Pastor salary by church size
Pastor salary by church size follows a clear pattern: pay rises as a church grows in weekly attendance. The 2026 Southern Baptist study found that a typical full-time senior pastor brought in $44,750 where attendance is under 50, and $165,600 where attendance reaches 1,000 or more. These numbers come from that study, so they suit Baptist churches most closely, though any congregation can use them as a helpful place to begin.
Pastor pay by weekly attendance
Baptist state conventions carried out the 2026 Southern Baptist Church Compensation Study alongside GuideStone and Lifeway Research, gathering 4,449 full-time responses from senior pastors, staff ministers and office staff. Each figure is a median, so half the pastors made more and half made less.
| Weekly attendance | Senior pastor pay |
|---|---|
| Between 25 and 49 | $48,740 |
| Between 50 and 74 | $60,036 |
| Between 75 and 99 | $68,000 |
| Between 100 and 149 | $77,000 |
| Between 150 and 199 | $84,000 |
| Between 200 and 299 | $92,000 |
| Between 300 and 499 | $108,561 |
| Between 500 and 999 | $126,519 |
| At least 1,000 | $165,600 |
The figures reflect the study as tabulated by MosesTab. Looking at every size together, the median came to $81,000, based on 2,183 senior pastor responses. Counting every church under 50 together, the median was $44,750, lower than the 25 to 49 band because it also takes in churches with fewer than 25 people.
This study's pay covers more than a paycheck alone. Lifeway counts salary together with housing allowance, plus the rental value and utilities when the church owns the home. A housing allowance is the slice of a minister's pay the church designates for housing costs. Benefits like retirement or insurance are not part of that figure. Once benefits are included, the median full-time package came to $92,000.
What goes into a pastor salary estimate?
Lifeway looked at which factors push pastor pay higher or lower, and the findings show what carries the most weight. Its analysis found that each additional weekly attendee adds roughly $15 a year. That works out near $1,460 a year for each 100 people in the pews.
According to Lifeway, other things mattered too:
| Factor | Effect on annual pay |
|---|---|
| Each extra $1,000 in the church budget | $36 more |
| Finished seminary | $5,361 more |
| A suburban church | $5,404 more |
| A country church | $3,986 less |
What is a fair salary for a pastor?
No single number is right for everyone, but you can stack your church up against churches like it. Lifeway's guidance, as summarized by MosesTab, goes in a simple order:
- Check the median across all churches to get the big picture.
- Check churches whose attendance matches yours, since size matters most.
- Check churches with a budget like yours, and then churches that match on both counts.
- Factor in the cost of living in your church's area.
Other sources offer broader ranges. A Ministry Boost guide figures a lead pastor earns roughly $45,000 to $70,000 where attendance is below 200, rising to $65,000 to $95,000 where attendance falls between 200 and 800. For context, the typical wage for US clergy of every faith was $60,810 a year as of 2025.
Pastors who work a second job
Some pastors hold a job outside the church alongside their ministry; these are called bivocational pastors. Because the role isn't full time, the church pays less. The 2026 study put the median church pay for these pastors at $20,800 in churches of 25 to 49 people, and $26,500 where attendance is 50 to 74.
Housing allowance and taxes
The housing allowance for a minister is not counted for income tax. It does count toward self-employment tax, the Social Security and Medicare tax that ministers cover themselves. The amount free of income tax is whichever of three amounts is smallest: what the church designated, what the pastor actually spent, or the rental value of the home plus utilities.
Take one example. Say a church designates $20,000, the pastor spends $18,500, and rental value plus utilities comes to $24,000. Then $18,500 is tax-free, and the remaining $1,500 is taxable.
Self-employment tax rises with pay. These 2026 figures include salary and housing together:
- At $30,000 in pay, the tax is $4,239 for the year, about $1,060 every three months.
- At $45,000 in pay, the tax is $6,358 for the year, about $1,590 every three months.
- At $60,000 in pay, the tax is $8,478 for the year, about $2,119 every three months.
- At $80,000 in pay, the tax is $11,304 for the year, about $2,826 every three months.
- At $100,000 in pay, the tax is $14,130 for the year, about $3,532 every three months.
Questions people often ask
What does a pastor typically earn at a church with 50 members?
Counting by membership instead of weekly attendance, the 2026 study puts the median at $59,750. It applies to full-time senior pastors whose churches have membership between 50 and 74.
How much of the budget ought to go toward paying the pastor?
These studies track all staff pay as a group rather than the pastor by himself. According to Lifeway, the typical Southern Baptist church devotes 45% of its budget to staff. That share runs from a median of 42% where attendance is under 50 up to 50% where attendance is 250 or more. Vanderbloemen's benchmark recommends 45 to 55% for total staff pay, rising to 60% at smaller churches.
What does a small church pay its pastor?
That hinges on what you call small. One estimate citing Salary.com counts churches of 500 or fewer as small, and estimates pastor pay there at $35,494 to $67,221 for 2026.
Are pastors exempt from taxes?
No. The housing allowance escapes income tax, yet pastors still owe self-employment tax on it, and their regular salary gets taxed too. When a church provides a home, its full rental value escapes income tax. A utilities allowance escapes income tax up to what was actually spent on utilities.