The 2009 prestige rankings of the top management and strategy consulting firms have arrived! This year’s survey is based on surveys of more than 4,000 consultants.
Rankings methodology:For the 2008 Vault consulting survey, we selected a list of top consulting firms to include. These consulting firms were chosen because of their prominence in the consulting industry and their interest to consulting job seekers. This year, over 4,000 consultants responded to our survey.
The Vault survey was distributed to the firms on Vault’s list in spring 2008. In some cases, Vault contacted practicing consultants directly. Survey respondents were asked to rate each consulting firm on the survey on a scale of 1 to 10 based on prestige, with 10 being the most prestigious. Consultants were unable to rate their own firm, and they were asked to rate only those firms with which they were familiar.
Vault collected the survey results and averaged the score for each firm. The firms were then ranked, with the highest score being No. 1, down to No. 50.
We also asked survey respondents to give their perceptions of other consulting firms besides their own. A selection of those comments is featured on each firm profile as The Buzz.
Remember that Vault’s top-50 strategy consulting firms are chosen by practicing consultants at top consulting firms. Vault does not choose or influence the rankings. The rankings measure perceived prestige (as determined by consulting professionals) and not revenue, size or lifestyle.
|
2009
RANK |
FIRM
|
SCORE
|
2008
RANK |
HEADQUARTERS/
LARGEST OFFICE |
|
1
|
McKinsey & Company
|
8.430
|
1
|
New York, NY
|
|
2
|
The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.
|
8.089
|
2
|
Boston, MA
|
|
3
|
Bain & Company
|
7.966
|
3
|
Boston, MA
|
|
4
|
Booz & Company
|
6.535
|
4
|
New York, NY
|
|
5
|
Monitor Group
|
6.296
|
5
|
Cambridge, MA
|
|
6
|
Mercer LLC
|
6.160
|
9
|
New York, NY
|
|
7
|
Deloitte
|
5.844
|
8
|
New York, NY
|
|
8
|
Oliver Wyman
|
5.755
|
6
|
New York, NY
|
|
9
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
|
5.572
|
NR
|
New York, NY
|
|
10
|
L.E.K. Consulting
|
5.426
|
13
|
Boston, MA
London |
|
11
|
Ernst & Young LLP
|
5.388
|
NR
|
New York, NY
London |
|
12
|
A.T. Kearney
|
5.373
|
15
|
Chicago, IL
|
|
13
|
IBM Global Business Services
|
5.352
|
11
|
Armonk, NY
|
|
14
|
Accenture
|
5.314
|
14
|
New York, NY
|
|
15
|
The Parthenon Group
|
5.306
|
10
|
Boston, MA
|
|
16
|
KPMG LLP
|
5.246
|
NR
|
New York, NY
|
|
17
|
Katzenbach Partners LLC
|
5.146
|
16
|
New York, NY
|
|
18
|
Towers Perrin
|
4.848
|
18
|
Stamford, CT
|
|
19
|
Capgemini
|
4.752
|
22
|
New York, NY
Paris |
|
20
|
Gartner, Inc.
|
4.728
|
12
|
Stamford, CT
|
|
21
|
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
|
4.684
|
20
|
New York, NY
Munich |
|
22
|
ZS Associates
|
4.645
|
24
|
Evanston, IL
|
|
23
|
Cambridge Associates LLC
|
4.588
|
21
|
Boston, MA
|
|
24
|
Hewitt Associates
|
4.541
|
23
|
Lincolnshire, IL
|
|
25
|
NERA Economic Consulting
|
4.540
|
27
|
White Plains, NY
|
|
26
|
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
|
4.539
|
29
|
Chicago, IL
|
|
27
|
AlixPartners, LLP
|
4.457
|
26
|
Southfield, MI
|
|
28
|
BearingPoint, Inc.
|
4.433
|
28
|
McLean, VA
|
|
29
|
Watson Wyatt Worldwide
|
4.355
|
25
|
Arlington, VA
|
|
30
|
Kurt Salmon Associates
|
4.276
|
36
|
Atlanta, GA
|
|
31
|
CRA International, Inc.
|
4.275
|
30
|
Boston, MA
|
|
32
|
Huron Consulting Group
|
4.261
|
39
|
Chicago, IL
|
|
33
|
Arthur D. Little
|
4.186
|
40
|
Boston, MA
Paris |
|
34
|
Diamond Inc.
|
4.149
|
45
|
Chicago, IL
|
|
35
|
PRTM
|
4.131
|
33
|
Mountain View, CA
Waltham, MA |
|
36
|
Gallup Consulting
|
4.055
|
31
|
Washington, DC
|
|
37
|
The Advisory Board Company
|
4.020
|
38
|
Washington, DC
|
|
38
|
FTI Consulting, Inc.
|
3.925
|
46
|
Baltimore, MD
|
|
39
|
First Manhattan Consulting Group
|
3.859
|
42
|
New York, NY
|
|
40
|
Corporate Executive Board
|
3.844
|
41
|
Washington, DC
|
|
41
|
Cornerstone Research
|
3.838
|
37
|
New York, NY
San Francisco, CA |
|
42
|
Mitchell Madison Group LLC
|
3.790
|
NR
|
New York, NY
|
|
43
|
LECG
|
3.782
|
35
|
Emeryville, CA
|
|
44
|
Alvarez & Marsal
|
3.758
|
43
|
New York, NY
|
|
45
|
Mars & Co
|
3.737
|
48
|
Greenwich, CT
|
|
46
|
Aon Consulting Worldwide
|
3.624
|
49
|
Chicago, IL
|
|
47
|
Analysis Group, Inc.
|
3.519
|
47
|
Boston, MA
|
|
48
|
Archstone Consulting
|
3.512
|
NR
|
Stamford, CT
|
|
49
|
Hay Group
|
3.415
|
44
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
|
50
|
IMS Health Incorporated
|
3.370
|
NR
|
Norwalk, CT
|