Kentucky Nonprofit Executive Jobs: Leadership and Salary Guide
Kentucky’s largest nonprofit employers are hospital systems in Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky, with a strong network of community and faith-based organizations across Appalachia. This guide covers who hires nonprofit leaders in Kentucky and what their IRS filings show they pay.
Updated November 2, 2026
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Key Highlights · Kentucky
Anchor employers: Baptist Healthcare System in Louisville reported $4.7 billion in revenue on its Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 2025, the largest nonprofit filer in the state, and Norton Hospitals reported $3.4 billion for 2024. Pay: the median chief executive of a Kentucky nonprofit with $1 million to $10 million in revenue earns about $112,000 in reportable compensation. Prices: 90.2 on the federal price index (U.S. = 100), with housing at 64.3.
The Kentucky Nonprofit Market
Louisville is the center of gravity. Cause IQ counts about 8,600 nonprofit organizations in the Louisville metro, employing about 125,500 people and holding around $37 billion in assets (checked November 1, 2026). Three nonprofit health systems, Baptist Health, Norton Healthcare and UofL Health, account for most of that revenue. Lexington adds Appalachian Regional Healthcare, which runs hospitals across eastern Kentucky, and a cluster of community agencies around the University of Kentucky. In the north, St. Elizabeth Healthcare serves the Kentucky side of the Cincinnati metro.
Outside the cities, faith-based and community organizations carry much of the work. The Christian Appalachian Project in Paintsville and Mountain Comprehensive Care Center in Prestonsburg each report more than $140 million in revenue. Our count of the latest IRS filings found 482 Kentucky community nonprofits under $1 million in revenue that report a paid chief executive, and 348 with budgets between $1 million and $10 million.
Nonprofit Executive Pay in Kentucky
These figures are reported, not estimated. They come from the IRS Form 990 filings of Kentucky 501(c)(3) organizations for fiscal years 2023 to 2026, one figure per organization, taken from the highest-paid person in the role. The measure is reportable compensation, as listed in Part VII of the Form 990, from the organization and its related organizations. It is close to salary for most people but can include bonuses; benefits and deferred pay are reported separately and are not included. We show a median only where at least 10 organizations report the role; otherwise the cell reads n/a. Government agencies and public universities do not file Form 990, so their pay is not in these tables.
Table A: Chief executive reportable compensation by sector and size
| Segment | Organizations | Median reportable compensation | Middle half (25th to 75th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community nonprofit, revenue under $1 million | 482 | $58,000 | $36,000 to $77,000 |
| Community nonprofit, revenue $1 million to $10 million | 348 | $112,000 | $80,000 to $154,000 |
| Community nonprofit, revenue over $10 million | 123 | $200,000 | $145,000 to $294,000 |
| Of those, revenue $50 million or more | 30 | $294,000 | $215,000 to $478,000 |
| Hospitals | 34 | $291,000 | $194,000 to $1,263,000 |
| Colleges and universities | 22 | $241,000 | $154,000 to $459,000 |
| Education nonprofits, all | 136 | $114,000 | $62,000 to $194,000 |
Table B: Other senior roles
| Role and segment | Organizations | Median reportable compensation | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief financial officer, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 45 | $84,000 | $67,000 to $110,000 |
| Chief financial officer, community nonprofits over $10 million | 78 | $141,000 | $106,000 to $181,000 |
| Chief operating officer, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 26 | $110,000 | $87,000 to $128,000 |
| Chief operating officer, community nonprofits over $10 million | 38 | $169,000 | $128,000 to $223,000 |
| Development director, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 10 | $112,000 | $107,000 to $132,000 |
| Development director, community nonprofits over $10 million | 12 | $133,000 | $118,000 to $159,000 |
Table C: Chief executive reportable compensation in Kentucky’s two largest metros
Median reportable compensation, with the number of organizations in parentheses.
| Metro | Under $1 million | $1 million to $10 million | Over $10 million |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville metro | $63,000 (216) | $130,000 (154) | $218,000 (48) |
| Lexington-Fayette metro | $67,000 (105) | $112,000 (78) | $252,000 (18) |
Source: IRS Form 990 e-file data, fiscal years 2023 to 2026 (ExecSearches analysis of Kentucky 501(c)(3) filings). n/a: no reliable public source for this figure (fewer than 10 filings). The Louisville metro includes southern Indiana filers.
