Hiring trends provide an overview of the health of the American economy and the ROI potential of a Harvard MBA. Any percentage of hires below 90% in the US is a red flag that the school couldn't facilitate offers in the local job market, either due to the harsh market conditions or from the low influence the school had among employers.
Fortunately, the 2025 Graduating MBA class at Harvard didn't have to worry about any of it.
We observed these 8 regional placement and salary trends:
1. Harvard MBA Placements in the United States: 92% of hires
2. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Mid-Atlantic: Government modernization, Healthcare concentration, and growing Technology corridors
3. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Midwest: A selective market driven by industrial transformation and private capital
4. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Northeast
5. Harvard MBA Hiring in the South: Outsized compensation driven by Healthcare expansion and Consulting Demand
6. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Southwest: A rising market for energy transition, semiconductor investment, and private capital
7. Harvard MBA Hiring in the West: An innovation engine strengthened by AI deployment and cloud-infrastructure acceleration
8. International: 8% of hires, concentrated in private-capital and selective Finance markets
1. Harvard MBA Placements in the United States: 92% of hires
The United States retained 92% of the Class of 2025, a proportion consistent with Harvard's 2021–2024 patterns and reflective of the fact that the US remained the global center of capital formation, AI commercialisation, and management advisory work during Q3 2024 to Q2 2025.
The combination of strong private-equity platforms, mature consulting practices, large Technology clusters, and a sophisticated Healthcare ecosystem meant that most high-paying MBA opportunities continued to be anchored domestically.
Even as global markets became more interconnected, the US held a structural advantage during this period: American firms moved more quickly than European and Asian counterparts in integrating AI into business operations, reshaping M&A pipelines, and deploying capital in private markets, all of which translated directly into robust, well-compensated hiring for MBAs.
2. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Mid-Atlantic: Government modernization, Healthcare concentration, and growing Technology corridors
The Mid-Atlantic attracted 6% of graduates, offering a $180,000 median base and $210,000 total compensation, with hiring across Consulting (29%), Technology (25%), and meaningful placements in Healthcare and Manufacturing (11% each). This distribution reflects the region's evolving industrial base.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas experienced an uptick in tech-enabled government transformation, catalyzed by AI adoption mandates and modernization requirements that began taking shape in late 2024.
Consulting firms scaled their public-sector transformation practices here, creating roles for MBAs capable of navigating regulatory and operational complexity.
Maryland and Pennsylvania's Healthcare systems
Meanwhile, Maryland and Pennsylvania's Healthcare systems, among the most research-intensive in the country, continued hiring for operations and strategy roles, supported by private-equity investment in health services during Q1–Q2 2025.
The Mid-Atlantic, therefore, served as a diversified, second-tier hub, attractive to students looking for mission-driven work or sector-focused roles in Healthcare or public transformation.
3. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Midwest: A selective market driven by industrial transformation and private capital
The Midwest accounted for 5% of hiring and offered notably strong compensation ($190,000 base; $220,000 total). The region's most distinctive feature is its concentration of Consulting (36%) and PE/VC hiring (27%), which is consistent with its industrial and Healthcare-heavy corporate landscape.
Chicago remained a major node for Consulting firms' operations and transformation practices, especially as supply-chain redesign accelerated in late 2024 and into 2025.
Strong Industrials, Manufacturing, and Healthcare Openings
Simultaneously, the Midwest's dense network of industrials, manufacturers, and Healthcare systems created fertile ground for private-equity firms focused on buy-and-build strategies, a theme that intensified during Q3 2024–Q2 2025, when PE capital rotated into defensible, cash-flow-rich sectors.
Note: Harvard's multi-year data show the Midwest as a tight but influential market: small intake volume, but a high concentration of students in 3 key roles.
Download F1GMAT's Harvard MBA Essay Guide
• Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your choices have influenced your career path and aspirations. (up to 300 words)
• Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)
• Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped how you invest in others and how you lead? (up to 250 words)
4. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Northeast
The dominant employment hub, integrating Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, and emergent AI clusters.
The 48% placement share in the Northeast validates the region's status as the undisputed hub of Harvard MBA employment.
Diversified Industry Placements
Compensation remains strong, with $180,000 median base and $210,000 total. The region's diversified industry distribution, 19% Technology, 19% Consulting, 18% PE/VC, and 10% Investment Banking, reflects the unique economic density of Boston and New York.
During Q3 2024 to Q2 2025, New York reasserted its position as the global capital center: private-equity firms ramped operational hiring, hedge funds expanded selective roles related to quant and AI-driven investing, and investment banks restarted targeted recruitment as M&A pipelines reopened.
Boston emerged as a major AI-commercialization corridor
At the same time, Boston emerged as a major AI-commercialisation corridor, supported by deep research institutions and cloud/AI infrastructure investments. These overlapping ecosystems magnified MBA hiring in strategy, Finance, product, and growth roles.
Northeast – Historically the Strongest for Harvard MBA
Harvard's historical data show that the Northeast has consistently absorbed nearly half the class, and in 2025, this dominance strengthened due to simultaneous acceleration across four industries.
Related: See our detailed 5-year Harvard MBA Salary and Placement trend analysis with F1GMAT Premium
5. Harvard MBA Hiring in the South: Outsized compensation driven by Healthcare expansion and Consulting Demand
The South recruited 4% of graduates but delivered some of the highest compensation levels, with $191,000 median base and $221,000 total compensation.
