Nonprofit salary benchmark
Head of School / Principal pay at U.S. nonprofits
Median reported total compensation, nationally. Based on 23,374 IRS Form 990 filings, tax years 2021–2025. Figure as filed, rounded to the nearest $1,000.
What the filings show
- Of the 106 executive roles CauseComp reports nationally, this one ranks 60 by median pay.
- Across the 48 states with enough filings to report this role, the median runs from $102,000 (Mississippi) to $229,000 (Massachusetts).
- Between tax years 2022 and 2023 — the two most recent complete filing years — the national median moved from $159,000 to $163,000.
Head of School / Principal pay by state
| State | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $229,000 | 796 |
| Hawaii | $212,000 | 101 |
| Connecticut | $207,000 | 611 |
| Maine | $196,000 | 130 |
| Alabama | $185,000 | 153 |
| New York | $185,000 | 3,084 |
| Maryland | $180,000 | 505 |
| New Jersey | $177,000 | 765 |
| California | $175,000 | 3,578 |
| South Dakota | $175,000 | 62 |
| Nevada | $172,000 | 189 |
| Vermont | $170,000 | 108 |
| Iowa | $167,000 | 61 |
| Georgia | $166,000 | 685 |
| Pennsylvania | $165,000 | 1,424 |
| District of Columbia | $164,000 | 440 |
| New Mexico | $162,000 | 89 |
| New Hampshire | $160,000 | 145 |
| Kansas | $159,000 | 38 |
| Washington | $159,000 | 475 |
| Delaware | $158,000 | 154 |
| Tennessee | $158,000 | 449 |
| Virginia | $153,000 | 620 |
| Illinois | $152,000 | 579 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $150,000 | 20 |
| Missouri | $147,000 | 292 |
| Rhode Island | $147,000 | 141 |
| Utah | $147,000 | 165 |
| Colorado | $145,000 | 570 |
| Texas | $142,000 | 1,330 |
| Arkansas | $141,000 | 98 |
| North Carolina | $140,000 | 720 |
| Oklahoma | $140,000 | 95 |
| Indiana | $137,000 | 334 |
| Louisiana | $137,000 | 292 |
| Oregon | $133,000 | 286 |
| Florida | $132,000 | 1,290 |
| Wisconsin | $132,000 | 210 |
| Minnesota | $131,000 | 238 |
| South Carolina | $131,000 | 293 |
| Kentucky | $130,000 | 119 |
| Michigan | $127,000 | 222 |
| Ohio | $124,000 | 551 |
| Idaho | $119,000 | 76 |
| Puerto Rico | $118,000 | 48 |
| Arizona | $116,000 | 495 |
| Montana | $103,000 | 62 |
| Mississippi | $102,000 | 75 |
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 the two things that move nonprofit pay most: budget size and sector. It is a starting point, not an answer for a particular organization, and it is not §4958 comparability data — see how the intermediate-sanctions rules actually work.
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.
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 like the above 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.