Public relations specialists

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Total Workforce

132k

Average Age

41

Estimated Job Growth

8.86%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$81,534

Average Male Salary

$98,996

Average Female Salary

$71,750

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

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 $81,534 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Public relations specialists by wage are Compensation & benefits managers, Market research analysts & marketing specialists, and Other financial clerks.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Public relations specialists are Upper East Side PUMA, NY, District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC, and Chelsea, Clinton & Midtown Business District PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Public relations specialists are Upper East Side PUMA, NY, District of Columbia (Northeast) PUMA, DC, and District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC.

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Management, business, science, & arts occupationsEducation, legal, community service, arts, & media occupationsArts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

Employment

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 Aircraft & parts manufacturing. Public relations specialists are paid most in District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC but are relatively concentrated in Upper East Side PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$81,534

AVERAGE SALARY

± $5,854

In 2017, Public relations specialists earned an average of $81,534, $29,470 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Compensation & benefits 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.

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Wage Distribution

0.442

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Public relations specialists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.442, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Public relations specialists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC

  2. McLean & Idylwood PUMA, VA

  3. Arlington County (South) PUMA, VA

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

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Public relations specialists

  1. Upper East Side PUMA, NY

  2. District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC

  3. District of Columbia (Northeast) PUMA, DC

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

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Industries

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, and Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Public relations specialists, by average wage, are Aircraft & parts manufacturing, Legal services, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

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Industries by Share

132k

2017 Workforce

± 8,903

1.99%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.43%

The number of people employed as Public relations specialists has been growing at a rate of 1.99%, from 129,037 people in 2016 to 131,609 people in 2017.

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  18.7%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 7.79% and Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services with 5.28%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Public relations specialists in the US. The average age of male Public relations specialists in the workforce is 43.7 and of female Public relations specialists is 39.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Public relations specialists is White.

Gender Composition

47.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,337

84.3k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,128

64.1% of Public relations specialists are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Public relations specialists.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Public relations specialists

  1. White

  2. Black

  3. Asian

82.8% of Public relations specialists are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 9.74% of Public relations specialists, Black is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Public relations specialists.

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Age by Gender

43.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.56

39.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.12

The median age of Public relations specialists is 41, and Male employees are generally 4.33 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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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

  1. Communications

  2. Social Sciences

  3. Business

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Communications

  2. Communication Technologies

  3. English

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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, Social Perceptiveness, and Active Listening. 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

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Public relations specialists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Public relations specialists are expected to see a growth of 8.86% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

8.86%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Public relations specialists. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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