The question we heard most often when collecting data for our 2026 Independent Consultant Rate Report was some version of this: “I don’t have a sense of the going rate for someone with my experience, in my kind of work.” So we put together this interactive tool you can use to explore the data. Enter your rate to see where you land, then experiment with what moves the number.
Individual responses never reach this page. Every figure is a group median, and any group smaller than people is hidden — to protect the people who answered, and because an average of one or two tells you nothing.
Where do you land?
Enter your hourly rate — or your hourly equivalent, if you bill by project, month, or retainer. Add any of your profile to compare against consultants like you.
The patterns behind the number
These hold across the whole sample. They're associations, not guarantees. The dashed line on each chart is the overall median, $185 — so you can see at a glance what sits above it.
How you bill
How you set rates
Revenue from retainers
Expenses
Experience in your field
What separates higher rates from lower
The through line: consultants who earn more tend to set their rate on their own terms — pricing to value and not flexing by client.