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Earnings

Salaries for rabbis vary according to the size, branch, location, and financial status of their congregations. Information is limited, but the earnings of rabbis tend to range from $50,000 to $100,000. Smaller congregations offer salaries on the lower end of the scale, usually between $30,000 and $50,000 a year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary for all clergy was $55,190 in May 2019.

Senior or solo Reform rabbis earned salaries that ranged from $82,448 to $463,928 in 2017, according to a study conducted by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Associate Reform rabbis earned salaries that ranged from $94,692 to $219,000, and assistant Reform rabbis had earnings that ranged from $86,658 to $130,000.

Benefits include health insurance, paid vacations, pensions, and car and housing allowance. Rabbis usually receive gifts or fees for officiating at weddings and other ceremonies. Some congregations may allow their rabbi to teach at local universities or other settings to earn additional income.