Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $24k and $125k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $213k, roughly 3.2 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $213,010 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $125,146 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $65,600 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $23,984 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $6,370 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 574 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (20% of the 2,919 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.
Georgia pays $31,326 more than the median Executive Director compensation in recreation & sports nationally.
The ten highest-paid recreation & sports Executive Directors by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | National Collegiate Athletic Association | Indianapolis, IN | $3,422,505 | 2023 |
| 02 | United States Golf Association | Liberty Corner, NJ | $3,048,447 | 2024 |
| 03 | Confederation Of North Central American And | Miami, FL | $3,009,530 | 2024 |
| 04 | Los Angeles Organizing Committee For The | Los Angeles, CA | $1,999,844 | 2023 |
| 05 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $1,683,023 | 2023 |
| 06 | United States Olympic And Paralympic | Colorado Springs, CO | $1,302,584 | 2023 |
| 07 | Usa Track & Field Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $1,218,860 | 2023 |
| 08 | Cotton Bowl Athletic Association | Arlington, TX | $1,093,397 | 2023 |
| 09 | Elderhostel Inc | Boston, MA | $1,091,937 | 2023 |
| 10 | Pga Tour First Tee Foundation Inc | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL | $1,061,137 | 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 recreation & sports nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.