Nonprofit salary benchmark
General Counsel pay at U.S. nonprofits
Median reported total compensation, nationally. Based on 8,704 IRS Form 990 filings, fiscal years 2021–2025. Figure as filed, rounded to the nearest $1,000.
Data updated .
What the filings show
- Of the 108 executive roles CauseComp reports nationally, this one ranks 10 by median pay.
- Across the 43 states with enough filings to report this role, the median runs from $196,000 (Washington) to $421,000 (New Hampshire).
- Between fiscal years 2024 and 2025 — the two most recent complete filing years — the national median moved from $284,000 to $275,000.
These figures come from what filers reported on Schedule J and Part VII; which pay elements Schedule J reports explains what a reported total includes.
General Counsel pay by state
| State | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $421,000 | 35 |
| New Jersey | $379,000 | 200 |
| Tennessee | $362,000 | 85 |
| West Virginia | $346,000 | 41 |
| Alaska | $342,000 | 29 |
| Kentucky | $330,000 | 79 |
| Michigan | $324,000 | 97 |
| North Carolina | $315,000 | 109 |
| Wisconsin | $313,000 | 98 |
| Illinois | $312,000 | 377 |
| Maine | $308,000 | 26 |
| Massachusetts | $306,000 | 323 |
| Virginia | $304,000 | 336 |
| Missouri | $303,000 | 102 |
| Maryland | $301,000 | 218 |
| Minnesota | $296,000 | 127 |
| Nebraska | $293,000 | 64 |
| Arizona | $291,000 | 139 |
| Pennsylvania | $289,000 | 406 |
| Ohio | $288,000 | 226 |
| New York | $282,000 | 1,268 |
| Indiana | $273,000 | 101 |
| Georgia | $270,000 | 148 |
| Arkansas | $262,000 | 43 |
| Florida | $261,000 | 215 |
| Texas | $261,000 | 475 |
| Delaware | $260,000 | 21 |
| Rhode Island | $260,000 | 34 |
| Iowa | $257,000 | 39 |
| Hawaii | $256,000 | 40 |
| Oregon | $252,000 | 81 |
| Oklahoma | $248,000 | 49 |
| District of Columbia | $246,000 | 833 |
| California | $245,000 | 1,006 |
| Utah | $240,000 | 41 |
| Connecticut | $232,000 | 99 |
| Kansas | $228,000 | 28 |
| Vermont | $228,000 | 34 |
| Louisiana | $223,000 | 65 |
| Colorado | $220,000 | 168 |
| Alabama | $206,000 | 37 |
| South Carolina | $206,000 | 55 |
| Washington | $196,000 | 120 |
Every state listed clears the 20-filing minimum. States with fewer filings are not shown, because a median built on a handful of returns is not a benchmark.
What this page does not tell you
A national median flattens two things that move nonprofit pay: budget size and sector. It is a starting point, not an answer for a particular organization, and it is not §4958 comparability data — see which officers the intermediate-sanctions rules treat as disqualified persons.
When the board approves pay for the General Counsel role, following the three steps that protect a board's decision on General Counsel pay shifts the burden of proof to the IRS. A figure for one organization needs a peer group for the General Counsel role, matched on budget size first, then mission and geography.
Need a figure matched to your organization? The Executive benchmark tool adjusts for budget, sector and location and names the comparable filers behind the number. See plans and pricing.
Which best describes you?
Recorded: .
Method: the median of reported total compensation across matching IRS Form 990 Schedule J and Part VII filings, no cell published below 20 filings, figures as filed with no adjustment or projection — full methodology. Browse every role from the salary benchmark index.
Documented comparability data supports — but does not by itself establish — a board's rebuttable presumption of reasonableness under IRC §4958 (intermediate sanctions). The presumption also requires advance approval by an independent board body and contemporaneous documentation. CauseComp provides comparability data for informational purposes and does not provide legal or tax advice.