CEO / Executive Director Salary at US Nonprofits
Free nonprofit compensation benchmarks from 1M+ IRS Form 990 filings.
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Median salary, p10–p90 percentiles, and distribution chart for CEO / Executive Directors across the United States.
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About This Benchmark
DoubleNine provides nonprofit compensation benchmarks using data sourced directly from IRS Form 990 filings — the mandatory annual disclosures filed by tax-exempt organizations. Unlike salary surveys that rely on voluntary self-reporting, Form 990 data is audited, consistent, and publicly available.
The CEO / Executive Director benchmark across the United States draws on filings from tax years 2021–2024, covering total compensation including base salary, bonus, deferred compensation, and nontaxable benefits as reported on Parts VII and Schedule J.
How to Use This Data
- Board compensation reviews: IRS guidance requires boards to conduct comparability analysis using independent compensation data before setting executive pay.
- Candidate offers: Use percentile ranges to calibrate offers relative to the market — typically p25 for smaller orgs, p50–p75 for well-funded ones.
- Budget planning: Filter by organization size (budget band) to benchmark against peers of similar scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Executive Director salary at a nonprofit in the US?
Salaries vary by organization size and sector. Use the benchmark tool above to see the median and percentile breakdown for your specific filters.
Where does this data come from?
All compensation figures come from IRS Form 990 public filings — mandatory disclosures that cover the largest nonprofits in the US. Unlike self-reported salary surveys, this data is verified and consistent.
Is this tool free?
Yes — all benchmarking data is free. A $19 PDF report is available if you need a board-ready document with methodology and comparable organizations.