Half of churches spend between 40 and 60 percent of their total annual budget on payroll or staff-related expenses.

On average, churches spend 49.6 percent of their total annual operating budget on staff/payroll.

Based on the ratio of payroll (compensation and benefits) spending versus overall budget from 3,098 churches (2018-2022). Confidence interval (95%) = +/- 0.5; Standard deviation = 13.6.
Chart: Aaron M. Hill Source: ChurchSalary