better acceptance odds than MBB while still offering serious client work and strong exit options.

 

Accenture

 

Accenture runs one of the largest consulting workforces in New York, concentrated in Midtown. The main industries served out of the city are financial services, products, and public services.

 

The work skews toward technology delivery, analytics, and large systems implementation rather than pure strategy. Accenture New York is the best fit for candidates who want to build technical depth alongside client skills.

 

These firms also have meaningful New York presences worth adding to your list.

 

• Kearney: operations and supply chain strategy with a strong consumer and industrials client base

 

• L.E.K. Consulting: commercial due diligence and life sciences strategy, with a heavily analytical case format

 

• Simon-Kucher: pricing and commercial strategy, the deepest specialist bench in that niche

 

• Roland Berger: European-rooted strategy firm with automotive, industrials, and private equity work

 

• ZS Associates: pharmaceutical and medtech commercial strategy, heavy on data analytics

 

What Are the Top Restructuring and Boutique Consulting Firms in New York?

 

New York is the restructuring and economic consulting capital of the United States, and this is the single biggest thing generic firm rankings miss. Bankruptcy courts, creditor committees, litigation counsel, and distressed debt funds all cluster in Manhattan, which supports a category of firm that barely exists in most other cities.

 

Alvarez & Marsal

 

Alvarez & Marsal was founded in New York in 1983 and still runs its global headquarters from 600 Madison Avenue, floor 8, near Central Park. The office covers nearly 150,000 square feet and the firm now employs more than 10,000 professionals worldwide.

 

Restructuring, private equity performance improvement, and the Transaction Advisory Group are the largest hiring teams. The firm handled the Lehman Brothers wind-down, which remains the defining credential in the space.

 

Cases are candidate-led and finance-heavy, often paired with a modeling test. Estimated average analyst base pay at Alvarez & Marsal New York is about $108,771 as of May 2026 Glassdoor data, plus a discretionary bonus.

 

AlixPartners

 

AlixPartners competes directly with Alvarez & Marsal on turnaround and performance improvement mandates. The firm's model favors people who like operating inside a client rather than writing recommendations from the outside.

 

Hours run long and the work is often adversarial, since creditors and management rarely agree. Candidates who thrive at AlixPartners New York tend to come from banking, distressed investing, or operations backgrounds rather than straight from a liberal arts degree.

 

Which Economic Consulting Firms Are Based in New York?

 

Economic consulting firms apply econometrics and expert testimony to litigation, antitrust, and regulatory matters. The work is closer to applied research than to strategy, and it is a strong path for economics, statistics, and mathematics majors who want rigor over slide decks.

 

• NERA Economic Consulting: headquartered in New York since 1961 and now part of the Oliver Wyman Group

 

• Cornerstone Research: securities and financial litigation, with a finance-heavy New York office

 

• Analysis Group: healthcare, antitrust, and intellectual property economics

 

• Charles River Associates: competition economics plus a management consulting arm

 

• The Brattle Group: energy, utilities, and regulatory economics

 

How Much Do Consultants in New York Get Paid?

 

Undergraduate hires at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain earn a base salary of roughly $112,000 to $115,000 in 2026, and post-MBA hires earn about $190,000 to $192,000. Total first-year compensation for an undergraduate hire lands near $132,000 once signing and performance bonuses are included, based on 2026 Levels.fyi and Glassdoor data.

 

Role and firm	2026 base salary	Notes
Business Analyst, McKinsey	$112,000	Total first-year compensation near $132,000
Associate, BCG	$115,000	Undergraduate entry point, plus signing bonus
Associate, McKinsey (post-MBA)	$192,000	Total first-year compensation around $262,000
Consultant, BCG (post-MBA)	$190,000	Within a few percent of McKinsey at the same level
Analyst, Alvarez & Marsal New York	About $108,771	Estimated average, May 2026 Glassdoor data, plus discretionary bonus
All levels, Oliver Wyman New York	Varies	Total compensation of about $116,000 to $340,000, per 2026 Levels.fyi data

 

Here's the part almost nobody tells you. MBB uses standardized national pay scales, which means a Business Analyst in New York earns the same base as one in Dallas, Atlanta, or Chicago.

 

Manhattan's cost of living runs about 139% above the US average according to March 2026 Cost of Living Index data from the Council for Community and Economic Research, and average monthly rent across New York City sits near $5,204. New York also layers a city income tax on top of federal and state, which no other MBB office location does.

 

The practical result: your New York offer buys meaningfully less than the identical offer in a Sun Belt office. Candidates comparing offices should run the numbers rather than assume that the biggest market pays the most, and the same logic applies across the wider management consultant salary range.

 

New York still wins for many people, and the reasons are real. Client sites are usually a subway ride away, so weekly flying is rarer than at most offices, and the alumni density makes exits into private equity and hedge funds easier to source.

 

How Do You Land an Offer at a Top New York Consulting Firm?

 

Landing a New York consulting offer takes the same case and fit preparation as any other office, plus two things specific to the city: an early application and a credible reason for choosing New York over a less contested location. Having coached hundreds of candidates one on one, I've watched more people lose New York on timing than on case performance.

