PRACTICE AREA RANKINGS (NORTH AMERICA)
They don’t count…but maybe they should.
Pay matters. Quality of life factors in. Even something as ineffable as prestige is factored into the ranking.
But the quality of service and level of expertise? That’s left out of the Vault Consulting 50. True, it might dilute the purpose of the ranking, but the results are fascinating nonetheless. Like Prestige, the Practice Area Rankings reflect how competitors view each other. That’s because firms share the same clients. They’re connected to the same people – and even move around to different firms. They hear about the people and strategies – the processes and the results. They know as well as anyone who delivers on their promises.
Each year, Vault asks survey respondents to list up to three firms in their practice areas (excluding their own firms). Firms are then ranked by the percentage of respondents who cite them. The survey encompasses 17 practice areas ranging from energy to retail. And respondents are only allowed to vote in areas where they have experience.
In North America, McKinsey dominates, earning the most nods in 10 out of 17 practice areas, including Management and Strategy consulting. Accenture ranked second with the highest percentages across 3 practice areas, highlighted by top finishes in both IT Operations and IT Strategy consulting. Lockheed Martin (Defense), Analysis Group (Economics), BCG (Environment Sustainability), and Booz Allen Hamilton (Public Sector) were also the leading vote categories in one area.
One note: the rankings remained relatively unchanged…at least at the top. In their respective practice areas, every firm ranked either 1st or 2nd in the 2025 held onto those spots this year.
Here are the 5 highest-ranked firms in each of the practice areas in North America:
Data Analytics Consulting
1) Accenture
2) McKinsey & Company
3) Boston Consulting Group
4) IBM Global Business Services
5) Bain & Company
Defense Consulting
1) Lockheed Martin Corporation
2) Northrop Grumman Corporation
3) Booz Allen & Hamilton
4) McKinsey & Company
5) BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
Economic Consulting
1) Analysis Group
2) Cornerstone Research
3) Charles River Associates
4) NERA Economic Consulting
5) McKinsey & Company
Energy Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Boston Consulting Group
3) Bain & Company
4) Accenture
5) Deloitte Consulting
Environmental Sustainability Consulting
1) Boston Consulting Group
2) McKinsey & Company
3) Bain & Company
4) Deloitte Consulting
5) Ernst & Young
Financial Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Bain & Company
3) Deloitte Consulting
4) Ernst & Young
5) Boston Consulting Group
Health Sciences Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
4) Boston Consulting Group
3) L.E.K. Consulting
4) ZS
5) Clearview Healthcare Partners
Human Resources Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Deloitte Consulting
3) Korn Ferry
4) Boston Consulting Group
5) Mercer LLC
IT Operations Consulting
1) Accenture
2) Deloitte Consulting
3) IBM Global Business Services
4) KPMG
5) McKinsey & Company
IT Strategy Consulting
1) Accenture
2) Deloitte Consulting
3) IBM Global Business Services
4) McKinsey & Company
5) Boston Consulting Group
Management Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Boston Consulting Group
3) Bain & Company
4) Deloitte Consulting
5) Accenture
Operations Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Boston Consulting Group
3) Bain & Company
4) Accenture
5) Deloitte Consulting
Pricing, Sales & Marketing Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Boston Consulting Group
3) Bain & Company
4) Simon-Kucher
5) Accenture
Public Sector Consulting
1) Booz Allen Hamilton
2) Deloitte Consulting
3) McKinsey & Company
4) Accenture
5) Boston Consulting Group
Retail Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Boston Consulting Group
3) Bain & Company
4) Accenture
5) Deloitte Consulting
Strategy Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Boston Consulting Group
3) Bain & Company
4) Deloitte Consulting
5) Accenture
Technology, Media & Telecommunications Consulting
1) McKinsey & Company
2) Accenture
2) Boston Consulting Group
4) Bain & Company
5) Deloitte Consulting
Next Page: Diversity Rankings