Nonprofit executive director salary by state: what filings show
Across 226,109 nonprofits with revenue USD 100k-5M, latest Form 990 or 990-EZ e-filed in 2025-2026, the median pay of the highest-paid officer or key employee is $35,392 at revenue USD 100k-250k, $58,892 at USD 250k-500k, $78,840 at USD 500k-1M and $115,196 at USD 1M-5M, counting only the 42.3% of filers that pay anyone at all. Revenue band explains more of the spread than the state does; the table gives both.
Source: IRS Form 990 / 990-EZ e-file releases (public domain) joined with the Exempt Organizations Business Master File for NTEE codes; one latest return per EIN; universe = revenue USD 100k-5M, latest Form 990 or 990-EZ e-filed in 2025-2026, expenses above zero, 50 states + DC. Medians over filers reporting the field; management and fundraising shares count Form 990 filers only (990-EZ has no split). Data as of 2026-10-31.
| Revenue band | Filers | Pay anyone | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD 100k-250k | 84,685 | 25% | $16,832 | $35,392 | $57,664 |
| USD 250k-500k | 49,247 | 39% | $34,595 | $58,892 | $81,700 |
| USD 500k-1M | 38,417 | 51% | $54,573 | $78,840 | $105,624 |
| USD 1M-5M | 53,760 | 67% | $84,598 | $115,196 | $157,398 |
Top officer = the highest reportable compensation from the organization among the officers, directors, key and highest-compensated employees listed on Form 990 Part VII or 990-EZ Part IV (title and amount only, never a name). Percentiles cover filers that pay anyone; a dash means fewer than 10 of them. Benefits and deferred pay excluded.
Median top officer pay by state and revenue band
All causes combined; filers that pay at least one officer or key employee; a dash means fewer than 10 such filers in the band. Title is usually Executive Director, CEO or President; the figure is the top-paid listed person whatever the title.
| State | Filers | 100k-250k | 250k-500k | 500k-1M | 1M-5M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2,886 | $37,333 | $58,690 | $70,600 | $100,124 |
| Alaska | 879 | $38,955 | $64,550 | $77,594 | $112,250 |
| Arizona | 3,505 | $41,623 | $59,099 | $76,788 | $106,769 |
| Arkansas | 1,693 | $34,924 | $51,525 | $66,737 | $98,950 |
| California | 25,347 | $36,600 | $63,357 | $88,344 | $133,380 |
| Colorado | 5,420 | $37,781 | $64,290 | $86,000 | $119,498 |
| Connecticut | 2,804 | $34,184 | $61,977 | $86,712 | $124,598 |
| Delaware | 925 | $37,150 | $58,835 | $97,375 | $116,905 |
| District of Columbia | 2,983 | $50,000 | $83,333 | $114,474 | $177,672 |
| Florida | 11,446 | $34,000 | $56,496 | $75,252 | $111,867 |
| Georgia | 6,242 | $36,000 | $55,811 | $76,429 | $116,851 |
| Hawaii | 1,225 | $37,470 | $63,164 | $78,385 | $110,255 |
| Idaho | 1,261 | $31,636 | $54,850 | $75,268 | $100,822 |
| Illinois | 8,050 | $32,945 | $60,000 | $78,464 | $119,970 |
| Indiana | 4,704 | $34,928 | $55,000 | $72,372 | $102,955 |
| Iowa | 2,678 | $36,566 | $51,923 | $72,553 | $100,508 |
| Kansas | 2,068 | $36,000 | $57,885 | $71,436 | $97,484 |
| Kentucky | 2,512 | $38,182 | $54,856 | $71,800 | $100,000 |
| Louisiana | 2,431 | $39,667 | $54,574 | $73,000 | $118,306 |
| Maine | 1,567 | $40,250 | $61,704 | $73,654 | $100,608 |
| Maryland | 4,493 | $34,786 | $62,977 | $90,000 | $128,331 |
| Massachusetts | 6,379 | $35,050 | $64,300 | $90,154 | $133,911 |
| Michigan | 6,082 | $38,124 | $60,481 | $70,590 | $107,688 |
| Minnesota | 5,356 | $32,131 | $60,399 | $75,828 | $107,871 |
| Mississippi | 1,435 | $31,000 | $46,800 | $67,710 | $100,000 |
| Missouri | 4,043 | $35,172 | $57,210 | $78,638 | $106,383 |
| Montana | 1,414 | $35,147 | $57,555 | $74,183 | $97,122 |
| Nebraska | 1,643 | $40,103 | $60,000 | $76,911 | $114,231 |
| Nevada | 1,362 | $36,323 | $66,000 | $84,800 | $119,598 |
| New Hampshire | 1,360 | $35,000 | $65,927 | $84,504 | $106,938 |
| New Jersey | 5,687 | $26,200 | $53,822 | $85,510 | $123,600 |
| New Mexico | 1,433 | $37,500 | $56,450 | $74,556 | $102,932 |
| New York | 16,077 | $31,746 | $59,984 | $84,000 | $129,918 |
| North Carolina | 7,040 | $35,890 | $53,400 | $70,915 | $98,549 |
| North Dakota | 836 | $23,750 | $54,525 | $75,998 | $100,672 |
| Ohio | 7,834 | $32,300 | $55,000 | $68,986 | $98,022 |
| Oklahoma | 2,274 | $33,586 | $57,500 | $75,600 | $101,540 |
| Oregon | 3,925 | $37,548 | $58,851 | $77,875 | $110,318 |
| Pennsylvania | 10,292 | $31,179 | $51,276 | $74,777 | $106,527 |
| Rhode Island | 916 | $36,884 | $60,276 | $90,377 | $121,902 |
| South Carolina | 2,942 | $33,489 | $55,166 | $71,553 | $104,172 |
| South Dakota | 911 | $38,200 | $55,361 | $72,852 | $93,600 |
| Tennessee | 4,515 | $36,000 | $54,782 | $77,092 | $112,192 |
| Texas | 15,655 | $36,000 | $57,748 | $75,192 | $113,784 |
| Utah | 1,628 | $32,900 | $50,805 | $82,671 | $107,552 |
| Vermont | 1,145 | $41,054 | $62,912 | $74,700 | $96,208 |
| Virginia | 6,385 | $35,468 | $62,660 | $78,634 | $125,000 |
| Washington | 5,879 | $39,000 | $63,638 | $80,418 | $114,290 |
| West Virginia | 1,286 | $32,000 | $43,946 | $53,902 | $86,630 |
| Wisconsin | 4,515 | $40,000 | $58,000 | $74,605 | $102,296 |
| Wyoming | 741 | $39,100 | $53,978 | $74,052 | $103,400 |
How to read it for your own case
A state median across all causes is a wide net. The cause hubs split the same figures by NTEE group and state, and the USD 49 report narrows to the 10 closest filers to yours (same 3-character code, revenue 0.5-2x, your state first) and shows each one's title and pay with the filing link, which is the form of evidence a board can file as comparability data (see comparability data for small nonprofits).
Paid report
USD 49 one-time: your organization vs the 10 closest named peers on top officer pay, expense split, reserves and revenue mix, with a filing link per peer; USD 79 adds the one-page comparability data sheet for the board file. Checkout opens shortly; the free lookup and pages work meanwhile.