Management Analyst Salary in 2026: National, by State, City, Specialty & Real Value

A management analyst in the United States earns a median of $101,860 a year, about $48.97 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025). Pay runs from roughly $60,640 at the 10th percentile to $171,640 at the 90th, and it swings further once you account for state, metro, setting, specialty, cost of living, and tax. About 898,280 management analysts work nationwide. This guide is the complete picture: national and percentile pay, all 50 states ranked by real (cost-adjusted) value, top metros, settings, specialties, take-home after tax, the path in, the return on the degree, and answers to the questions people ask most.

National pay overview

The national median for management analysts is $101,860 a year ($48.97 an hour), with a mean of $113,790. The full wage curve, from entry to senior:

Percentile	Annual	Hourly
10th (entry)	$60,640	$29.15
25th	$77,950	$37.48
50th (median)	$101,860	$48.97
75th	$133,370	$64.12
90th (senior)	$171,640	$82.52

The gap from the 10th to the 90th percentile is about $111,000. A single national number hides that range, which is why the rest of this guide breaks pay down by every factor that moves it, and then translates the headline into cost-adjusted, after-tax dollars.

The mean of $113,790 sits above the median, which tells you the top of the field pulls the average up: a meaningful share of management analysts earn well into the upper percentiles through specialty, setting, geography, and seniority. The practical question is what you can earn given where you work, what you specialize in, and how you structure your hours, which matters far more than the field-wide average. Each section below answers one piece of that.

Pay by experience

BLS does not publish pay by years of experience, but the percentiles map closely to a career arc:

Stage	Typical percentile	Annual
New graduate	10th to 25th	$60,640 to $77,950
Mid-career	~50th	around $101,860
Experienced	~75th	around $133,370
Senior / specialized / lead	90th+	$171,640 and up

The climb from new graduate to senior is roughly $111,000. Early raises tend to come fastest as you move off new-grad pay; by mid-career the curve flattens, and the people who keep climbing usually do so by specializing, switching to a higher-paying setting or state, taking on lead and management duties, or adding hours through overtime and extra work. Geography and setting can outweigh experience entirely: an experienced management analyst in a low-paying state can earn less than a new graduate in a top-paying one.

Salary by state: all 50 states ranked by real value

This is the table most management analyst salary pages leave out. Below are every state and Washington, D.C., ranked by real value (the median adjusted for that state’s cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024)) rather than by sticker pay. A high-paying state with high costs can leave you worse off than a moderate-paying, low-cost one. Tap a linked state for the full local breakdown.

#	State	Median (nominal)	Cost level (US=100)	Real value	Employed
1	Massachusetts	$134,720	105.8	$127,386	30,060
2	Alabama	$108,040	88.8	$121,635	4,900
3	Virginia	$117,580	101.1	$116,296	59,620
4	Maryland	$121,680	105.0	$115,931	19,170
5	District of Columbia	$126,140	109.9	$114,776	19,000
6	Oklahoma	$99,420	87.8	$113,179	5,760
7	Vermont	$107,520	98.0	$109,761	730
8	West Virginia	$97,470	89.5	$108,909	1,740
9	Louisiana	$95,540	88.2	$108,313	4,760
10	Tennessee	$99,260	91.9	$108,044	13,700
11	South Carolina	$100,660	93.7	$107,372	12,340
12	Missouri	$97,270	90.8	$107,105	10,030
13	Wyoming	$98,540	92.7	$106,310	390
14	Kentucky	$95,630	90.2	$106,068	4,550
15	Wisconsin	$98,780	94.1	$104,979	11,670
16	North Carolina	$98,560	94.3	$104,489	22,200
17	Texas	$101,400	97.1	$104,475	50,990
18	Illinois	$104,270	100.0	$104,314	45,820
19	New York	$112,250	107.9	$104,011	69,150
20	Georgia	$99,600	96.3	$103,434	38,390
21	Montana	$97,470	94.6	$102,985	1,590
22	Indiana	$95,560	93.3	$102,390	11,770
23	Minnesota	$100,790	98.6	$102,199	20,700
24	Washington	$109,170	107.0	$102,016	24,760
25	Colorado	$104,750	103.1	$101,648	14,360
26	Ohio	$94,270	92.8	$101,613	25,120
27	North Dakota	$90,220	89.0	$101,418	n/a
28	Connecticut	$104,960	103.6	$101,303	8,000
29	New Mexico	$93,180	92.2	$101,050	3,910
30	New Hampshire	$104,270	104.2	$100,101	2,670
31	Delaware	$99,480	99.8	$99,671	4,120
32	Oregon	$101,840	103.4	$98,528	10,840
33	Alaska	$100,190	102.4	$97,881	460
34	Iowa	$85,530	87.8	$97,457	4,150
35	Rhode Island	$99,640	102.3	$97,419	4,100
36	Michigan	$93,640	96.2	$97,322	13,010
37	New Jersey	$105,820	108.8	$97,257	22,080
38	Pennsylvania	$93,830	97.6	$96,165	34,420
39	South Dakota	$83,620	88.6	$94,394	2,980
40	Idaho	$88,710	95.5	$92,896	3,700
41	Arizona	$93,310	100.7	$92,683	17,190
42	Hawaii	$101,750	110.0	$92,541	2,920
43	California	$101,460	110.7	$91,637	137,280
44	Kansas	$81,210	90.1	$90,165	5,280
45	Florida	$88,610	103.4	$85,685	71,060
46	Utah	$83,530	98.9	$84,490	5,670
47	Arkansas	$72,950	86.9	$83,911	6,250
48	Nebraska	$75,360	90.1	$83,638	2,740
49	Nevada	$81,600	100.0	$81,617	4,550
50	Mississippi	$69,390	87.0	$79,802	3,160
51	Maine	$75,530	97.0	$77,826	2,910

