Where in the US Do MBA Graduates Earn the Most Money?

By Niamh Ollerton Updated Nov 23, 2018

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Introduction
Dallas top in the south-west
Chicago in third
New York pays out
Atlanta leading the way in the south
San Francisco’s Silicon Valley is best in the west
The top 10

Where in the US Do MBA Graduates Earn the Most Money? main image

Washington DC’s metro area is home to some of the best-paid MBA graduates in the US, according to the latest class data released by Kellogg School of Management.

Kellogg recently released demographic information for its full-time Class of 2018, revealing the average earnings for its graduates working across the US. On average, graduates working in the US earn an impressive $133,324, with those based in Washington DC earning $139,000.

Other areas with a higher than average graduate salary include the metro areas for Philadelphia, Chicago, New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco.

Some of the largest employers found in Washington DC are Medstar Health; INOVA Health; Leidos Holdings Inc.; CSRA Inc.; Deloitte; Booz Allen Hamilton; Marriott International Inc.

Dallas top in the south-west

Grads taking up a position at a business based in the Dallas metropolitan area could earn an average salary of $137,571 – far surpassing the national average.

Dallas – boasting the sixth-largest population in the US with 4.9 million people – has developed a strong industrial and financial sector and is now seen as a major inland port thanks to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Known as “Silicon Prairie,” Dallas is one of the country’s largest employment centers for high technology. Some of the Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the area include: Advance PCS, Neiman Marcus, ExxonMobil; Kimberly-Clark; Dean Foods; Southwest Airlines; AT&T.

Chicago in third

With more Fortune 500 companies in close proximity than anywhere else in the US, it’s easy to see why Chicago sees Kellogg grads earning an average salary of $137,447 – making it the third highest-paid metropolitan area.

Highly-ranked Fortune 500 company HQs can be found in Chicago’s metro area including: Walgreens Boots Alliance (Deerfield); Boeing (Chicago); State Farm Insurance

Other prominent Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Chicago are Abbott Laboratories, Kraft Heinz, ConAgra Foods and Tenneco.

New York pays out

As the Big Apple is home to Wall Street, it’s clear why New York City offers Kellogg grads the highest average salary of $135,018 in the Northeast.

New York state has the third-largest economy in the US and is the leading hub for banking, finance and communication jobs in the US.

Some of the most prominent companies in the area (which also happen to be Fortune 500 companies) include: Verizon; J.P. Morgan Chase; Citigroup; MetLife; Pfizer; AIG; New York Life Insurance; Morgan Stanley.

Atlanta leading the way in the south

Nearly six million people and more than 150,000 businesses call the Atlanta metropolitan area home, and with Kellogg grads earning an average salary of $136,583, it’s easy to see why potential employees would make the move.

Thanks to the region’s low business costs, ease of world travel, a business-friendly environment and its reputation as a logistics hub, many Fortune 500 and 1000 companies have found Atlanta an attractive place to set up shop.

Some Atlanta Fortune 500 companies include: The Home Depot; United Parcel Service (UPS); The Coca-Cola Company; Delta Air Lines; First Data Corporation; Intercontinental Exchange.

San Francisco’s Silicon Valley is best in the west

This year Kellogg graduates took a record number of jobs in the tech industry (28 percent) and one-third of graduates – the highest percentage ever – headed to the West Coast, home to Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley is world-renowned for its position as a global tech hub, and with grads potentially earning an average salary of $134,923 in the San Francisco metro area, we can see why it’s such an appealing location for employees.

Prominent companies in Silicon Valley include: Apple; AMD (Advanced Micro Devices); HP (Hewlett Packard); EA (Electronic Arts); Google; Netflix; Facebook; TESLA Motors.

The top 10

Top 10 best paid regions for Kellogg graduates
Rank	City/Metro	Average salary
1	Washington DC Metro	$139,000
2	Dallas Metro	$137,571
3	Chicago Metro	$137,447
4	Atlanta Metro	$136,583
5	Philadelphia Metro	$136,200
6	NYC Metro	$135,018
7	San Francisco Metro	$134,923
8	Seattle Metro	$131,359
9	Boston Metro	$129,308
10	Los Angeles Metro	$126,308

Major Employers – Full-Time Class of 2018

Companies hiring three or more students	# Hired
Consulting
Accenture Strategy	6
AlixPartners	3
Bain & Company	24
The Boston Consulting Group	33
Chartis Group	3
Deloitte Consulting LLP	12
EY-Parthenon	3
L.E.K. Consulting	3
McKinsey & Company	33
Prophet Brand Strategy	4
PwC Strategy&	3
Consumer Packaged Goods
Anheuser-Busch InBev	4
PepsiCo, Inc.	3
SC Johnson	5
Financial Services
Evercore	3
Goldman, Sachs & Co.	5
JPMorgan Chase & Co.	4
William Blair	3
Healthcare Products and Services
Medtronic, Inc.	3
Manufacturing
Danaher Corporation	6
Fortive Corporation	3
Media/Entertainment
Activisation Blizzard	3
Real Estate
Adobe Systems	8
Amazon	21
Apple Inc.	5
Dropbox	3
Facebook	7
Google	9
IBM	3
Microsoft Corporation	9
Salesforce.com, Inc.	3
Uber	3
VISA Inc.	3
Wayfair, Inc.	4
Total hires	250

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Written by

Niamh Ollerton

Niamh was Deputy Head of Content at QS (TopMBA.com; topuniversities.com), creating and editing content for an international student audience. Having gained her journalism qualification at the Press Association, London and since written for different international publications, she's now enjoying telling the stories of students, alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs and organizations from across the globe.