Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $36k and $138k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $250k, roughly 3.3 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $249,510 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $137,621 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $75,100 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $36,400 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $12,993 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 1,780 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (23% of the 7,865 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.
District of Columbia pays $65,180 more than the median Executive Director compensation in arts, culture & humanities nationally.
The ten highest-paid arts, culture & humanities Executive Directors by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Contracommon | Bee Cave, TX | $5,199,996 | 2023 |
| 02 | Metropolitan Museum Of Art | New York, NY | $3,280,613 | 2023 |
| 03 | The Carnegie Hall Corporation | New York, NY | $2,699,180 | 2023 |
| 04 | John F Kennedy Center For The Performing | Washington, DC | $1,460,095 | 2023 |
| 05 | Los Angeles Opera Company | Los Angeles, CA | $1,239,626 | 2023 |
| 06 | Superior Credit Union Inc | Lima, OH | $1,212,424 | 2023 |
| 07 | Philadelphia Orchestra Association | Philadelphia, PA | $1,072,718 | 2023 |
| 08 | Performing Arts Center Of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $1,057,819 | 2023 |
| 09 | The Second Stage Theatre Inc | New York, NY | $1,035,877 | 2023 |
| 10 | Curtis Institute Of Music | Philadelphia, PA | $986,035 | 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 arts, culture & humanities nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.