What are the tiers of consulting?
Sarah Garza
Updated on April 02, 2026
The four key types of consulting firms
- #1: Strategy. ex: BCG.
- #2: Implementation. ex: Accenture.
- #3: Functional specialist. ex: FTI.
- #4: Industry specialist. ex: Chartis Group.
What is a Tier 1 consultant?
Tier 1 is the MBB – McKinsey, BCG, Bain. Big 4 – PwC, KPMG, EY, Deloitte. Tier 2 – Strategy&, Oliver Wayman, Kearney, Roland Berger, LEK.
How much do top tier consultants make?
Top Tier Consulting Salaries
| Job Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Senior Consultant salaries – 3 salaries reported | $103,759/yr |
| Consultant salaries – 2 salaries reported | $76,597/yr |
| Manager salaries – 1 salaries reported | $254,401/yr |
| Business Analyst salaries – 1 salaries reported | $63,543/yr |
What is a Tier 2 Consulting Firm?
Tier 2 firms are a step below those in reputation and potentially price. In many cases, the service isn’t their primary offering, but they still offer a competitive service. Tier 3 firms offer the service, but aren’t known for it, and may try and win deals on price rather than expertise.
What is the most prestigious consulting firm?
2021 Most Prestigious Consulting Firms
- #1. SCORE 8.982. 2020 Rank 1. McKinsey & Company.
- #2. SCORE 8.768. 2020 Rank 2. Boston Consulting Group.
- #3. SCORE 8.630. 2020 Rank 3. Bain & Company.
- #4. SCORE 7.275. 2020 Rank 4.
- #5. SCORE 6.856. 2020 Rank 5.
- #6. SCORE 6.675. 2020 Rank 7.
- #7. SCORE 6.620. 2020 Rank 8.
- #8. SCORE 6.537. 2020 Rank 6.
Is Kearney prestigious?
A.T. Kearney and Bain are two of the top consulting firms in the world. They are elite organizations that offer employees a blend of prestige, high compensation, and exciting opportunities.
What is a top tier consulting firm?
The top-tier consulting firms are collectively known as MBB, which stands for McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. These three companies are the most prestigious management consulting firms to work for. MBB hires the smartest people, pays the highest compensation, and has the best exit opportunities.
Is Accenture a Tier 1 consulting firm?
At the highest level, if you’re talking strategy, MBB is the top tier. If you’re talking implementation, it’s probably Accenture, Deloitte and IBM. There are significant variations below that highest level due to variances in specific areas of expertise and industry specialization.
Which is the best Tier 1 consulting firm?
Tier 1 firms are the best in their field. They have both the expertise and reputation as the go-to companies in the particular field. Tier 2 firms are a step below those in reputation and potentially price. In many cases, the service isn’t their primary offering, but they still offer a competitive service.
Who are the best IT consulting companies in the world?
2019’s Top Technology Consulting Companies. Digital McKinsey. For clients looking for the best IT consulting services, Digital McKinsey is a one-stop-shop for all things related to IT, data, and technology. This top IT consulting firm offers over 20 different services, each grouped into specific goals to help clients:
What makes a firm Tier1 or Tier2?
What makes a firm Tier1 is that its top notch across different regions and industries. That certainly holds true for McK and BCG, and mostly also for Bain. The Tier2 firms each have unique strengths and weaknesses.
Are there any consulting firms that do strategy?
The irony is that they are all management consulting firms that do a bit of everything, so do more than the others do, but you can do strategy work or IT implementation work at most of those firms.
