Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $41k and $124k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $210k, roughly 2.8 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $210,120 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $124,306 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $74,974 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $41,236 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $17,667 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 392 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (19% of the 2,096 orgs in this slice). Each share is the average across orgs of the fraction of total comp that goes to this component, so the bar fills 100%.
The number in context.
Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.
All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J
Pay varies by state.
Maryland pays $30,166 more than the median Executive Director compensation in animal-related nationally.
The ten highest-paid animal-related Executive Directors by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Zoological Society Of San Diego | San Diego, CA | $1,860,777 | 2023 |
| 02 | American Kennel Club Inc | New York, NY | $1,611,560 | 2023 |
| 03 | National Fish And Wildlife Foundation | Washington, DC | $1,418,915 | 2023 |
| 04 | The American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals | New York, NY | $1,203,267 | 2023 |
| 05 | The Animal Medical Center | New York, NY | $1,125,895 | 2023 |
| 06 | Shedd Aquarium Society | Chicago, IL | $935,093 | 2023 |
| 07 | Georgia Aquarium Inc & Subsidiary | Atlanta, GA | $912,192 | 2023 |
| 08 | Atlanta Fulton County Zoo Inc | Atlanta, GA | $846,951 | 2024 |
| 09 | Chicago Zoological Society | Brookfield, IL | $839,439 | 2023 |
| 10 | Audubon Nature Institute Inc | New Orleans, LA | $832,099 | 2023 |
Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.
What does a $X org pay?
Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median Executive Director compensation for animal-related nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.