Public Relations Managers pay in the U.S.
$164,760avg. a year
$79.21 an hour · 74,850 employed
Public Relations Managers in the U.S. earn an average of $164,760 a year and a median of $146,910. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($217,060) and lowest in West Virginia ($94,410).
$146,910Median pay
$79.21Average hourly
+19%Avg. pay since 2021
74,850Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for public relations managers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
17,410 jobs
District of Columbia
$217,060
$104.36 an hour
27,710 jobs
New York
$203,900
$98.03 an hour
32,610 jobs
Virginia
$192,100
$92.36 an hour
42,420 jobs
New Jersey
$185,230
$89.05 an hour
59,400 jobs
California
$185,180
$89.03 an hour
62,170 jobs
Massachusetts
$181,950
$87.47 an hour
7
Colorado
$170,820
$82.13 an hour
81,610 jobs
Washington
$168,850
$81.18 an hour
9890 jobs
Connecticut
$167,860
$80.70 an hour
101,530 jobs
Maryland
$166,120
$79.86 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Public Relations Managers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $127k$127k–$136k$136k–$163k$163k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $229,420 | $110.30 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $214,670 | $103.21 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $208,800 | $100.39 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $207,600 | $99.81 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $187,740 | $90.26 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $183,670 | $88.30 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $181,560 | $87.29 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $178,520 | $85.83 |
Related jobs
- Sales Managers$164,350
- Marketing Managers$177,770
- Fundraising Managers$140,020
- Advertising and Promotions Managers$154,280
- General and Operations Managers$134,940
- Financial Managers$186,910
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Public Relations Managers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $112,490 | $98,210 | 540 |
| Alaska | $129,370 | $120,920 | 380 |
| Arizona | $131,310 | $114,400 | 1,170 |
| Arkansas | $136,310 | $104,170 | 340 |
| California | $185,180 | $167,980 | 9,400 |
| Colorado | $170,820 | $162,870 | – |
| Connecticut | $167,860 | $154,210 | 890 |
| Delaware | $165,760 | $153,010 | 170 |
| District of Columbia | $217,060 | $197,600 | 7,410 |
| Florida | $137,560 | $127,550 | 2,990 |
| Georgia | $150,060 | $134,500 | 1,540 |
| Hawaii | $115,930 | $105,010 | 390 |
| Idaho | $103,660 | $98,160 | – |
| Illinois | $142,720 | $131,990 | 2,770 |
| Indiana | $128,300 | $114,960 | 600 |
| Iowa | $128,080 | $120,730 | 630 |
| Kansas | $135,260 | $129,760 | 300 |
| Kentucky | $123,770 | $112,320 | 510 |
| Louisiana | $110,400 | $94,380 | 320 |
| Maine | $151,990 | $166,940 | – |
| Maryland | $166,120 | $149,380 | 1,530 |
| Massachusetts | $181,950 | $171,740 | 2,170 |
| Michigan | $131,830 | $117,900 | 1,720 |
| Minnesota | $148,840 | $139,040 | 1,230 |
| Mississippi | $114,260 | $97,160 | 170 |
| Missouri | $128,330 | $114,710 | 760 |
| Montana | $111,870 | $99,990 | 180 |
| Nebraska | $117,790 | $104,440 | 330 |
| Nevada | $135,800 | $114,130 | 450 |
| New Hampshire | $142,510 | $132,660 | 330 |
| New Jersey | $185,230 | $174,980 | 2,420 |
| New Mexico | $127,030 | $115,260 | 250 |
| New York | $203,900 | $180,880 | 7,710 |
| North Carolina | $146,900 | $132,280 | 1,510 |
| North Dakota | $122,450 | $114,110 | 130 |
| Ohio | $132,030 | $118,670 | 1,400 |
| Oklahoma | $110,350 | $96,030 | 490 |
| Oregon | $138,720 | $131,190 | 1,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $130,880 | $118,050 | 2,210 |
| Rhode Island | $163,300 | $156,080 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $125,350 | $104,920 | 650 |
| Tennessee | $131,930 | $127,390 | 700 |
| Texas | $142,060 | $126,670 | 8,190 |
| Utah | $148,790 | $132,670 | 580 |
| Virginia | $192,100 | $176,340 | 2,610 |
| Washington | $168,850 | $159,440 | 1,610 |
| West Virginia | $94,410 | $82,380 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $129,050 | $113,980 | 1,010 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$214,670
9,470 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$208,800
7,940 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$178,520
3,610 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$147,920
2,850 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$145,570
2,190 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$207,600
1,880 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$187,740
1,810 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$146,790
1,790 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do public relations managers make?
The average is $164,760 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $146,910 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $79.21, and the median is $70.63 an hour.
Which state pays public relations managers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $217,060 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $229,420.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $82,410 a year, and the top 10% earn over $284,990.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 11-2032. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.