ChurchSalary collects data throughout the course of the year via our online survey, as well as data entered into our online platform. This data is validated, analyzed, and regularly added to our system. We also partner from time to time with organizations such as the Barna Group and Clarity Research to capture the most detailed, up-to-date compensation information possible.
With more than 35,000 survey records collected, validated, and analyzed from over 25,000 churches across the country, our data delivers accurate, up-to-date market pricing information for 18 unique job positions.
Here's a quick summary of our data collection methodology:
COLLECT: ChurchSalary collects data through our own National Church Compensation Survey and Staff Salary Survey, from data entered into our platform, as well as from other organizations.
VALIDATE: Salary data is vetted to filter our invalid or incorrect data. Using knowledge gleaned from our existing database of records and statistical methods, ChurchSalary either heals records (e.g., simple entry mistakes) or rejects them.
ANALYZE: Data is filtered and analyzed primarily based on position, employment status, church budget, and church size. In addition, criteria such as experience, education, and geographical settings are used to filter and analyze salary data in every report.
DELIVER: Insights specific to customer’s needs are presented in custom reports which can be either viewed online or downloaded. Members are able to save, label, and organize multiple reports.
Data Source Details
Internal Database (User-Generated Data)
The core of ChurchSalary's intelligence lies in its extensive, voluntarily contributed database of employee and church compensation figures. The database holds records on approximately 35,000 employees serving at 25,000 churches, accumulated over years of surveys and reports. This robust dataset powers custom reports and analyses.
As ChurchSalary members create and manage Church Profiles (containing cornerstone metrics like Total Operating Budget, Attendance, Payroll Budget, and FTE Staff Size) and Employee Profiles directly within their Dashboard, ChurchSalary's internal database and accuracy continues to grow.
External Data Sources (Economic and Geographic Metrics)
To localize and contextualize compensation data, ChurchSalary integrates information from various authoritative external sources, dynamically sourced via a specialized Location API. Some of the factors ChurchSalary accounts for are:
Cost of Living Index (COLI): The COLI figure included in every salary report is based on a ZIP code level survey of consumer goods and services from The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). This is used to estimate the relative cost of living compared to the national average.
Demographic Data: The Location API draws data directly from the U.S. Census Bureau. This feeds applications like the Expanded Cost of Living Analysis (COLA) app with metrics such as Median Household Income (MHI), Per Capita Income, Median Home Value, and Total Population, across four geographic levels (Census Tract, Place, County, and Metro Area).
Cost of Labor and Compensation Factors: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) regions are used for regional salary comparisons. Furthermore, the platform utilizes BLS data to estimate the general cost of labor by comparing "All Occupations" salary data at the metro or non-metropolitan level against the national average, informing tools like the Comparable Jobs section.
Data Update Frequency
ChurchSalary is designed to keep the database constantly current, as members are encouraged to update and manage their employee and church data in real-time. Each time you and other members add or update a Church Profile or Employee Profile, the database is updated.
Data obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) table is published annually every May. In general, ChurchSalary commits to updating figures from various government agencies annually or as frequently as those sources publish them.