A new compensation survey released by the Institute for Nonprofit News shows a continued increase in the average base reporter’s salary for a nonprofit news outlet – $90,593, up from $86,703 in 2024.
The survey highlights salary and benefits information pooled from 111 nonprofit news outlets, including salaries for 21 job titles and information on paid time off, insurance options, parental leave and work from home flexibility. This year, the study also includes data on freelance and independent contractor practices. Salary information is broken down by geographic scope, operating budget tiers and staff size tiers, giving nonprofit news outlets even more accurate benchmarks.
While increases in salaries and overall financial stability have maintained, nonprofit news organizations also are increasingly expanding benefits. The number of respondents who reported offering a retirement plan has increased to 67.6% compared to the 60% 2024. Access to medical insurance stayed similar to 2022 – 67.6% vs. 66% in 2024.
“At the Harpswell Anchor, we are committed to providing the best possible salaries and benefits to our employees. The INN Compensation Survey helps us benchmark against other newsrooms of similar size and circulation. We find it very valuable,” said Janice Thompson, Executive Director of Development and Operations at the Harpswell Anchor.
Study Highlights
- $90,593: Average base salary for a Reporter, slightly up from $86,703 in 2024
- $145,789: Average base salary for an Executive Director/CEO, slightly up from $139,913 in 2024
- 67.6%: Percentage of organizations offering a defined retirement contribution plan, up from 60% in 2024
- 67.6%: Percentage of organizations offering health insurance, similar to the 66% in 2024
- 76.6%: Percentage of organizations that currently have freelance workers or independent contractors.
About the study
The 2026 INN Member Compensation Study is available for download at a sliding pricing scale; INN members who completed the survey can access the report for free.
Over a fifth of the INN Network’s 500 news publishers, 111 outlets, took the survey on which the compensation study is based. These included 53 local news organizations, 23 covering a state or region and 32 with a national or global focus. This cohort of 111 news organizations had a median annual operating budget of $960,000 and a median age of 10 years.
The study is based on data collected and reported for the following 21 jobs:
- Executive Director/CEO
- COO/Director of Operations
- Chief Financial Officer
- Editor-in-Chief/Executive Editor
- Development Director/Chief Development Officer
- Major Gifts Officer
- Digital Producer
- Managing Editor
- Engagement Editor
- Editor
- Beat Reporter
- Reporter
- Data Journalist
- Visual Journalist
- Membership Manager
- Intern
- Audience Manager
- Communications Manager
- Producer
- Product Manager
- Project Manager
