Nonprofit CEO & Executive Director Salary in Mississippi

Official IRS Form 990 Schedule J compensation benchmarks for CEO & Executive Director positions across 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Mississippi (with annual budgets between Under $1M). Based on 32 matched filings for IRS § 4958 safe harbor compliance.

25th Percentile
$63,724
Lower Bound
Median (50th %)
$63,869
Market Consensus
75th Percentile
$64,025
Safe Harbor Ceiling
Matched Peer Group
32 Filings
IRS Verified Peers
Filter Peer Group
Empirical Market Analysis · Mississippi
Census Division: East South Central

At $63,869, the median CEO & Executive Director compensation for Mississippi nonprofits in the Under $1M operating band sits 41.1% below the national benchmark ($108,500), reflecting regional cost-of-labor variations in the East South Central division. Matched peer filings establish an interquartile safe harbor range between $63,724 (25th percentile) and $64,025 (75th percentile).

Across this 32-organization peer group, median executive remuneration accounts for 11% of total organizational operating expenditures (interquartile peer range: 11% – 11%). Base salary represents an average of 81% of total compensation, with performance incentives reported by 0% of reporting institutions (averaging $0 among participating organizations).

Interquartile Safe Harbor Distribution

Treasury Regulation § 53.4958-6(c)(2) Rebuttable Presumption Bandwidth

32 Verified Filings
P10$63,624
P25 (Safe Min)$63,724
Median (50th)$63,869
P75 (Safe Max)$64,025
P90$64,122
Legal Precedent: To secure the IRS Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness, tax-exempt governing boards must establish that approved compensation falls within market comparability bounds prior to voting. Compensation between the 25th and 75th percentiles ($63,724 – $64,025) represents the defensible interquartile standard accepted by federal regulators.

Schedule J Pay-Mix Distribution

Average component allocation across Form 990 Part VII Section A & Schedule J Part II extracts

32 Matched Filings
Base Salary
$51,743
81% of total remuneration
Bonus & Incentive
$0
0% peer participation
Deferred Comp
$3,833
100% peer participation
Nontaxable Benefits
$7,027
100% peer coverage
Sample Size32 Matched Filings
Average Budget$598,906
Pay-to-Budget Ratio11% (11%–11%)
IRS Filing Vintage2022–2025 XML Extracts

Matched Form 990 Peer Organizations

Sample peer group entries matched by budget, NTEE taxonomy, and geographic cost-of-labor

Showing 3 of 32 peers
MARYLAND PARTNERSHIP FOR PREVENTION
EIN: 522188038 • Metro Area, MD • Budget: $600,325
$•••,•••
Schedule J Locked
MARTHAS HOME INC
EIN: 752232697 • Metro Area, TX • Budget: $600,360
$•••,•••
Schedule J Locked
TEPHRA INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART
EIN: 540893116 • Metro Area, VA • Budget: $599,576
$•••,•••
Schedule J Locked

Access All 32 Matched Peer Filings

Generate the full, audit-ready 8-page Board Compliance Packet including individual peer line-item disclosures (Base, Bonus, Deferred, Benefits), statutory citations, and turnkey board minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the typical salary for a CEO & Executive Director at a Mississippi nonprofit with Under $1M?

Based on 32 verified IRS Form 990 Schedule J filings in Mississippi, the median total compensation for a CEO & Executive Director is $63,869. The 25th percentile sits at $63,724 and the 75th percentile (the rebuttable safe harbor ceiling) is $64,025.

How does Mississippi CEO & Executive Director pay compare to national averages?

At $63,869, median CEO & Executive Director compensation in Mississippi is 41.1% lower than the national baseline ($108,500) for comparable operating budgets, consistent with economic indices in the East South Central division.

What percentage of operating budget should a 501(c)(3) spend on its CEO & Executive Director?

Across matched peer filings for Under $1M nonprofits, median CEO & Executive Director compensation represents 11% of total organizational operating expenses. The middle 50% of peer institutions allocate between 11% and 11% of expenditures to executive leadership.

How does Treasury Regulation § 53.4958-6 protect board members approving executive compensation?

Under Treasury Regulation § 53.4958-6, tax-exempt governing boards secure the Rebuttable Presumption of Reasonableness when they rely on independent comparability data from similarly situated peer organizations prior to voting and record the decision contemporaneously in their minutes. Once established, the legal burden shifts to the IRS to prove that compensation was excessive.