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Activist salary

Average activist salary

$37,694

$18.12 hourly rate

Entry-level activist salary
$26,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Activist Salary

The average salary for an activist in the United States is approximately $37,694 per year, translating to about $18 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific area of activism, such as environmental, social justice, or political advocacy.

How Much Does an Activist Make?

Entry-level activists may start with salaries around $30,000, while those with significant experience can earn upwards of $60,000. The potential for advancement often correlates with tenure and specialized skills in advocacy.

Where Can an Activist Earn More?

States like California and New York offer higher salaries for activists compared to the national average. Urban areas tend to provide more opportunities and higher compensation due to the concentration of non-profits and advocacy organizations.

Activist Salary Estimates from Across the Web

Online salary databases show similar trends, indicating that experience level and specific job functions greatly influence earnings. For instance, community organizers often have different pay scales compared to policy analysts in the same field.

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Where can an Activist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
61k
41k
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Columbus, OH$43,950
Portland, OR$31,227

Activist salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level activist$26,200$12.57
Mid-level activist$37,100$17.85
Senior-level activist$42,600$20.49

Activist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for an activist typically falls between $37,694 and $109,422.
zippia
$37,694yearly
glassdoor[1]
$67,738yearly
comparably[2]
$109,422yearly

Average activist salary by state

The average activist salary in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average activist salary states are Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for activists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Hampshire$43,124$20.73
2New Jersey$44,141$21.22
3New York$44,029$21.17
4Massachusetts$38,585$18.55
5District of Columbia$39,884$19.18
6Washington$38,782$18.65
7Vermont$35,231$16.94
8Connecticut$43,284$20.81
9Wisconsin$37,244$17.91
10Maine$40,169$19.31
11Iowa$34,491$16.58
12Texas$35,578$17.10
13North Dakota$36,266$17.44
14Alaska$35,513$17.07
15Pennsylvania$35,504$17.07
16North Carolina$37,407$17.98
17Rhode Island$32,850$15.79
18Nevada$35,068$16.86
19Delaware$36,255$17.43
20New Mexico$37,037$17.81
21California$37,254$17.91
22Ohio$30,902$14.86
23Colorado$31,182$14.99
24Minnesota$34,159$16.42
25Mississippi$31,361$15.08
26Michigan$30,572$14.70
27Hawaii$34,336$16.51
28Kansas$30,097$14.47
29West Virginia$28,241$13.58
30Maryland$30,583$14.70
31Indiana$30,050$14.45
32Tennessee$29,469$14.17
33Arizona$32,254$15.51
34Idaho$30,028$14.44
35Arkansas$29,884$14.37
36Florida$30,751$14.78
37Kentucky$28,255$13.58
38Illinois$31,760$15.27
39Wyoming$25,850$12.43
40Oregon$31,547$15.17
41Louisiana$27,269$13.11
42South Carolina$30,294$14.56
43Montana$24,483$11.77
44Georgia$28,545$13.72
45Virginia$27,483$13.21
46Oklahoma$25,214$12.12
47Utah$23,543$11.32
48South Dakota$25,534$12.28
49Alabama$27,139$13.05
50Missouri$25,920$12.46
51Nebraska$25,636$12.32

Highest paying cities for activists

The highest-paying cities for activists are New York, NY, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$43,950$21.13
2Seattle, WA$39,193$18.84
3Boston, MA$38,633$18.57
4Berkeley, CA$37,979$18.26
5Austin, TX$36,178$17.39
6Portland, OR$31,227$15.01

Activist salary details

An activist's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $53,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average activist salary graph
Average activist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an activist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25
75th Percentile$45,000$3,750$22
Average$37,694$3,141$18
25th Percentile$31,000$2,583$15
10th Percentile$26,000$2,167$13

Highest paying activist jobs

The highest paying types of activists are resident, liaison, and organizer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Program Coordinator$45,068$3,756$21.67102,464
Coordinator$41,599$3,467$20.00151,508
Organizer$49,763$4,147$23.92627
Volunteer$31,227$2,602$15.019,583
Resident$60,589$5,049$29.1314,186
Outreach Coordinator$45,897$3,825$22.0737,996

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$41,000$40,600$40,200$39,800$39,400$39,000
MaleFemale

Activist salary trends

The average activist salary has risen by $7,568 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average activist earned $30,126 annually, but today, they earn $37,694 a year. That works out to a 13% change in pay for activists over the last decade.

Compare activist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average activist salary over time

Compare activist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Activist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$37,700$18.12+2.5%
2024$36,800$17.67+3.7%
2023$35,400$17.01+1.9%
2022$34,700$16.69+4.0%
2021$33,300$16.03+3.1%

Recently added activist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
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Up FundraisingStreet Team ActivistAtlanta, GA09/06/2024$37,044
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Up FundraisingCharity Team ActivistAtlanta, GA06/30/2024$56,349
Up FundraisingStreet Team ActivistAtlanta, GA05/17/2024$37,044
Up FundraisingStreet Team ActivistAtlanta, GA05/17/2024$37,044
Up FundraisingStreet Team ActivistAtlanta, GA04/02/2024$37,044
Up FundraisingStreet Team ActivistAtlanta, GA03/05/2024$37,044
Up FundraisingStreet Team ActivistAtlanta, GA01/24/2024$37,044

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