Public Relations Specialists
Public Relations Specialists earn an average annual salary of $95,096, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 5.3% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Public Relations Specialists workforce.
Employment Over Time
31,070 Workforce in 2023
The Public Relations Specialists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Public Relations Specialists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$95,096 Average Wage
In 2023, Public Relations Specialists earned an average of $95,096.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Public Relations Specialists.
Salary distribution for Public Relations Specialists.
Employment Growth Projections
0.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
123,552 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 1.7%
125,701 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 3.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Public Relations Specialists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Public Relations Specialists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Public Relations Specialists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Public Relations Specialists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-1.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Public Relations Specialists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Public Relations Specialists.
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: 28,790 employees, $95,564 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Public Relations Specialists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 9,600 employees, $88,267 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 3,720 employees, $114,919 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 2,400 employees, $117,807 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,360 employees, $87,567 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,330 employees, $86,284 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 2,250 employees, $98,486 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,060 employees, $106,917 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,270 employees, $82,010 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 480 employees, $76,186 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 440 employees, $89,560 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Public Relations Specialists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Public Relations Specialists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Public Relations Specialists in 2023 was 31,070 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Public Relations Specialists.
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 Specialists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Public Relations Specialists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Public Relations Specialists in 2023 were Public Relations, Communications, Journalism.
Common majors for Public Relations Specialists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Public Relations Specialists workers.
Education level distribution for Public Relations Specialists.
Skills
Public Relations Specialists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Public Relations Specialists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Public Relations Specialists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Public Relations Specialists include Communications and Media, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing.
Knowledge areas required for Public Relations Specialists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Public Relations Specialists include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Public Relations Specialists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Public Relations Specialists.
Daily Activities
Public Relations Specialists spend their time on activities such as Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Developing Objectives and Strategies.
Most important work activities for Public Relations Specialists.
About
Public Relations Specialists
The average yearly wage for Public Relations Specialists was $95,096 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-3031 - Public Relations Specialists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Public Relations Specialists reports an average salary of $95,096.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 31,070 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.3%, 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.