McKinsey Office Locations

Differences between McKinsey US Offices

Industries and cultures vary from region to region. Regional offices will usually have consulting clients in industries that are closest in proximity.

That is, the tech, energy, financial hubs of the country will each have a regional office in their proximity. Cultures will vary from region to region, city to city. There is, of course, the overarching company culture.

  • McKinsey office NYC
    • Financial services focused
  • McKinsey office Houston
    • Energy focused
  • McKinsey office Chicago
    • Supply chain, operational, industrials

from certified user @modelcitizen1"

I think you should first decide whether you want to work in the Northeast, Midwest, or South. Then you can start picking specific cities within those regions.

Looking to Break Into Consulting?

Want to break into a top tier consulting firm? Check out our Consulting Case Study Preparation Guide.

Consulting Case
Preparation Guide

Recommended Reading

 

Just to set expectations, having an internship at Bain does not guarantee a full time offer at McKinsey or BCG. Bain hires a lot more undergrads for it's size compared to McK/BCG (pyramid structure v. diamond structure) so it's less selective, and both BCG and McK try to hire relatively large summer classes and don't leave a lot of slots open for full time hires.

Moreover, Bain gives pretty much every summer an offer regardless of performance (I know Bain summers who were given full time offers before the internship even started so they would choose Bain over McK/BCG) so having the offer isn't worth as much if you're trying to present yourself as qualified for the jump.

That said, of the offices you listed, Atlanta is probably the least competitive to break into.

 
Best Response

Every consulting firm gives their summers a FT offer unless they show psychopathic tendencies or screw up majorly--mainly because whoever gets through the internship is usually very good. HOWEVER you shouldn't say they give out offers regardless of their performance. Because that's simply not true. There are interns at all MBB who were not asked back because of their poor performance.

Also, having an internship at any of the MBB does not guarantee a FT offer at any of the other three. MBB Cross offer at the undergrad level is a lot less common than people think.

Finally, while Bain does have a pyramid structure, it is also significantly smaller than the other two with fewer offices--even in the US. So the number if spots end up being similar to the other two, at least based on what I've heard from MBB friends who graduated this year.

P.S., if location really is the only reason the OP wants to jump ship, I'm guessing it's BCG (in addition to the fact that he calls himself an SA) because Bain doesn't have offices yet in the less popular / populous cities (such as Detroit or Minneapolis). Or, I suppose, the OP could be on the west coast and doesn't like it there.

 

Your exit opps are dependent on your studies which are dependent on your office.

For instance, you will probably have the opportunity to do more financial services studies in the NYC office. Similarly you will likely have the opportunity to do more energy studies in the Houston office. Technically your office doesn't matter, but there is always an informal aspect to the staffing model and firm leadership that know you (your network) are more likely to want to put you on their studies.

So yes this things vary from region to region and office to office, but you can create your own experience depending on how proactive you are about reaching out and getting to know people.

 

I've heard conflicting views on how much office preference matters with respect to gaining an offer. On one end is the view that the firm has one standard: SF=CHI=DET=Timbuktu. I've heard others say that the difference between, say, SF and Cleveland is night and day. I'm guessing that the truth is somewhere in between.

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge on this? Also, if there is an easier path to Cleveland than San Francisco, where is it manifested? At the resume screen, a lower bar to advance to final rounds, or at the offer decision level? Any specific information on the McK and BCG Minneapolis offices would be helpful!

 

^^^ Redninja is dead on.

BCG Chicago is doing and has done extremely well whereas its West Coast presence isn't that great. Bain SF and LA are both strong offices.

I don't know much about McK LA, but their Chicago office is known for a relatively tough lifestyle throughout the firm (I have heard this from BAs from nearly every McK office in the U.S.).

In the broadest generalizations, I believe Chicago is a significantly larger consulting market than LA (the aggregate size of MBB offices is much larger in Chicago, I believe). This might also translate to more local work in Chicago than LA (definitely true at BCG while McK has a lot of travel in general).

