Annual Report
Nonprofit Executive Compensation Report 2025
A 12-page data report on nonprofit executive pay in America, based on 1.6 million disclosures from IRS Form 990 filings.
What's Inside
- $104.4 billion in total compensation paid to nonprofit executives in 2023
- Sector-by-sector averages across healthcare, education, social services, and more
- Top 25 highest-paid nonprofit executives in America
- State-by-state rankings of where executive compensation clusters
- 4-year compensation trends: which sectors grew, which declined
- Physician specialty pay breakdown: orthopedics, surgery, cardiology, and others
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Key Findings
- Healthcare dominates. 72% of all nonprofit executives earning $1M or more work in healthcare.
- 2.7% Club. Only 2.7% of nonprofit executives earn $1M+; 41% earn under $100K.
- Highest recorded: $42.1M. J. Greg Ness at Standard Insurance Health & Welfare Benefits Trust.
- Missouri leads states. Average nonprofit executive compensation is highest in Missouri at $328K - driven by major health system headquarters in St. Louis and Kansas City.
- Specialty beats seniority. Orthopedic surgeons average $966K; psychiatrists average $256K - a 3.8x gap.
Prefer to explore the data directly? Start with our articles or browse the directory.