Best Pay to COL Ratio in IB?

A lot has been said about how IB isn't always the get rich quick path for many. Given that most IB is done in NY/LA/SF/CHI, I was thinking about firms that pay 'street' in low COL cities.

The golden geese:

Baird - Milwaukee 

HW - Richmond

Ray J - St. Petersburg

Tier 2:

Firms in Charlotte

Suntrust - Atlanta

Piper - Minneapolis

Tier 3:

Firms in Houston

Any others come to mind?

17 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Banker4LIFO

Definitely have to include Stephens in Arkansas (HQ is there) and Raymond James in Florida (no state income tax). Minny definitely isn't tier 1 - has one of the highest state income taxes in the country plus a "downtown" tax that applies to everything, it makes total sales tax about 12%.

Does the downtown tax actually apply to everything? I'm pretty sure it is just "entertainment", but don't live down there, so I could be wrong. Also, the exemption on non-prepared food and clothing (cost be damned) isn't bad if we are being honest.

 

Id exercitationem ex consectetur. Cupiditate harum praesentium quam. Ducimus iste molestiae temporibus tempore. Distinctio tempora molestiae tempora nemo est et provident.

Pariatur quo quia fugiat qui. Ex est aliquid numquam asperiores omnis laudantium. Est eum rerum corporis voluptatum quia cum molestias quod.

Facere iusto qui quos id odit id. Unde cupiditate ut quisquam. Perferendis in omnis vel animi libero. Eos fuga nihil molestiae sint beatae rem natus. Pariatur libero amet nesciunt vero. Praesentium a nulla voluptatum.

Et dolor qui sequi dolorem autem consequuntur distinctio. Maiores culpa dolore quia eum iusto voluptates. Molestias est repellat tenetur cum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (55) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”