 

Tip #1: Apply in the first window, not the second

 

MBB deadlines moved earlier again in the 2026 cycle. Yale's Office of Career Strategy listed Bain Associate Consultant deadlines in July 2026 and noted that some firm deadlines opened as early as March 29, while Tufts published a McKinsey Business Analyst internship deadline of March 29, 2026.

 

Second-window applicants compete for fewer remaining slots against reviewers with less bandwidth. Map the full consulting recruiting timeline backward from the earliest deadline on your list and work from there.

 

Tip #2: Pick New York for a reason you can defend

 

Every New York interviewer has heard "I want to be in the city" a hundred times. Say something specific instead: the office's insurance practice, its private equity diligence work, or a partner whose published work you actually read.

 

Office choice is also a strategic lever. If your profile is borderline, applying to a smaller office with a better seat-to-applicant ratio is often the difference between an offer and a ding.

 

Tip #3: Get comfortable with finance-heavy cases

 

New York client work skews toward banks, insurers, asset managers, and sponsors. That shows up in the cases: more balance sheet vocabulary, more valuation logic, and more comfort expected with terms like net interest margin, loss ratio, and multiple expansion.

 

You do not need a finance degree. You do need to stop freezing when a case opens with a bank instead of a beverage company.

 

Tip #4: Use the alumni density

 

The McKinsey New York alumni network alone tops 3,000 people in the metro area, and every other major firm has a similar concentration. No other city gives you that many warm outreach targets within one commuter rail system.

 

Referrals matter more than most candidates believe. A referral from a current consultant in the specific office you applied to is the single most effective move available to you before the interview.

 

Tip #5: Apply to more than three firms

 

Candidates fixate on MBB and then have nothing left when the dings arrive in November. The Big 4 strategy arms, Kearney, L.E.K., Oliver Wyman, and the restructuring firms all run real recruiting cycles in New York with better odds.

 

Build a list of eight to twelve firms across tiers. An offer from a strong tier 2 firm gives you negotiating power and a lateral path that a rejection does not.

 

Tip #6: Do not neglect the fit interview

 

Strong case performance gets undone by a flat behavioral round more often than candidates expect. New York offices interview so many technically capable people that fit becomes the tiebreaker.

 

Prepare three or four detailed stories on leadership, impact, and conflict, and rehearse them out loud. My fit interview course covers 98% of the questions you'll be asked in a few hours.

 

Which New York Consulting Firm Is Right for You?

 

The best New York firm depends on the work you want, not on which brand sounds most impressive at a family dinner. Use the matches below as a starting shortlist.

 

• Best for general strategy and exits: McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, in that order for optionality

 

• Best for banking and insurance work: Oliver Wyman, followed by McKinsey's financial services practice

 

• Best for private equity diligence: Bain, EY-Parthenon, or L.E.K. Consulting

 

• Best for distressed and turnaround work: Alvarez & Marsal or AlixPartners

 

• Best for technology and delivery: Accenture, Deloitte, or PwC

 

• Best for quantitative and research-driven work: NERA, Cornerstone Research, or Analysis Group

 

• Best odds from a non-target school: Deloitte, Accenture, or KPMG

 

The top consulting firms in New York reward candidates who choose deliberately and start early, not the ones who apply everywhere in September and hope something sticks. Pick three or four offices whose actual client work you can speak to, then build your case and fit preparation around the specific interview formats those firms use.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Which consulting firms are headquartered in New York City?

 

McKinsey, Oliver Wyman, Alvarez & Marsal, and NERA Economic Consulting all run their global operations out of Manhattan. All four Big 4 firms also base their US leadership in New York, with Deloitte at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, PwC at 300 Madison Avenue, EY at One Manhattan West, and KPMG at Two Manhattan West. No other American city holds this many consulting headquarters.

 

How much do consultants make in New York City?

 

Undergraduate hires at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain earn a base salary of roughly $112,000 to $115,000 in 2026, and post-MBA hires earn about $190,000 to $192,000. Total first-year compensation for an undergraduate hire lands near $132,000 once the signing and performance bonuses are included. These are national pay scales, so a New York offer pays the same base as a Dallas or Atlanta offer at the same level.

 

Is it harder to get a consulting offer in New York than in other cities?

 

Yes. New York offices receive more applications per seat than almost any other location because Columbia, NYU, and the Northeast Ivies all sit within a short train ride, and many candidates from other regions list New York as their first choice. Smaller offices in cities like Atlanta, Dallas, or Houston have a meaningfully better ratio of seats to applicants at the same firms.

 

Which New York consulting firms are best for finance and private equity work?

 

Oliver Wyman and McKinsey run the deepest financial services practices in New York, and Bain New York is heavily weighted toward private equity due diligence. On the restructuring side, Alvarez & Marsal and AlixPartners both handle distressed and turnaround work for sponsors and lenders. Economic consulting firms such as NERA and Cornerstone Research add a securities and antitrust track that suits candidates with strong econometrics skills.

 

Do consultants in New York travel less than consultants in other offices?

 

Often, yes. A large share of New York client work sits inside Manhattan, so many teams commute to a client site by subway rather than flying out on Monday morning. This is one of the real advantages of a New York office, though staffing still depends on which industry practice you join and whether your client is headquartered locally.

 

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