Compared with the local labor market
Executive Director pay vs. New Jersey
Across all employers in New Jersey, the median wage for Chief Executives — about 2,430 people — is $310,440. Commission on Higher Education pays a median base salary of $206,936 for this role, 33% below that figure — about the 25th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Commission on Higher Education sits in the local pay range
$173,560
$207,160
$310,440
$448,910
$666,030
Commission on Higher Education median · $206,936
The bar is the range of annual wages for Chief Executives across every employer in New Jersey, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Commission on Higher Education’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Chief Executives — about 204,350 people — is $213,990. Commission on Higher Education’s median base salary is 3% below that national figure, about the 48th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
Commission on Higher Education median · $206,936
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the New Jersey range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Commission on Higher Education is $208,282, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Executive Director beyond New Jersey
This role is reported in 16 jurisdictions. In New Jersey, the median of $163,810 ranks #6 of 16. See Executive Director across all of New Jersey →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Executive Directorroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.