How much do pastors make? Pastor salary data

If you’re asking how much pastors make, the most reliable public number is from the federal government. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median clergy wage of $60,810 for May 2025. That means half of clergy earned more and half earned less. The middle half earned between $48,260 and $76,640, and the highest-paid tenth earned about $98,890 or more.

That is a national average across all denominations, church sizes and regions, so it can’t tell you what your pastor should earn. The rest of this page explains what the number does and doesn’t include.

How to read these numbers

• It counts wages, not the full package. BLS wage data measures pay reported by employers. Many pastors also receive a housing allowance or parsonage, retirement contributions and insurance, which wage figures may not capture.
• It covers employees. The survey doesn’t include the self-employed, and many pastors are paid in ways that don’t look like a standard wage.
• Full-time and part-time mix. Bivocational and part-time pastors are part of the picture, which pulls the figures down.
• It’s a national figure. Pay is higher in expensive metro areas and lower in rural ones.
• Pay has risen. The BLS median for clergy was $55,550 in May 2022, $58,920 in May 2023 and $60,810 in May 2025.

What shapes pastor pay

Church size

Larger congregations have larger budgets and bigger staffs, and they pay their senior pastors more. In general, pay rises with church size. We haven’t listed size-by-size dollar figures here because we couldn’t verify a public, citable source for them. Denominational surveys are the best place to look.

Denomination

Some denominations publish their own pay guidelines or survey their pastors. Lifeway Research, GuideStone and Southern Baptist state conventions ran a 2024 study, and its analysis drew on responses from 2,696 full-time Southern Baptist senior pastors. It found senior pastor compensation (salary plus housing) grew 16.6% over the two years to 2024, and the full pay package (adding retirement and insurance) grew 13.9%. Lifeway’s 2026 update was later revised. As reported by Baptist Press and Baptist Standard, the revised figures show senior pastor compensation up 5.1% since 2024, a little under the 6.3% rise in consumer prices. These are Southern Baptist figures. They aren’t a national picture.

Region and cost of living

A pastor in a large city usually earns more than a pastor in a small town, and the cost of housing differs even more. The Lifeway 2024 analysis found pay was higher for pastors in large cities, and that the amount varied by region.

Education and experience

Pastors with graduate degrees and long tenure typically earn more, as do pastors who carry additional duties such as preaching, administration and staff supervision.

Bivocational and part-time pastors

Many smaller churches can’t support a full-time salary. A bivocational pastor works another job and receives a part-time salary or stipend from the church. If you’re a church leader, the question isn’t only “what can we pay,” but “what hours are we asking for, and what do we want to protect: family time, rest and ministry?”

Housing, benefits and the full package

A pastor’s salary is only one part of their compensation. A fair package usually includes:

• Housing. Either a parsonage or a housing allowance, which a qualifying minister may exclude from income tax within limits.
• Self-employment tax help. Ministers generally pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare (self-employment tax) on ministry income. Many churches add pay to offset the extra half.
• Retirement. A church retirement contribution is one of the most valuable things a church can offer.
• Health insurance. A church-paid plan or a stipend toward one.
• Paid time off and sabbatical. Vacation, sick leave and a planned renewal period.
• Professional expenses. Books, conferences, continuing education and mileage, through an accountable reimbursement plan.

Checklist: how a church sets fair pay

For a finance committee or board setting pastor pay:

1. Define the job. Write down the hours, duties and expectations. Full-time? Preaching only, or also administration, pastoral care and community work?
2. Gather comparisons. Look at your denomination’s guidelines or surveys, nearby churches of similar size and the BLS data above.
3. Count the whole package. Salary, housing, benefits, retirement and time off together.
4. Check what the church can sustain. Review the budget and giving trends. Pay that must be cut next year isn’t fair to anyone.
5. Set it in writing, in advance. Record the salary, the housing designation and the benefits in board minutes before they take effect.
6. Include the pastor’s tax situation. Add a housing designation. Consider whether to cover part of self-employment tax.
7. Review yearly. Look at inflation, workload and the pastor’s needs at the same time each year.
8. Ask someone outside. A denominational office, a church accountant or a neighboring church can give an honest second opinion.
9. Say thank you. Pay is part of caring for the pastor. Care also includes rest, support and appreciation. See our pastoral care guide for how care teams can help.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 21-2011 Clergy: May 2022 and May 2023 figures.
• O*NET OnLine, National Wages for 21-2011.00 Clergy (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates): May 2025 percentile wages, median hourly wage and employment.
• Lifeway Research, Southern Baptist Pastor Pay Rebounds (September 10, 2024)
• Lifeway Research, Southern Baptist Pastor Pay Stagnant Since 2024 (September 8, 2026), with revised figures reported by Baptist Press and Baptist Standard (October 2026)
• IRS Publication 517, Social Security and Other Information for Members of the Clergy and Religious Workers

We list only figures we could verify against a public source, and we update this page when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes new data (usually each spring). If you have a reputable, citable compensation survey we should add, email hello@pastor.care.