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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 4 of 16

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
KNOLOGY LTDNew YorkNY$1.9M4
INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL INNOVATION INCChicagoIL$1.9M0
HUNTINGTON YOUTH BUREAU YOUTH DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH INSTITUTEHuntingtonNY$1.9M3
CHICAGO PSYCHOANALYTIC INSTITUTEChicagoIL$1.9M3
NATIONAL LATINO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASSOCIATIONCochiti LakeNM$1.9M2
RADICALXCHANGE FOUNDATION LTDMoragaCA$1.9M2
DETROIT ECONOMIC CLUBDetroitMI$1.8M1
NORTH AMERICAN ARAB COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES INCNew YorkNY$1.8M1
THE SPHERE INSTITUTEBurlingameCA$1.8M6
OAKDALE FOUNDATIONWaterfordMI$1.8M0
CONCERNED AFRICAN WOMEN INCMiamiFL$1.8M1
Campbell CollaborationPhiladelphiaPA$1.8M1
RESEARCH CENTER FOR CHILDREN YOUTH & FA FAMILIES INCBurlingtonVT$1.8M4
LCC INTERNATIONAL FUND INCLancasterPA$1.8M0
CURIOUS CASES INCSan FranciscoCA$1.7M0
BRAZELTON TOUCHPOINTS PROJECT INC C/O BRAZELTON TOUCHPOINTS CTRBostonMA$1.7M1
Center for American Greatness IncPhoenixAZ$1.7M1
MAINE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC POLICYAugustaME$1.7M1
GULF INTERNATIONAL FORUM INCWashingtonDC$1.7M1
NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAW INSTITUTEGoldenCO$1.7M3
COMMON DREAMS INCPortlandME$1.7M2
Abdominal Core Health Quality CollaborativeCentennialCO$1.7M2
MIDWEST BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE INCHilliardOH$1.7M2
APPLIED ECONOMICS CLINIC INCBostonMA$1.6M5
HUMAN RELATIONS AREA FILES INCNew HavenCT$1.6M1
POTATO VARIETY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE INCEagleID$1.6M0
Poverty and Race Research Action CouncilWashingtonDC$1.6M2
SCHOOL JUSTICE PROJECT INCWashingtonDC$1.6M4
SUPERBLOOM DESIGNSan FranciscoCA$1.6M1
Our Neighborhoods Capital FundWashingtonDC$1.6M3
PROSOCIAL WORLDWimberleyTX$1.6M2
GLOBEWOMEN RESEARCH & EDUCATION INSTITUTEWashingtonDC$1.5M2
INSTITUTE FOR AFROURBANISMDetroitMI$1.5M1
FRIENDS OF CRAFT INCGosportIN$1.5M0
RHODE ISLAND INSTITUTE FOR LABOR STUDIES AND RESEARCHCranstonRI$1.5M2
ASSOCIATION FOR CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCEWashingtonDC$1.5M0
POLICY MATTERS OHIOClevelandOH$1.5M1
HARM REDUCTION OHIOGrandviewOH$1.5M1
CENTER FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH INCAlbanyNY$1.5M5
The Foundation for the ConstitutionSarasotaFL$1.5M0
Lily Dale AssemblyLily DaleNY$1.4M0
BAY AREA GESTALT INSTITUTESan FranciscoCA$1.4M0
INSTITUTE FOR FINANCIAL MARKETSWashingtonDC$1.4M1
LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT COMMITTEE ON BAR ADMISSIONSMetairieLA$1.4M2
ASSOCIATION FOR SLAVIC EAST EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN STUDIESPittsburghPA$1.4M2
Keystone Research Center IncHarrisburgPA$1.4M2
THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF EVOLUTIONSt LouisMO$1.4M2
COGNITIVE SCIENCE SOCIETYSeattleWA$1.4M2
Community Cooperative dba Francesco CollaborativeWashingtonDC$1.4M2
PUGET SOUND SAGESeattleWA$1.3M1