Nonprofit salary benchmark
Surgeon pay at U.S. nonprofits
Median reported total compensation, nationally. Based on 2,564 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 1 by median pay.
- Across the 21 states with enough filings to report this role, the median runs from $537,000 (New Hampshire) to $1,215,000 (Washington).
- Between fiscal years 2024 and 2025 — the two most recent complete filing years — the national median moved from $952,000 to $924,000.
Surgeon is not among the thirteen position families that published nonprofit pay surveys concentrate on. Our analysis of the unbenchmarked roles shows how much reported pay sits in roles like this one.
Surgeon pay by state
| State | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $1,215,000 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,097,000 | 238 |
| Kentucky | $1,065,000 | 54 |
| Ohio | $1,037,000 | 92 |
| Missouri | $1,012,000 | 75 |
| Florida | $1,010,000 | 64 |
| New York | $986,000 | 229 |
| Texas | $959,000 | 73 |
| Arkansas | $884,000 | 81 |
| Massachusetts | $883,000 | 130 |
| Arizona | $866,000 | 63 |
| Michigan | $836,000 | 155 |
| Oregon | $818,000 | 66 |
| Minnesota | $809,000 | 76 |
| Illinois | $749,000 | 69 |
| Maine | $727,000 | 64 |
| Wisconsin | $706,000 | 67 |
| Vermont | $684,000 | 53 |
| Maryland | $566,000 | 39 |
| North Dakota | $537,000 | 36 |
| New Hampshire | $537,000 | 53 |
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 what counts as an excess benefit under §4958.
The §4960 excise tax on nonprofit pay above $1 million excludes pay for the direct performance of medical services; how §4960 treats clinicians' pay explains where that exclusion stops. A figure for one organization needs a peer group for the Surgeon 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.