Nonprofit Arts & Culture CEO Salary in Oklahoma

Official IRS Form 990 Schedule J compensation benchmarks for CEO positions across arts & culture 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Oklahoma (with annual budgets between $25M – $50M). Based on 32 matched filings for IRS § 4958 safe harbor compliance.

25th Percentile
$301,899
Lower Bound
Median (50th %)
$312,905
Market Consensus
75th Percentile
$326,391
Safe Harbor Ceiling
Matched Peer Group
32 Filings
IRS Verified Peers
Filter Peer Group
Empirical Market Analysis · Oklahoma
Census Division: West South Central

At $312,905, the median CEO compensation for Oklahoma nonprofits in the $25M – $50M operating band sits 20.1% below the national benchmark ($391,400), reflecting regional cost-of-labor variations in the West South Central division. Matched peer filings establish an interquartile safe harbor range between $301,899 (25th percentile) and $326,391 (75th percentile).

Across this 32-organization peer group, median executive remuneration accounts for 1% of total organizational operating expenditures (interquartile peer range: 1% – 1%). Base salary represents an average of 81% of total compensation, with performance incentives reported by 100% of reporting institutions (averaging $22,041 among participating organizations).

Interquartile Safe Harbor Distribution

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

32 Verified Filings
P10$293,555
P25 (Safe Min)$301,899
Median (50th)$312,905
P75 (Safe Max)$326,391
P90$337,696
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 ($301,899 – $326,391) 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
$255,049
81% of total remuneration
Bonus & Incentive
$22,041
100% peer participation
Deferred Comp
$18,892
100% peer participation
Nontaxable Benefits
$12,595
100% peer coverage
Sample Size32 Matched Filings
Average Budget$34,134,094
Pay-to-Budget Ratio1% (1%–1%)
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
MARTHA OBRYAN CENTER INC
EIN: 620477728 • Metro Area, TN • Budget: $34,609,887
$3••,•••
Schedule J Locked
Young Audiences Charter Association
EIN: 460590653 • Metro Area, LA • Budget: $35,433,698
$3••,•••
Schedule J Locked
The Partnership Project Inc
EIN: 522192070 • Metro Area, DC • Budget: $35,450,164
$3••,•••
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 at a Oklahoma nonprofit with $25M – $50M?

Based on 32 verified IRS Form 990 Schedule J filings in Oklahoma, the median total compensation for a CEO is $312,905. The 25th percentile sits at $301,899 and the 75th percentile (the rebuttable safe harbor ceiling) is $326,391.

How does Oklahoma CEO pay compare to national averages?

At $312,905, median CEO compensation in Oklahoma is 20.1% lower than the national baseline ($391,400) for comparable operating budgets, consistent with economic indices in the West South Central division.

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

Across matched peer filings for $25M – $50M nonprofits, median CEO compensation represents 1% of total organizational operating expenses. The middle 50% of peer institutions allocate between 1% and 1% 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.