According to the Business Master File, there are about 1.9 million registered nonprofits in the United States. This number includes public charities, private foundations, and other types of nonprofit organizations, including chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations and civic leagues.
NCCS also provides a variety of data tools to find information about the nonprofit sector.
The graphic below shows how 501(c) organizations are distributed among the subsections.
Source: Candid’s U.S Social Sector Dashboard
How many people are employed in the U.S. nonprofit sector?
As of 2022, approximately 12.8 million people were employed in the nonprofit sector, representing 9.9% of all private-sector employment. For the first time, nonprofit employment now equals manufacturing. Retail trade and accommodation and food services are the only U.S. industries that employ more people than nonprofits.
According to a 2019 report by the Center for Civil Society Studies at John Hopkins, "What these data show, among other things, is that nonprofit organizations are a far more sizable economic force in this country than is commonly appreciated," the report says. "They employ millions of people, generate huge wage payments that in turn lead to substantial income and sale tax revenues for state and federal governments, and save governments further costs through programs that reduce the incidence of a wide variety of social ills...."
Although nonprofit organizations are involved in all industry sectors, nearly 2 out of every 3 nonprofit jobs in 2022 were in the health care and social assistance sector (66.3 percent). Other sectors with high shares of nonprofit employment included educational services (16.4 percent); other services (6.3 percent); and arts, entertainment, and recreation (2.6 percent).
See also our related Knowledge Base articles:
Nonprofit Sector State Profiles
Independent Sector
This interactive dashboard provides national and state data about the nonprofit sector's size, economic impact, paid workforce, volunteer workforce, and more. Filter reports by selecting a state in the drop-down menu at the top of the dashboard. Data shown are the most recent available from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Census Bureau, AmeriCorps, and Independent Sector’s own research.
U.S. Social Sector Dashboard
Candid
Candid's annually updated website shares key statistics about the organizations, financial flows, and people that make up the social sector in the United States.
State Nonprofit Data & Reports
National Council of Nonprofits
This interactive map provides nonprofit data by state, including employment, revenues, expenses, assets, and contributions. When available, it also provides links to the latest state-level report on the nonprofit sector, and to the state association's most recent nonprofit salary survey/compensation & benefits report and nonprofit job board.
Charities & Other Tax-Exempt Organizations Statistics
IRS Tax Stats
This section contains statistical tables, articles, and other information on charities and other tax-exempt organizations. Nonprofit charitable organizations are exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Exempt Organizations Business Master File Extract
IRS
Displays statistical data on the number of nonprofits by state, as well as by regions and geographic areas.