Consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton is expanding its Charlotte presence, doubling its work force of 20 by the end of the year.

All told, Booz Allen plans to employ 80 in Charlotte by the end of 2014, the firm announced this morning at a Charlotte Chamber news conference.

The average salary of the new hires will range from $80,000 to $150,000, according to Pat Peck, executive vice president and head of Booz Allen's U.S. commercial business.

Booz Allen provides management and technology consulting services to the U.S. government in defense, intelligence and civil markets, and to major corporations, institutions and not-for-profit organizations. Its focus in Charlotte will be in the commercial sector, specifically in the financial services, energy and health care industries.

Booz Allen will be hiring professionals with expertise in these industries who also have experience in business process and systems implementation.

"We are excited about building our footprint in Charlotte," Peck said, "which will help Booz Allen meet its growth plans for the East Coast and throughout the United States."

Bob Morgan, president of the chamber, praised the company's "level of expertise," adding, "hopefully, this is just the beginning of their firm's growth here."

Booz Allen is working with a local real estate representative to review its needs in Charlotte. In the meantime, its employees are working in transitional space and on client sites, as well as serving clients from other Booz Allen locations. The firm is focusing on uptown locations for its expanded work force.

Based in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C., publicly traded Booz Allen has 25,000 employees overall and reported revenue of $5.59 billion for the 12 months ended in March.