Public Relations Managers Salary: $182,777 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 76,060 public relations managers nationally earn a mean of $182,777. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Public Relations Managers: what the data shows
Common questions about public relations managers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a public relations managers?
Public Relations Managers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 11-2032.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 76,060 workers.
How much does a public relations managers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $138,520 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $182,777 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $98,921 |
| 25th percentile | $120,748 |
| Median (50th) | $159,239 |
| 75th percentile | $216,165 |
What education do you need?
For Public Relations Managers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
Is public relations managers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 36.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 87.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 76,060.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do public relations managerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 76,060 | 18.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 65,360 | 15.8% |
| Educational Services | 18,460 | 4.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17,700 | 4.3% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17,700 | 4.3% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 11,900 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Public Relations Managers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other | 174,060 | $48,790 |
| Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 195,890 | $46,040 |
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | 12,630 | $67,310 |
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | 98,360 | $70,500 |
| Healthcare Support Workers, All Other | 103,650 | $46,050 |
| Communications Equipment Operators, All Other | 1,390 | $49,910 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Public Relations Managers workforce.
Employment Over Time
76,060 Workforce in 2023
The Public Relations Managers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Public Relations Managers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$182,777 Average Wage
In 2023, Public Relations Managers earned an average of $182,777.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Public Relations Managers.
Salary distribution for Public Relations Managers.
Employment Growth Projections
6.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
48,642 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 36.9%
66,575 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 87.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 6.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Public Relations Managers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Public Relations Managers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Public Relations Managers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Public Relations Managers.
Wage Trends by Industry
22.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Public Relations Managers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Public Relations Managers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,470 employees, $183,652 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Public Relations Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,670 employees, $167,044 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,420 employees, $210,041 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 910 employees, $271,676 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 780 employees, $159,724 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 630 employees, $161,948 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 550 employees, $187,770 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 480 employees, $162,254 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 340 employees, $147,464 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 130 employees, $132,023 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 100 employees, $186,250 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Public Relations Managers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Public Relations Managers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Public Relations Managers in 2023 was 76,060 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Public Relations Managers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Public Relations Managers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Public Relations Managers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Public Relations Managers in 2023 were Business Administration, Management, Business.
Common majors for Public Relations Managers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Public Relations Managers workers.
Education level distribution for Public Relations Managers.
Skills
Public Relations Managers need many skills, but most especially .
Required skills for Public Relations Managers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Public Relations Managers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Public Relations Managers include .
Knowledge areas required for Public Relations Managers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Public Relations Managers include .
Required abilities for Public Relations Managers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Public Relations Managers.
Daily Activities
Public Relations Managers spend their time on activities such as .
Most important work activities for Public Relations Managers.
About
Public Relations Managers
The average yearly wage for Public Relations Managers was $182,777 in 2023.
SOC Code
11-2032 - Public Relations Managers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Public Relations Managers reports an average salary of $182,777, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 76,060 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.