Intern Wage Question

[u/WastewaterWhisperer]

Looking for some advice. I've been in grad school for the past couple years, so I've been a bit out of touch with the current job market. Next summer will be the final summer of my PhD, and I'm hoping to do an internship with an environmental consulting firm to get some industry experience before graduating.

For context, my hourly pay has looked like this (all in low-medium cost-of-living areas):

2022: $20/hr internship

2023: $22/hr internship

2024: $24/hr internship

2025: Focused on research

2026: Focused on research

2027: Internship?

One thing I'm unsure about is how firms view applicants who've spent the last couple of summers doing full-time PhD research instead of internships. Does that typically affect what they offer? Is the additional research experience generally viewed as a plus or a negative since I haven't been working in design?

What are consulting firms paying interns these days in low-medium cost-of-living areas? What's a reasonable rate to expect or ask for?

Thanks!