Executive leadership

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Salary

The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is a senior nonprofit leadership position responsible for overall organizational strategy, governance, and mission delivery. This benchmark reflects total reportable compensation from IRS Form 990 filings — transparent, verifiable, and independent of management.

Also reported as: CEO, Chief Exec, C.E.O., CEO/President, President & CEO, Chief Executive, Executive Officer.

U.S. nonprofits · median

$210,909

median

Half of CEO (Chief Executive Officer)s earn between $139K and $342K.

Organizations

31,501

Coverage

Latest filings

Strong sample

The full distribution

Not one number — a range.

Compensation for this role spans a wide band. The percentile spread below is drawn from 121,892 reported positions across 31,501 organizations.

$81K

$139K

$211K

$342K

$610K

10th25thMedian75th90th

The number depends on organization size

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) pay scales sharply with organization size.

A single national “average” hides more than it tells. Match by size band first — it’s the strongest driver of the range.

Organization size

25th

Median

75th

Orgs

Under $1M

$64,800

$120,485

$221,034

6,393

$1M – $10M

$119,909

$174,911

$257,575

10,982

$10M – $50M

$169,600

$225,044

$324,773

7,760

$50M – $250M

$235,169

$333,802

$495,647

3,264

Over $250M

$373,476

$619,850

$1,063,741

1,353

Total reportable compensation, IRS Form 990. Bands group organizations by total assets reported on Form 990. 25th / 75th are the interquartile range within each band.

Try it

Where would a number land?

Enter a CEO (Chief Executive Officer)’s total compensation to see roughly where it sits in the market distribution.

Total compensation

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) · market distribution

—

Enter a figure to see where it lands.

$139K

$211K

$342K

P25MedianP75

A directional estimate against the market. Your board-ready report places this against a matched peer group and computes the compa-ratio.

About this role

What the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) benchmark represents

What counts toward reported compensation

✓Base salary (Part VII & Schedule J)

✓Bonus & incentive compensation

✓Retirement & deferred compensation

✓Nontaxable benefits & other reportable pay

SOURCE

IRS Form 990 filings

Every figure traces to a public filing. No surveys, no self-reported numbers, no proprietary black box.

MATCHING

Size, geography, mission

Peers are grouped by organization size (total assets), state, and NTEE mission area so the comparison holds up.

SHOWN

Sample size on every band

Organization counts are printed alongside each median, so you can weigh the statistical confidence.

This page is the market. The report is your case.

You’ve seen the range. Your board needs where you land.

The Board Confidence Report places your actual compensation against a matched peer group — with the compa-ratio, full P10–P90 spread, variance signals, and the §4958 documentation your minutes need.

Generate my report · $149 →Free spot-check

On this page vs. in the report

•Market medians & ranges — free, here

✓Your compa-ratio & position in range

✓Full P10–P90 percentile detail against your peers

✓§4958 checklist & board discussion language

✓Board deck & discussion guide — $249 Governance tier

Questions about this benchmark

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) compensation, explained.

How much does a nonprofit CEO (Chief Executive Officer) make?+

The national median total reportable compensation is $210,909, though it varies widely with organization size, geography, and mission area.

Where does this salary data come from?+

Every figure is drawn from IRS Form 990 filings — the annual public return most tax-exempt organizations must file. It reflects actual reported compensation, not survey estimates or self-reported figures.

What is included in the compensation figure?+

Total reportable compensation from Form 990 Part VII and Schedule J: base salary, bonus and incentive pay, retirement and deferred compensation, and other reportable and nontaxable benefits.

How current is the data?+

These benchmarks draw on the most recent IRS Form 990 filings available. Because each nonprofit files on its own tax-year cycle and the IRS posts filings on a lag, the figures are blended across filers rather than tied to a single calendar year.

Is this enough to defend our board’s decision?+

It’s the market context. For a defensible file, your board also needs your organization’s position against a matched peer group and contemporaneous documentation — which is what the Board Confidence Report produces.