Public Relations Specialists pay in the U.S.
$84,120avg. a year
$40.44 an hour · 283,380 employed
Public Relations Specialists in the U.S. earn an average of $84,120 a year and a median of $74,750. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($120,200) and lowest in West Virginia ($64,450).
$74,750Median pay
$40.44Average hourly
+17%Avg. pay since 2020
283,380Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for public relations specialists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
116,720 jobs
District of Columbia
$120,200
$57.79 an hour
232,710 jobs
California
$97,140
$46.70 an hour
37,410 jobs
Colorado
$95,790
$46.05 an hour
428,250 jobs
New York
$95,760
$46.04 an hour
56,430 jobs
Washington
$95,030
$45.69 an hour
61,910 jobs
Connecticut
$95,000
$45.67 an hour
79,990 jobs
Virginia
$92,860
$44.64 an hour
86,760 jobs
Massachusetts
$90,400
$43.46 an hour
94,190 jobs
Maryland
$88,560
$42.58 an hour
104,980 jobs
New Jersey
$88,460
$42.53 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 Specialists 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 $70k$70k–$75k$75k–$85k$85k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $126,870 | $60.99 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $116,930 | $56.21 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $114,310 | $54.96 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $102,230 | $49.15 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $101,030 | $48.57 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $100,940 | $48.53 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $100,470 | $48.30 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $99,240 | $47.71 |
Related jobs
- Editors$90,060
- Interpreters and Translators$66,360
- Writers and Authors$86,090
- Technical Writers$96,970
- News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists$102,460
- Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys$78,720
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Public Relations Specialists 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 | $70,760 | $61,710 | 2,410 |
| Alaska | $77,650 | $70,050 | 640 |
| Arizona | $76,700 | $66,710 | 5,350 |
| Arkansas | $77,080 | $65,000 | 980 |
| California | $97,140 | $85,030 | 32,710 |
| Colorado | $95,790 | $80,680 | 7,410 |
| Connecticut | $95,000 | $84,990 | 1,910 |
| Delaware | $79,960 | $76,120 | 930 |
| District of Columbia | $120,200 | $102,740 | 16,720 |
| Florida | $71,950 | $63,660 | 17,820 |
| Georgia | $84,550 | $73,200 | 6,860 |
| Hawaii | $70,190 | $63,880 | 1,800 |
| Idaho | $66,910 | $61,110 | 1,220 |
| Illinois | $86,060 | $76,380 | 6,200 |
| Indiana | $72,510 | $64,900 | 3,750 |
| Iowa | $68,340 | $62,970 | 2,890 |
| Kansas | $69,850 | $64,860 | 2,340 |
| Kentucky | $67,550 | $60,150 | 2,580 |
| Louisiana | $67,520 | $60,470 | 1,710 |
| Maine | $67,260 | $62,450 | 1,400 |
| Maryland | $88,560 | $79,560 | 4,190 |
| Massachusetts | $90,400 | $79,660 | 6,760 |
| Michigan | $73,660 | $65,300 | 7,510 |
| Minnesota | $74,790 | $68,620 | 8,260 |
| Mississippi | $64,830 | $59,810 | 950 |
| Missouri | $67,840 | $61,130 | 4,820 |
| Montana | $67,960 | $63,780 | 1,760 |
| Nebraska | $66,120 | $61,780 | 1,590 |
| Nevada | $79,430 | $73,840 | 1,600 |
| New Hampshire | $81,020 | $73,280 | 1,140 |
| New Jersey | $88,460 | $80,130 | 4,980 |
| New Mexico | $75,750 | $68,700 | 1,130 |
| New York | $95,760 | $81,250 | 28,250 |
| North Carolina | $78,940 | $67,230 | 9,910 |
| North Dakota | $73,940 | $70,280 | 640 |
| Ohio | $74,520 | $64,840 | 6,670 |
| Oklahoma | $72,520 | $64,920 | 2,280 |
| Oregon | $80,470 | $74,900 | 4,510 |
| Pennsylvania | $65,660 | $57,460 | 11,180 |
| Rhode Island | $84,730 | $77,540 | 1,140 |
| South Carolina | $80,010 | $62,730 | 2,950 |
| South Dakota | $71,890 | $64,520 | 210 |
| Tennessee | $65,360 | $60,900 | 3,380 |
| Texas | $72,860 | $65,160 | 25,220 |
| Utah | $74,170 | $62,670 | 1,800 |
| Vermont | $69,920 | $66,060 | 1,260 |
| Virginia | $92,860 | $80,380 | 9,990 |
| Washington | $95,030 | $87,470 | 6,430 |
| West Virginia | $64,450 | $56,730 | 350 |
| Wisconsin | $73,830 | $67,240 | 4,410 |
| Wyoming | $75,790 | $67,490 | 480 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$99,240
24,820 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$116,930
22,810 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$89,790
11,910 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$75,960
7,300 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$114,310
6,290 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$77,940
6,170 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$72,680
5,460 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$93,800
5,380 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do public relations specialists make?
The average is $84,120 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $74,750 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $40.44, and the median is $35.94 an hour.
Which state pays public relations specialists the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $120,200 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $126,870.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $44,110 a year, and the top 10% earn over $135,150.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 27-3031. 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.