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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 9 of 16

Name
City
State
Revenue
Executives
TEXAS COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIESDallasTX$277k0
MISSOURI APPLESEEDSt LouisMO$277k2
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR QUALITY- OF-LIFE STUDIESBlacksburgVA$275k0
ENVISION KINDNESS INCEast LymeCT$275k1
AAPI OF QUEENS AND LONG ISLAND INC C/O K K MEHTA CPA ASSO PLLCGarden CityNY$274k0
SANTA BARBARA INSTITUTE FOR CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIESSanta BarbaraCA$274k1
American Learning Institute for MuslimsCantonMI$273k0
THE RHINE RESEARCH CENTER INCDurhamNC$273k3
JAMES P GEISS AND MARGARET Y HSU FOUNDATION INCPrincetonNJ$271k0
EMPLOYMENT RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT INSTITWilmetteIL$271k1
REAL CLEAR MEDIA FUNDNorthbrookIL$268k0
WISCONSIN COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION INCMequonWI$267k1
BOUNCE BEYOND INCBostonMA$266k3
Women's Institute for Science Equity RaceMechanicsvilleVA$265k1
INTERNATIONAL ENNEAGRAM ASSOCIATION INCCincinnatiOH$263k0
LUCY PARSONS INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCHMinneapolisMN$263k0
MULTIDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION INTO NOVEL DISCOVERIES & SOLUTIONSAustinTX$261k0
THE RAVEN FOUNDATIONGlenviewIL$259k3
THE GEN NEXT FOUNDATION INCIrvineCA$258k1
INSTITUTE FOR MEDITERRANEAN STUDIESCincinnatiOH$257k0
SOCIETY FOR SOCIAL STUDIES OF SCIENCEAtlantaGA$252k2
PROMETHEAN ACTIONPurcellvilleVA$252k1
Thriving in Games Group IncLewesDE$251k1
CELSIUS INCWashingtonDC$249k1
Center For The Study Of Organized Hate IncWashingtonDC$249k1
Feminist Studies IncRichmondVA$238k1
DEMOCRATIC POLICY INSTITUTEAuroraCO$235k0
Creative Centrr for Childhood Research & Training IncTallahasseeFL$235k0
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE FOR PSYCHOANALYSIS (MIP) INCBrooklineMA$234k1
GEORGIA COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SCIENCESRoswellGA$234k1
COALITION FOR EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY INCBethesdaMD$231k2
LITHUANIAN RESEARCH & STUDIES CENTER INCLemontIL$230k0
NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR CIVIC AND LAW RELATED EDUCATIONPiscatawayNJ$229k1
SEMINAR ON THE ACQUISTION OF LATIN AMERICAN LIBRARY MATERIALS INCNew YorkNY$227k1
WILLIAMSTOWN BASEBALL GROUP CORPWilliamstownWV$226k0
MCDEVITT RESEARCH INITIATIVES INCDurhamNC$226k1
MESOAMERICAN RESEARCH FOUNDATIONFarmingtonUT$226k1
PARAMOUNT HEALTH DATA PROJECT INCIndianapolisIN$222k2
LEVANT CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIESWashingtonDC$220k0
PACIFIC SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONBerkeleyCA$220k1
DON NORMAN DESIGN AWARDDel MarCA$218k0
Heartland Research IncEastonPA$217k0
CG JUNG INSTITUTE OF NEW ENGLAND INCNewton HighlandsMA$217k0
Critica IncRiverdaleNY$216k0
RURAL SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY C/O SCOTT SANDERSProvoUT$216k0
Natl Conf of Black Political ScientistsItta BenaMS$216k0
IFERA INCOviedoFL$215k0
PROUT RESEARCH INSTITUTEMarshallNC$213k0
The Foundation for the Advancement of Psychology In Management IncFort LauderdaleFL$211k0
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR PLAYCarmel ValleyCA$211k4