Mid-size Louisville nonprofits pay noticeably more than the state as a whole, about $130,000 against $112,000 at the median, while prices in Louisville run only a few points above the state level.
Health Systems and Health Care
Baptist Health
Louisville. Kentucky’s largest nonprofit by revenue; Baptist Healthcare System reported $4.7 billion for the fiscal year ending August 2025.
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Edgewood. Northern Kentucky’s health system, with $2.2 billion in revenue for 2024.
UofL Health
Louisville. The academic health system tied to the University of Louisville; UofL Health-Louisville reported $1.3 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Lexington. Hospitals across eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia, with $1.1 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Colleges and Universities
Kentucky’s private colleges hire senior advancement, finance and enrollment leaders. The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville are public and are not in the pay tables.
Bellarmine University
Louisville. $145 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending May 2025.
Transylvania University
Lexington. $86 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Community Organizations and Foundations
Christian Appalachian Project
Paintsville. Faith-based services across Appalachian Kentucky, with $237 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending August 2025.
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Louisville. Workforce services statewide, with $146 million in revenue on its latest Form 990.
Seven Counties Services
Louisville. Community mental health and addiction services, with $125 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Community Foundation of Louisville
Louisville. Reports about $1 billion in charitable assets across more than 2,200 charitable funds.
Blue Grass Community Foundation
Lexington. The community foundation for central Kentucky.
The state association for the sector is the Kentucky Nonprofit Network.
Public Sector
State and city jobs are posted directly by the employers. Public agencies do not file Form 990, so their pay is not in the tables above.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Lexington. The consolidated city-county government.
Search Firms Serving Kentucky
We list these as resources, not endorsements, and make no claims about a firm beyond what it publishes itself.
Gilman Partners
Regional search firm with a Louisville practice and a Nonprofit Leadership practice area.
MG Coaching & Consulting
Offers nonprofit executive search for senior roles, including CEOs, alongside leadership coaching. Its principal led God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington for 19 years.
Medallion Partners
Headquartered in Indianapolis, with a Louisville satellite location; offers executive search and organizational strategy.
Perpetual Talent Solutions
Houston-based firm that serves Louisville employers through its nationwide executive search practice and has worked with Louisville clients since 1994.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living affect nonprofit executive salaries in Kentucky?
Prices in Kentucky stood at 90.2 in 2024 on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities index, where the national average is 100. Housing statewide was 64.3, the seventh lowest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The two big metros run a little higher: Louisville 93.1 and Lexington 92.9. Northern Kentucky sits in the Cincinnati metro, at 95.4. A $112,000 salary in Kentucky buys roughly what $124,000 would at the national average.
What does a nonprofit CEO earn in Kentucky?
IRS Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023 to 2026 put median chief executive reportable compensation at about $58,000 for Kentucky community nonprofits under $1 million in revenue, $112,000 for those with $1 million to $10 million, and $200,000 above $10 million. Hospital chief executives have a median near $291,000 and college and university presidents near $241,000.
Who are the largest nonprofit employers in Kentucky?
By revenue on their latest Form 990, the biggest are Baptist Healthcare System, Norton Hospitals, St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Northern Kentucky, UofL Health and Appalachian Regional Healthcare. Berea College and Centre College lead the private colleges, and the Christian Appalachian Project is the largest community organization outside the health systems.
Where are Kentucky nonprofit executive jobs posted?
Current openings are listed on ExecSearches.com Kentucky nonprofit jobs, with a Louisville search for that city. The Kentucky Nonprofit Network is the state association for the sector. Hospital systems and colleges also post on their own career sites, linked in this guide.
Your next leadership role in Kentucky
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Sources
- IRS Form 990 e-file data, fiscal years 2023 to 2026 (ExecSearches analysis of Kentucky 501(c)(3) filings; revenue figures from each organization’s latest return). irs.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area, 2024 (released February 19, 2026). bea.gov
- Cause IQ, Louisville metro nonprofit directory, checked November 1, 2026. causeiq.com
- Community Foundation of Louisville, About. cflouisville.org
- Founder, ExecSearches.com (since 1999)
- Publisher of the ExecSearches state and city salary guides