On real, cost-adjusted value, Massachusetts leads at $127,386, while Maine trails at $77,826. By raw sticker pay the order is different: Massachusetts ($134,720), District of Columbia ($126,140), and Maryland ($121,680) pay the most nominally, but several of them slide down the list once high housing and prices are counted. That reordering is the single most useful thing this page does, and it is why national averages and sticker rankings can steer you wrong.

Concrete example of the flip: New Jersey ranks #9 by sticker pay ($105,820) but only #37 once its cost level of 109 is applied, because high prices eat the higher salary. Meanwhile Louisiana looks middling on sticker (#34) yet climbs to #9 on real value, since a 95,540-dollar median goes much further at a cost level of 88. If you are willing to relocate, the real-value column, not the sticker column, is the one that should guide the decision.

The geographic pattern: the highest sticker pay clusters on the West Coast and in the Northeast, while the best real value often shows up in lower-cost states in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West where a strong salary meets cheap housing. There is no single best state, only the best fit for where you want to live and what your money will buy there.

Highest-paying metros

Within states, metros drive pay further. The largest management analyst job markets by employment, with median pay:

Metro	Median	Employed
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY	$124,390	67,630
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC	$126,830	62,360
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL	$105,090	37,510
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$104,930	37,060
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$101,220	26,870
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA	$135,640	26,450
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$82,990	25,600
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$126,730	23,560
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$102,860	18,010
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$126,340	16,930

The same cost-of-living rule applies inside a state: a higher-paying big metro can lose to a cheaper mid-size city once housing is counted. Big metros also hold the deepest job markets, so they pair the most pay with the most openings, while rural and smaller markets sometimes pay premiums to attract candidates. The state pages work the metro and cost math out city by city.

Salary by work setting

Where management analysts work changes pay as much as geography. National medians by employer type:

Setting	Employed (U.S.)	Median
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	223,280	$105,460
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	76,570	$115,920
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	66,540	$77,440
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	58,280	$111,490
Management of Companies and Enterprises	52,380	$101,030
Insurance Carriers	43,000	$99,520
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	34,190	$101,150

The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying settings is real money over a career, and it usually comes with trade-offs in pace, caseload, autonomy, and schedule rather than in difficulty alone. The largest employer is not always the best payer, so it is worth weighing where the volume of jobs is against where the pay is when you choose a setting.

How it compares to related careers

It helps to see a management analyst beside the roles people weigh against it, with pay set next to the education each requires:

Role	National median	Education
Financial Analyst	$102,740	Bachelor’s (CFA/MBA)
Management Analyst (this role)	$101,860	Bachelor’s (MBA helps)
Operations Manager	$105,770	Bachelor’s + experience
Chief Executive	$213,990	Bachelor’s + experience

The higher-paid financial analyst ($102,740) sits $880 above, but on a longer or different training path. The right comparison is always pay set against the time, cost, and debt of the credential, not pay alone.

Skills, credentials, and what they mean for pay

There is no license to be a management analyst; skills, experience, and the firm tier gate pay. A bachelor’s is typical, an MBA helps for many paths, and the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) is an optional credential. The biggest pay differences come from the employer, elite strategy firms and large consultancies pay far more than in-house or government analyst roles, and from specialization and seniority.

Licensing is not just a hurdle, it shapes pay. Where a role can practice more independently or bill for more services, it tends to command more, and license portability between states affects how easily you can chase a higher-paying market. Always confirm the current rules with the relevant state board, since scope and requirements change and vary widely.

Specialties and where the pay is

Pay varies enormously by firm and specialization. Top strategy and large consulting firms pay multiples of in-house analyst salaries, especially with bonuses, while government and nonprofit roles pay less. Specializing in high-demand areas (technology, healthcare, operations, M&A) and rising from analyst to engagement manager, principal, and partner sharply raises pay; many experienced analysts also go independent at high day rates.

The practical takeaway: within management analysts, specialty and setting usually move pay more than another year of general experience. The top earners are rarely just the most tenured, they are the ones in the higher-paying focus areas, settings, or leadership and ownership roles.

