Skip to main content
Updated through 2024NTEE V · Social Science

Social Science nonprofitexecutive pay

Median top-executive pay across 409 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
$120,010
The typical social science nonprofit's highest-paid executive earns $120,010 in total reported compensation.
25th pct
$55k
75th pct
$208k
90th pct
$415k
409 organizations · 2021 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $55k and $208k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $415k, roughly 3.5 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$414,750Top 10% of earners
75th$207,60025% earn more than this
50th · median$120,010The typical executive
25th$55,49925% earn less than this
10th$21,54410% 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$31k$73,129$114k207
$1M – $10M$117k$158,037$248k155
$10M – $100M$316k$466,198$597k41
$100M – $500M$939k$1,045,810$1.3M6
Revenue bands with fewer than 5 organizations are not shown.
Geography

Pay varies by state.

District of Columbia pays $135,415 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.

Directory

Social science research organizations, think tanks, policy institutes, and academic societies. Covers economics, political science, sociology, and interdisciplinary research. There are 733 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

733 organizations · Page 7 of 15

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
SOUTHWESTERN SOCIAL SCIENCEShawneeOK$539k5
POPULATION COMMUNICATIONPasadenaCA$523k0
Universal Enlightenment Forum IncNew YorkNY$515k0
INTERNATIONAL ENNEAGRAM ASSOCIATIONCincinnatiOH$514k2
The Seasteading InstituteSan FranciscoCA$512k1
THE HENRY JACKSON SOCIETY INCNew YorkNY$512k0
COLONIAL FLAG FOUNDATIONSandyUT$509k4
SAN DIEGO SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS INCSan DiegoCA$509k1
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF DOWSERS INCDanvilleVT$500k0
HOLLINS COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTERoanokeVA$496k1
THE TELLURIDE INSTITUTE INCTellurideCO$494k0
National Center for Health Research IncWashingtonDC$489k1
PASSAGES INCClarionPA$487k0
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR LABORNew YorkNY$487k0
HUMAN ENGINEERING LABORATORY INCBostonMA$479k7
THE BERKELEY POLICY INSTITUTE INCEmeryvilleCA$475k1
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACKS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICEDurhamNC$475k0
CITIZEN SCIENCE ASSOCIATION INCBrooklynNY$471k0
AMERICAN PSYCHOSOCIAL ONCOLOGYBrentwoodTN$469k0
Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance IncNew YorkNY$468k1
CECIL WILLAMS SOUTH CAROLINA CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUMOrangeburgSC$467k0
INSTITUTE FOR ECUMENICAL & CULTURALCollegevilleMN$463k2
Institute for Holotropics IncNovatoCA$463k1
GLOBAL GAME JAM INCSan Luis ObispoCA$456k1
PROSECUTORS' CENTER FOR EXCELLENCENew YorkNY$453k1
Center for Supportive Communities IncLawrenceKS$449k1
GULF INTERNATIONAL FORUM INCWashingtonDC$448k0
CENTER FOR CUBAN STUDIESINCBrooklynNY$434k1
LOUISIANA FAMILY FORUM INCBaton RougeLA$434k2
SOCIAL PROGRAM EVALUATORSSouthfieldMI$430k2
THE INSTITUTE FOR NEW ECONOMIC THINKINGNew YorkNY$430k9
INTERNATIONAL ANTIMICROBIAL COUNCILMidlandMI$428k0
UN MUNDO SIN MORDAZAWashingtonDC$427k1
ALL THE SKY FOUNDATIONSeattleWA$427k1
THE KANAKIA FOUNDATIONGreen Cove SpringsFL$423k0
CALIFORNIA WOMEN LEADSacramentoCA$421k1
Democratic Socialists of America Fund IncHartsdaleNY$412k1
PARTICIPATORY POLITICS FOUNDATIONBrooklynNY$411k0
LEVERAGE RESEARCHSt PetersburgFL$409k5
THE GLENDON ASSOCIATIONSanta BarbaraCA$407k0
CROSSWINDS FOUNDATION FORTrussvilleAL$404k1
SANTA BARBARA INSTITUTE FORSanta BarbaraCA$400k1
New Netherland InstituteAlbanyNY$400k1
INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOANALYTICALCoastal Hwy LewesDE$398k0
INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMICS AND PEACENew YorkNY$396k1
PSYCHOMETRIC SOCIETYMadisonWI$395k0
NEBRASKA COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATIONLincolnNE$395k1
SOCIETY FOR ECONOMIC DYNAMICSMinneapolisMN$390k0
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTDoverOH$385k3
NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS INCGreensboroGA$385k0