U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
PRINT:Print
OEWS OEWS Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

27-3031 Public Relations Specialists

Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media. May specialize in using social media.

National estimates for Public Relations Specialists
Industry profile for Public Relations Specialists
Geographic profile for Public Relations Specialists

National estimates for Public Relations Specialists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Public Relations Specialists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
244,550 1.1 % $ 34.58 $ 71,940 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Public Relations Specialists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.00 $ 22.42 $ 30.20 $ 41.05 $ 56.83
Annual Wage (2) $ 35,350 $ 46,630 $ 62,810 $ 85,380 $ 118,210

Industry profile for Public Relations Specialists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Public Relations Specialists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Public Relations Specialists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Public Relations Specialists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 33,880 7.46 $ 40.00 $ 83,200
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 20,490 4.92 $ 38.36 $ 79,780
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 20,160 0.66 $ 31.37 $ 65,250
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 12,400 0.23 $ 31.98 $ 66,510
Management of Companies and Enterprises 11,610 0.48 $ 38.30 $ 79,660

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Public Relations Specialists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 33,880 7.46 $ 40.00 $ 83,200
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 20,490 4.92 $ 38.36 $ 79,780
Social Advocacy Organizations 10,660 4.85 $ 31.51 $ 65,530
Grantmaking and Giving Services 6,360 4.41 $ 35.48 $ 73,810
Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures 860 2.98 $ 36.27 $ 75,450

Top paying industries for Public Relations Specialists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 420 0.26 $ 54.99 $ 114,370
Legal Services 1,490 0.13 $ 48.25 $ 100,360
Natural Gas Distribution 210 0.19 $ 47.98 $ 99,790
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 5,680 0.27 $ 47.76 $ 99,340
Metal Ore Mining 40 0.11 $ 46.12 $ 95,930

Geographic profile for Public Relations Specialists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Public Relations Specialists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Public Relations Specialists, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Public Relations Specialists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 27,120 3.12 1.77 $ 38.32 $ 79,700
California 24,810 1.51 0.86 $ 38.51 $ 80,090
Texas 24,780 2.05 1.16 $ 29.23 $ 60,800
District of Columbia 19,010 27.66 15.74 $ 52.47 $ 109,140
Florida 12,880 1.53 0.87 $ 28.03 $ 58,300




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Public Relations Specialists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 19,010 27.66 15.74 $ 52.47 $ 109,140
New York 27,120 3.12 1.77 $ 38.32 $ 79,700
Vermont 810 2.88 1.64 $ 26.23 $ 54,560
Maine 1,550 2.69 1.53 $ 26.21 $ 54,510
Rhode Island 1,080 2.44 1.39 $ 35.19 $ 73,190




Top paying states for Public Relations Specialists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 19,010 27.66 15.74 $ 52.47 $ 109,140
New Jersey 4,150 1.10 0.62 $ 39.85 $ 82,890
Washington 6,000 1.88 1.07 $ 39.12 $ 81,380
California 24,810 1.51 0.86 $ 38.51 $ 80,090
Maryland 3,270 1.29 0.74 $ 38.45 $ 79,970





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Public Relations Specialists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 25,390 2.87 1.63 $ 39.67 $ 82,510
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 24,640 8.15 4.64 $ 50.18 $ 104,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 9,560 1.64 0.93 $ 34.57 $ 71,910
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 8,710 2.43 1.38 $ 29.74 $ 61,870
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 6,590 1.51 0.86 $ 31.77 $ 66,080
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 6,030 2.32 1.32 $ 37.42 $ 77,840
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 5,770 2.47 1.41 $ 42.61 $ 88,630
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5,530 1.86 1.06 $ 30.23 $ 62,880
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 4,890 1.86 1.06 $ 28.74 $ 59,770
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,620 2.50 1.42 $ 33.73 $ 70,150




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Public Relations Specialists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 24,640 8.15 4.64 $ 50.18 $ 104,370
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 630 5.81 3.31 $ 34.77 $ 72,310
Ithaca, NY 260 5.76 3.28 $ 41.06 $ 85,400
Lansing-East Lansing, MI 970 4.91 2.79 $ 37.05 $ 77,060
Jefferson City, MO 340 4.70 2.67 $ 33.32 $ 69,300
Columbia, MO 380 4.35 2.47 $ 24.80 $ 51,580
Manhattan, KS 160 4.28 2.44 $ 22.84 $ 47,500
Portland-South Portland, ME 810 4.12 2.34 $ 25.71 $ 53,470
Madison, WI 1,540 4.03 2.29 $ 31.69 $ 65,920
Corvallis, OR 140 4.00 2.27 $ 32.10 $ 66,780