Public relations specialists

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

131k

Average Age

39.9

Estimated Job Growth

7.17%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$84,737

Average Male Salary

$104,163

Average Female Salary

$74,003

About

Public relations specialists are most often employed by the Advertising, public relations & related services industry. The average yearly wage for Public relations specialists was $84,737 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Public relations specialists by wage are Training & development managers, Market research analysts & marketing specialists, and Credit counselors & loan officers.

Public relations specialists are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Public relations specialists are District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC, Upper East Side PUMA, NY, and District of Columbia (Northeast) PUMA, DC. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Public relations specialists are District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC, District of Columbia (Northeast) PUMA, DC, and Arlington County (South) PUMA, VA.

Photo by The U.S. Army

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Public relations specialists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Advertising, public relations & related services is the industry that employs the most Public relations specialists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Public relations specialists, by average wage, is Support activities for mining. Public relations specialists are paid most in Cicero, Berwyn & Oak Park Townships PUMA, IL but are relatively concentrated in District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC.

Yearly Wage

$84,737

AVERAGE SALARY

± $5,911

In 2020, Public relations specialists earned an average of $84,737, $28,783 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Training & development managers make somewhat more than Public relations specialists while Market research analysts & marketing specialists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Public relations specialists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.442

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Public relations specialists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.442, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Public relations specialists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Public relations specialists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Public relations specialists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Public relations specialists.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Public relations specialists, by number of employees, are Advertising, public relations & related services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Business, professional, political, & similar organizations, Elementary & secondary schools, National security & international affairs, Insurance carriers, and Computer Systems Design.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Public relations specialists, by average wage, are Support activities for mining, Petroleum refining, and Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers .

Industries by Share

131k

2020 Workforce

± 8,889

1.39%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.48%

The number of people employed as Public relations specialists has been growing at a rate of 1.39%, from 129,399 people in 2019 to 131,198 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Public relations specialists employed by various industries. Advertising, public relations & related services employs the largest share of Public relations specialists at 17.7%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 6.65% and Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services with 5.54%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Public relations specialists in the US. The average age of male Public relations specialists in the workforce is 41.8 and of female Public relations specialists is 38.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Public relations specialists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

46.7k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,304

84.5k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,135

64.4% of Public relations specialists are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Public relations specialists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Public relations specialists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

74.1% of Public relations specialists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.3% of Public relations specialists, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Public relations specialists.

Age by Sex

41.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.58

38.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.1

The median age of Public relations specialists is 39.9, and Male employees are generally 2.94 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Public relations specialists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Public relations specialists is Communications but a relatively high number of Public relations specialists hold a major in Communications.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Public relations specialists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public relations specialists need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, and Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Public relations specialists need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Time Management, and Persuasion.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Public Relations Specialists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Public Relations Specialists are expected to see a growth of 7.17% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

7.17%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Public Relations Specialists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.