If you are early in the field, the decisions with the biggest long-run payoff are which specialty to pursue and which setting to enter, because both compound over a career and are easier to choose early than to switch later. A credential that takes a year to earn can pay for itself many times over through higher pay and more job options, which is the same logic the ROI section applies to the degree itself.

What moves the pay

• State and metro, and crucially the cost of living that goes with them, which the real-value table reorders.
• Experience, which lifts pay steadily and then plateaus without a specialty or a step up.
• Work setting and employer, since some settings and employers pay well above others, as the settings table shows.
• Specialty and board certification, a clear premium in most of these fields.
• Hours and structure, since overtime, extra shifts, and contract or travel work can push total pay well above base.

Salary, hourly, and total compensation

The $101,860 median is base pay, and real total compensation often runs higher. Pay is salary plus bonus at firms, and the firm tier is the story: at elite strategy and large consulting firms bonuses are substantial, pushing total compensation well above the median, while in-house and public-sector roles are more modest. Many experienced analysts work independently or on contract, billing high day rates instead of drawing a salary. When comparing offers, weigh the whole package, base, any bonus or equity, overtime or premiums where they apply, retirement match, and paid time off, since two offers with the same base can differ by thousands once the rest is counted.

Take-home pay after tax

Two management analysts on the same $101,860 salary keep very different amounts depending on the state. Worked examples on the national median, single filer, 2026 federal plus FICA plus state:

State	Gross	Est. take-home	Effective rate
Texas (no state income tax)	$101,860	$80,045	21.4%
New York	$101,860	$74,981	26.4%
California	$101,860	$74,544	26.8%

That is roughly $5,501 a year more in take-home in no-tax Texas than in California on an identical salary, before cost of living is even counted. Nine states levy no income tax.

Take-home also scales with where you sit on the pay curve. In Texas, an entry-level management analyst earning $77,950 nets about $63,224, while a senior one at $171,640 keeps about $128,069, since higher pay pushes more income into higher federal brackets. The effective rate climbs with income, so a raise is worth somewhat less on take-home than on the headline. Every state page includes a full breakdown and a paycheck calculator to run your own number.

How to maximize earnings

• Target a high-real-value state or metro using the table above, not the highest sticker.
• Move into the higher-paying setting and specialty for your field.
• Add board certification or a specialty credential, which pays a clear premium.
• Use overtime, contract, or travel work to lift total pay, and negotiate the full package.
• Consider leadership or ownership for the higher ceiling.

How pay is changing

Wages for management analysts have broadly risen with demand and inflation, but the real story is in the mix: pay grows fastest where labor is scarce and where the role takes on more responsibility. Watch three things if you are planning a career here, the spread between settings (which keeps widening as specialized and higher-skill roles pull ahead), the value of cost-of-living arbitrage (a strong salary in a cheap state has rarely been worth more relative to expensive coastal markets), and the premium on specialty credentials. The figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, the most recent national data, and the state pages carry the same detail locally.

Job outlook

Employment of management analysts (management consultants) is projected to grow about 9% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with a large roughly 98,100 openings a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As organizations look to cut costs and improve efficiency, demand for consulting keeps rising, with especially strong growth at specialized firms in areas like IT and HR.

For context, the average growth rate across all U.S. occupations through 2034 is about 3%. A large share of yearly openings also comes from replacing workers who retire or move on, so real hiring tends to run ahead of the net-growth figure, and shortage and rural areas often pay the most to attract candidates.

How to become a management analyst

Management analysis (consulting) is a bachelor’s-level path where firm tier and specialization drive pay:

1. Earn a bachelor’s in business, economics, finance, or a related field.
2. Build analytical and communication skills in problem-solving, modeling, and presenting to clients.
3. Target a consulting firm or in-house strategy role, and consider an MBA or the CMC to accelerate.
4. Specialize and advance from analyst to engagement manager, principal, and partner, or go independent at high day rates.

Is it worth it? The return on the degree

A bachelor’s leads to a median near $101,860, with a far higher ceiling at top consulting firms once bonuses are counted, and an MBA can open those doors. The investment is mostly breaking into a strong firm and specializing; many experienced analysts later earn high independent day rates. Weigh program cost, your starting state and setting, and the specialties you can reach against the debt. The pay tables above, set next to the education column in the comparison section, are the honest way to run that math before committing.

Two levers change the answer most: the price of the program you choose, since cost varies enormously between public and private schools, and the state and setting you start in, since the same degree pays very differently across the by-state and settings tables above. A graduate who controls program cost and starts in a high-real-value state can clear the debt years faster than one who does neither, on the identical credential.

Frequently asked questions

State guides and tools

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 and Occupational Outlook Handbook (SOC 13-1111 and related codes); national, state, and metro estimates. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Take-home figures are 2026 estimates (federal, FICA, and state) for a single filer and will vary with deductions and filing status. See our methodology.