 

Chicago has a great mix of industries for strategy work, so you aren't pigeonholed into just one industry (although this obviously depends on how senior/junior you are in your firm, whether or not your firm specializes in a specific industry, etc.).

I'm biased because I grew up in the area, but I love Chicago. It is an amazing city especially for young professionals. There are plenty of great restaurants for foodies, lots of bars/clubs for nightlife, etc. With tons of museums, fun beaches (at least for ~3 months out of the year) and parks, awesome sports teams and more, I think there is really something for everyone. I've lived in New York as well, and I would describe Chicago as a smaller NYC without the omnipresent smell and trash. Also in my opinion, people are noticably a lot nicer.

Considering your wife's situation, it depends on what kind of school she wants to work in. Chicago Public Schools are notoriously bad, but there are similar problems in NYC and LA. If she wanted to go private or higher ed, there are certainly more attractive opportunities. Obviously, she should do some major research on these locations too to make sure she could find work suitable for her.

Good luck with the move!

TCB... you know taking care of business
 
Enjayes:
Chicago has a great mix of industries for strategy work, so you aren't pigeonholed into just one industry (although this obviously depends on how senior/junior you are in your firm, whether or not your firm specializes in a specific industry, etc.).

I'm biased because I grew up in the area, but I love Chicago. It is an amazing city especially for young professionals. There are plenty of great restaurants for foodies, lots of bars/clubs for nightlife, etc. With tons of museums, fun beaches (at least for ~3 months out of the year) and parks, awesome sports teams and more, I think there is really something for everyone. I've lived in New York as well, and I would describe Chicago as a smaller NYC without the omnipresent smell and trash. Also in my opinion, people are noticably a lot nicer.

Considering your wife's situation, it depends on what kind of school she wants to work in. Chicago Public Schools are notoriously bad, but there are similar problems in NYC and LA. If she wanted to go private or higher ed, there are certainly more attractive opportunities. Obviously, she should do some major research on these locations too to make sure she could find work suitable for her.

Good luck with the move!

Thanks for the reply! You have one shiny banana deposited into your account.

Chicago on paper looks pretty good but I wanted an opinion from a resident like you. I’m in my mid 20's so I'd like to live around a similar demographic, mid 20's early 30's. It seems like I-90 is "the" highway, but I know nothing about the CTA. Could you give me some placement tips on train lines, widely perceived "sketchy" locations I don’t want to live in, condo/duplex, vs. townhouse and so on? Any flagship neighborhoods or high-rises?

No pain, no pain.
 

Saepe unde et quam et aspernatur placeat dolore dolorem. Reiciendis et ut nam aliquid omnis. Aliquam quasi ea voluptatem. Quis omnis sit et corporis sed odio vel. Autem aut natus sunt eaque eum laboriosam voluptatum. Voluptates aut voluptate ullam laborum reprehenderit ducimus. Veniam voluptatem ab consequatur velit.

 

Hic omnis sed maiores commodi quas. Voluptas sequi qui rem et alias aut. Harum corporis vel sint alias. Animi magni perferendis amet dolorem qui. Id nobis labore modi reiciendis aut. Architecto eaque sint eius illum debitis dolor et id.

Sed magnam quidem saepe rerum iste et hic. Animi cum rerum dolor quos minima. Animi dolor aliquam ullam iusto dolorem fugiat magnam. Necessitatibus qui qui aut consectetur consectetur consequatur repellendus.

Reprehenderit culpa ut ullam est nesciunt fugiat. Soluta veritatis laboriosam sit at odit error. Sit et ullam corrupti voluptas consectetur accusantium. Reiciendis officia omnis quaerat autem dolorum.

Et facere ea nostrum aliquid dolor est. Et veniam nobis quisquam est. Alias voluptatibus deserunt et dolore perspiciatis odit. Molestiae ipsam eum officiis et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (99) $225
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Senior Consultant (329) $130
  • Consultant (586) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (145) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (342) $102
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1046) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (547) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”