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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 7 of 16

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND REFORM IN EDUCATION INCCincinnatiOH$595k3
OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE at GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITYFairfaxVA$594k1
SOCIETY FOR IN VITRO BIOLOGYMillersvilleMD$592k0
MARK H BERENS CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONGlenviewIL$591k5
DOXOLOGY INCBrookfieldWI$588k2
INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR GROWTH IN CONNECTION INCLexingtonMA$580k0
Center for Islamophobia StudiesBerkeleyCA$571k1
WESTERN INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCHBerkeleyCA$568k1
Anthropological Research ConstributionsLittlerockCA$564k0
THE SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMICSTimoniumMD$558k1
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HUMAN ETHOLOGYSan DiegoCA$555k0
SOUTHWESTERN SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATIONShawneeOK$539k5
ASIA POLICY INSTITUTE INCMarltonNJ$524k0
POPULATION COMMUNICATIONPasadenaCA$523k0
Universal Enlightenment Forum IncNew YorkNY$515k0
MONTANA PHOTONICS INDUSTRY ALLIANCEBozemanMT$514k1
The Seasteading InstituteSan FranciscoCA$512k1
THE HENRY JACKSON SOCIETY INCNew YorkNY$512k0
COLONIAL FLAG FOUNDATIONSandyUT$509k4
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF DOWSERS INCDanvilleVT$500k0
GLOBAL FUND FOR A NEW ECONOMY INCWilmingtonDE$500k0
THE FAMILY AND YOUTH INSTITUTECantonMI$497k1
HOLLINS COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTERoanokeVA$496k1
THE TELLURIDE INSTITUTE INCTellurideCO$494k0
National Center for Health Research IncWashingtonDC$489k1
PASSAGES INCClarionPA$487k0
ECONOMICS AFFAIRS BUREAU INCPortsmouthNH$486k0
Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance IncNew YorkNY$483k1
PARKVIEW INSTITUTE INCBethesdaMD$478k1
THE BERKELEY POLICY INSTITUTE INCEmeryvilleCA$475k1
SOCIAL PROGRAM EVALUATORS & CONSULTANTS INCSouthfieldMI$472k2
AMERICAN PSYCHOSOCIAL ONCOLOGY SOCIETYBrentwoodTN$469k0
INSTITUTE FOR ECUMENICAL & CULTURAL RESEARCHCollegevilleMN$463k2
NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS INCGreensboroGA$461k0
HUMAN ENGINEERING LABORATORY INCBostonMA$459k5
GLOBAL GAME JAM INCSan Luis ObispoCA$456k1
PROSECUTORS' CENTER FOR EXCELLENCENew YorkNY$453k1
Center for Supportive Communities IncLawrenceKS$449k1
METHODS INNOVATION INCCasperWY$445k2
IRANIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATIONWashingtonDC$439k0
TRAC REPORTS INCSyracuseNY$435k0
LOUISIANA FAMILY FORUM INCBaton RougeLA$434k2
PSYCHOMETRIC SOCIETYWindsorWI$434k0
Institute for Holotropics IncNovatoCA$430k1
THE INSTITUTE FOR NEW ECONOMIC THINKING INCNew YorkNY$430k9
INTERNATIONAL ANTIMICROBIAL COUNCILMidlandMI$428k0
ALL THE SKY FOUNDATIONSeattleWA$427k1
THE KANAKIA FOUNDATIONGreen Cove SpringsFL$423k0
CALIFORNIA WOMEN LEADSacramentoCA$421k1
PARTICIPATORY POLITICS FOUNDATIONBrooklynNY$411k0