Economic Diversification
The region's industry distribution highlights a 41% Consulting share, supported by rapid economic diversification in states like Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, where firms expanded operations, logistics, and data-center constructions.
Strongest Healthcare Placements
Healthcare represented 18%, reflecting the region's large hospital networks and private-equity-backed health providers.
Nearshoring and Supply Chain Relocation
Manufacturing and PE/VC roles rounded out the mix, driven by the South's role in nearshoring and supply-chain relocation, trends that accelerated through late 2024 as US firms responded to geopolitical uncertainty.
For MBAs seeking early leadership roles in high-growth markets, the South offered attractive opportunities despite its smaller intake.
6. Harvard MBA Hiring in the Southwest: A rising market for energy transition, semiconductor investment, and private capital
The Southwest absorbed 5% of graduates and maintained competitive compensation (median $190,000 base; $220,000 total).
The industry mix, 40% Consulting, 20% PE/VC, and 12% Investment Management, captures a region undergoing structural transition.
Texas continued to evolve from an energy-dominant economy into an energy-innovation and digital-infrastructure hub, buoyed by investments in battery storage, renewable-grid technologies, and hydrogen assets.
Semiconductor Expansion in Arizona and Texas – IMPACT on Consulting, PE, and Operational Roles
The semiconductor expansion in Arizona and Texas, accelerated by US industrial policy, had downstream impacts on Consulting hiring, operations roles, and regional private-equity deals.
The market conditions from Q3 2024–Q2 2025, especially private-credit interest in infrastructure and energy-transition projects, contributed directly to MBA hiring in Finance and Consulting.
The Southwest remains a selective but strategically important placement region for students interested in energy, industrials, and tech-operations adjacencies.
Essay Editing - Consult with Atul Jose (Essay Specialist, F1GMAT)
The skills that a writer/editor brings to the table are different from what a former admissions officer or a consultant who has limited writing skills brings
Review Skills # Writing Skills
Movie Critics # Movie Directors
For any questions about the service, email me, Atul Jose, at editor@f1gmat.com
As F1GMAT’s Lead Consultant and Essay Specialist, I will help you structure the essay by:
1) Incorporating your Personal Brand
I will help you find unique life experiences that would differentiate you from the highly competitive Harvard application pool.
2) Including Storytelling elements
I have developed a keen sense of storytelling from over a decade and a half of editing essays and writing essay examples for F1GMAT’s Essay Guides.
The skills that a writer/editor brings to the table are different from what a former admissions officer or a consultant who has limited writing skills brings
Review Skills # Writing Skills
Movie Critics # Movie Directors
It is easy to comment, but it is tough to structure the essay from the perspective of the applicant and turn the essay into a winning application essay.
3) Aligning with the Culture of the School
A big part of editing and guiding applicants is in educating them about the culture of the school
Some schools have very ‘specific’ traits that they are looking for in an applicant.
If you don’t highlight them and lean towards general leadership or cultural narratives, the essay won’t work.
I will guide you through the writing process.
I will also iteratively edit the essays without losing your original voice.
7. Harvard MBA Hiring in the West: An innovation engine strengthened by AI deployment and cloud-infrastructure acceleration
The West attracted 24% of the Class of 2025, supported by high compensation ($190,000 base; $220,000 total) and a distinctly innovation-forward industry mix: 42% Technology, 14% PE/VC, and 14% Consulting. The West's dominance in tech hiring intensified during Q3 2024 to Q2 2025, when major cloud providers, AI foundation-model companies, and enterprise-software platforms moved aggressively into commercial deployment phases.
The development required product leadership, business development, operations, and go-to-market talent, roles well aligned with MBA skill sets.
Enterprise Demand in AI Integration
Simultaneously, Silicon Valley and Seattle saw renewed private-equity activity, particularly in software roll-ups and AI infrastructure investments.
Consulting firms also grew their digital and product practices on the West Coast, responding to heavy enterprise demand for AI integration.
Compared to 2021–2024, the West shows one of the clearest upward hiring trajectories, reflecting its increasing centrality in AI and frontier-technology ecosystems.
8. International: 8% of hires, concentrated in private-capital and selective Finance markets
International placements total 8%, with Asia (3%) and Europe (2%) as primary destinations.
Asia's compensation ($140,000 base; $163,600 total) and hiring distribution, 43% in PE/VC, reflect the continued expansion of private capital in markets such as India and Southeast Asia, where Technology investment and supply-chain repositioning created opportunities.
Europe, by contrast, showed lower compensation norms but a high share of 42% in PE/VC, consistent with London's dominance in European private markets despite slower economic expansion. These outcomes mirror Harvard's historical pattern: international hiring is relatively stable but limited by compensation differentials.
| Regions | % Hired | Median Base Salary | Median Sign On Bonus | Total Salary |
| United States | 92% | |||
| Midatlantic | 6% | $180,000 | $30,000 | $210,000 |
| Midwest | 5% | $190,000 | $30,000 | $220,000 |
| Northeast | 48% | $180,000 | $30,000 | $210,000 |
| South | 4% | $191,000 | $30,000 | $221,000 |
| Southwest | 5% | $190,000 | $30,000 | $220,000 |
| West | 24% | $190,000 | $30,000 | $220,000 |
| International | 8% | |||
| Asia | 3% | $140,000 | $23,600 | $163,600 |
| Canada | <1% | NA | NA | NA |
| Europe | 2% | $145,000 | NA | NA |
| Latin America | <1% | NA | NA | NA |
| Middle East & North Africa | 1% | $128,000 | NA | NA |
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