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Industry path · Public & social sector

MBA careers in Nonprofit / Government

Public-sector and mission-driven employers hire MBAs into strategy, operations, and management roles where impact is part of the return.

Career-path guideOccupational wage benchmarksROI calculator available
Mapped roles
3
occupations MBAs take in nonprofit / government
With wage data
3
published benchmarks
Median wage span
$102k–$106k
across mapped roles
Verified MBA outcomes
0
still being collected

What MBA roles in nonprofit / government pay

Wage ranges for the occupations MBAs commonly fill in nonprofit / government — the soft band is the 10th–90th percentile, the solid band the middle 50%, the marker the median. These are occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific salaries, but they show how pay is structured in this industry.

General and Operations Managers$105,770median
Project Management Specialists$102,320median
Management Analysts$101,860median
10th–90th pct middle 50% median
Broad benchmarkBLS OEWS · May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) · United States

These are occupational wage benchmarks for roles MBA graduates commonly target — wage context across all workers, not verified MBA-specific outcomes.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics ↗

General and Operations Managers

$105,770median

$50k$253k+

Operations and management of mission-driven orgs.

Management Analysts

$101,860median

$61k$172k+

Strategy and program-improvement work.

Project Management Specialists

$102,320median

$62k$168k+

Program and grant-funded initiative management.

See the full benchmark table
Role (occupation)Median annual10th–90th pctU.S. employment
General and Operations Managers
Operations and management of mission-driven orgs.
SOC 11-1021
$105,770$50,090 $253,3903,503,020
Management Analysts
Strategy and program-improvement work.
SOC 13-1111
$101,860$60,640 $171,640898,280
Project Management Specialists
Program and grant-funded initiative management.
SOC 13-1082
$102,320$61,580 $167,9701,066,670
Broad benchmarkBLS OEWS · May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) · United States

These are occupational wage benchmarks for roles MBA graduates commonly target — wage context across all workers, not verified MBA-specific outcomes.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics ↗

What MBAs do here

Strategy & operations

Improves how mission-driven organizations run.

Program / portfolio management

Leads programs and grant-funded initiatives.

Public-sector management

Runs operations inside agencies and NGOs.

Functions MBAs run

The teams and remits graduates commonly own in this industry.

StrategyOperationsProgram managementFinance

What affects your pay on this path

Two people on the same path can earn very differently. These are the factors that move the number most — worth weighing as you plan your MBA.

  • Cash comp typically trades against mission and benefits
  • Organization size and funding
  • Role seniority
  • Geography

Concentrations that fit this industry

Tap any to explore that career path.

Related tools

Help us add real salary ranges for MBAs in Nonprofit / Government

SalaryMBA is built from real outcomes people share. A reliable range here needs:

  1. 1A handful of real, reviewed outcomes from people on this path
  2. 2Their school, role, industry, and city — so ranges reflect like-for-like
  3. 3Public datasets and school reports to cross-check the numbers

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