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Updated through 2024NTEE V · Social Science

Social Science nonprofitexecutive pay

Median top-executive pay across 435 social science nonprofits, 2021 – 2024. Each organization is counted once at its most recent filing, using the highest-paid leader reported on IRS Form 990, Schedule J.

Organizations that conduct research and education in the social sciences, including economics, political science, and sociology.

Median executive pay
$122,500
The typical social science nonprofit's highest-paid executive earns $122,500 in total reported compensation.
25th pct
$53k
75th pct
$209k
90th pct
$415k
435 organizations · 2021 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $53k and $209k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $415k, roughly 3.4 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$414,837Top 10% of earners
75th$208,68225% earn more than this
50th · median$122,500The typical executive
25th$52,75225% earn less than this
10th$19,85410% of executives earn less than this
By organization size

Bigger budgets, bigger paychecks.

Median executive pay rises with organization revenue. Each band shows the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of top-executive pay for social science nonprofits in that revenue range.

Revenue band25thMedian75thOrgs
Under $1M$30k$65,991$114k221
$1M – $10M$119k$171,808$253k166
$10M – $100M$312k$426,067$545k41
$100M – $500M$854k$1,022,915$1.2M7
Revenue bands with fewer than 5 organizations are not shown.
Geography

Pay varies by state.

District of Columbia pays $136,006 more than the national median across social science nonprofits.

By role

Benchmark a specific Social Science role

Drill into median pay for individual leadership roles within social science nonprofits.

Board & trustee pay

Social Science board & trustee pay norms

14% of social science nonprofits pay at least one board member or trustee, with a typical per-person payment of $46,060 across a median board of 5 paid members.

Organizations paying board members
14%
Median board pay
$46,060
Median paid board size
5
By filing type
Form 990: 17%
Form 990-EZ: 9%
Form 990-PF: 12%
Directory

Social science research organizations, think tanks, policy institutes, and academic societies. Covers economics, political science, sociology, and interdisciplinary research. There are 771 social science organizations in our database with compensation data from IRS Form 990 filings. Use the table below to browse them, or sort by revenue, location, or number of reported executives.

Organizations in Social Science

771 organizations · Page 11 of 16

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SIGNOS VITALES SOCIETYWest BloomfieldMI$149k0
International Association for Cross-Cultural PsychologyOrlandoFL$149k0
INSTITUTE FOR PATENT STUDIES INCMiddletownNY$148k3
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS ASSOCIATIONGriffinGA$146k0
GLOBAL FOKUS INCOrlandoFL$145k0
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE DC CIRCUITWashingtonDC$143k0
THE GAME ROOMRenoNV$143k0
Foundation for Workforce MobilityArlingtonVA$142k0
Human Behavior & Evolution Society IncRedlandsCA$138k0
FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS FOR ALL INCMidlandVA$137k1
WORLDCC FOUNDATIONRidgefieldCT$135k0
College of Workers Compensation Lawyers IncAnnapolisMD$135k1
MAGNUS RESEARCH GROUPFort WorthTX$135k1
National Council for Geocosmic Research IncWashingtonDC$135k0
NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS ASSOCIATION LTDClayvilleNY$134k0
MEDAL OF HONOR HOST CITY PROGRAMGainesvilleTX$134k0
Consumer Culture Theory Consortium IncMadisonWI$133k0
NORTH AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE SOCIOLOGY OF SPORTCollege ParkMD$133k0
Commonwealth North IncAnchorageAK$133k0
HELLENIC MUSEUM OF MICHIGANDetroitMI$133k0
THE INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL LEADERSHRaleighNC$132k0
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR LABOR RIGHTS (ICLR)BrooklynNY$132k0
BW RESEARCH FOUNDATION INCWrenthamMA$132k0
ASIAN AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH & ENGAGEMENT INCWoodburyNY$130k1
WOMENS RESOURCE CENTERHoustonTX$130k0
SOUTHERN SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETYBlacksburgVA$130k0
ETERNAL LIFE ORGANIZATIO INTERNATIONAL MINISTColchesterVT$128k1
MINNESOTA GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETYRosemountMN$128k1
INSTITUTE FOR FRONTIER SCIENCEOaklandCA$128k0
FINANCIAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATIONHoustonTX$124k0
HELLENIC LAWYERS ASSOCIATION INCNew YorkNY$123k0
FOUNDATION OF THE ENERGY LAW JOURNALWashingtonDC$122k1
GLOBAL CENTER FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE OUTCOMES RESEARCH EVAL DEVELOPSouth BendIN$121k0
The Heritage Projects LLCColumbusOH$120k1
CROSSROADS BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH CENTER INCLabelleFL$118k0
Alaska Anthropological AssociationAnchorageAK$117k0
WILLIAM WILBERFORCE INTERNATIONALCambridgeMA$115k1
PINNACLE CENTER INCPhoenixAZ$115k1
THE DIVERSE ATTORNEY PIPELINE PROGRAM NFPNew BritainCT$115k0
PHILEMON FOUNDATIONNew YorkNY$115k0
THE FOUNDATION FOR WEALTH BUILDINGOrmond BeachFL$113k0
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF KINLEINAnchorageAK$113k0
Institute for Southern Studies IncDurhamNC$113k1
ST FRANCIS SPRINGS COLUMBARIUM AND MEMORIAL GARDEN INCStonevilleNC$113k1
BUTLER COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATIONMiddletownOH$112k0
AATCC Foundation IncResearch Triangle ParkNC$111k0
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPARATIVE LAWNew OrleansLA$111k0
TERRITORIAL EMPATHY INCBrooklynNY$110k0
ASSYRIAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONNorth GraftonMA$109k0
TENNESSEE ASSOCIATION FOR BEHAVIOR ANALYSISNashvilleTN$109k0