Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys
Median $47,340
Occupation · SOC 27-3031
Public Relations Specialists: pay and where the jobs are
What public relations specialists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$74,750 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $84,120
- Median hourly wage
- $35.94
- Mean hourly wage
- $40.44
- Employment
- 283,380
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3031.
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How much do public relations specialists make?
The median annual wage for public relations specialists was $74,750 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $135,150. As an hourly rate, the median is $35.94. About 283,380 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($102,740), Washington ($87,470) and California ($85,030). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for public relations specialists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,110 | $21.21 | $3,676 | $3,135 |
| 25th percentile | $56,260 | $27.05 | $4,688 | $3,949 |
| Median | $74,750 | $35.94 | $6,229 | $5,118 |
| 75th percentile | $100,370 | $48.25 | $8,364 | $6,620 |
| 90th percentile | $135,150 | $64.98 | $11,263 | $8,637 |
Public Relations Specialists: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$68,556 take-home in national prices
2
$65,379 take-home in national prices
3
$64,620 take-home in national prices
Where a median public relations specialist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 16,720 | $102,740 | $64,260 | $202,170 | $75,343 | $68,556 |
| Washington | 6,430 | $87,470 | $60,760 | $136,020 | $69,152 | $64,620 |
| California | 32,710 | $85,030 | $49,550 | $160,520 | $63,880 | $57,695 |
| Connecticut | 1,910 | $84,990 | $51,410 | $162,280 | $64,271 | $62,032 |
| New York | 28,250 | $81,250 | $51,730 | $157,610 | $61,817 | $57,280 |
| Colorado | 7,410 | $80,680 | $51,710 | $139,040 | $62,392 | $60,544 |
| Virginia | 9,990 | $80,380 | $46,840 | $162,050 | $61,570 | $60,897 |
| New Jersey | 4,980 | $80,130 | $49,820 | $138,190 | $61,760 | $56,762 |
| Massachusetts | 6,760 | $79,660 | $51,710 | $139,240 | $60,741 | $57,435 |
| Maryland | 4,190 | $79,560 | $42,060 | $147,220 | $61,387 | $58,487 |
| Rhode Island | 1,140 | $77,540 | $47,750 | $129,360 | $60,236 | $58,893 |
| Illinois | 6,200 | $76,380 | $47,690 | $139,570 | $58,927 | $58,952 |
| Delaware | 930 | $76,120 | $43,720 | $126,290 | $58,393 | $58,505 |
| Oregon | 4,510 | $74,900 | $45,190 | $123,880 | $56,025 | $54,203 |
| Nevada | 1,600 | $73,840 | $44,710 | $120,160 | $60,776 | $60,789 |
| New Hampshire | 1,140 | $73,280 | $50,430 | $122,390 | $60,382 | $57,968 |
| Georgia | 6,860 | $73,200 | $43,590 | $128,190 | $57,422 | $59,633 |
| North Dakota | 640 | $70,280 | $47,980 | $100,710 | $58,161 | $65,379 |
| Alaska | 640 | $70,050 | $45,140 | $117,210 | $57,839 | $56,506 |
| New Mexico | 1,130 | $68,700 | $43,080 | $123,110 | $55,097 | $59,751 |
| Minnesota | 8,260 | $68,620 | $42,220 | $111,180 | $53,659 | $54,410 |
| Wyoming | 480 | $67,490 | $50,430 | $115,210 | $56,309 | $60,749 |
| Wisconsin | 4,410 | $67,240 | $44,790 | $105,970 | $53,650 | $57,017 |
| North Carolina | 9,910 | $67,230 | $39,840 | $136,450 | $53,953 | $57,198 |
| Arizona | 5,350 | $66,710 | $45,080 | $111,220 | $54,486 | $54,120 |
| Vermont | 1,260 | $66,060 | $45,330 | $101,520 | $53,403 | $54,517 |
| Michigan | 7,510 | $65,300 | $38,560 | $117,290 | $52,124 | $54,173 |
| Texas | 25,220 | $65,160 | $39,840 | $109,640 | $54,536 | $56,190 |
| Arkansas | 980 | $65,000 | $39,170 | $137,190 | $52,490 | $60,377 |
| Oklahoma | 2,280 | $64,920 | $39,380 | $113,780 | $51,967 | $59,159 |
| Indiana | 3,750 | $64,900 | $42,060 | $105,580 | $52,442 | $56,191 |
| Kansas | 2,340 | $64,860 | $39,820 | $105,500 | $51,476 | $57,152 |
| Ohio | 6,670 | $64,840 | $41,540 | $121,460 | $52,939 | $57,063 |
| South Dakota | 210 | $64,520 | $48,460 | $102,480 | $54,022 | $60,982 |
| Hawaii | 1,800 | $63,880 | $42,070 | $104,240 | $50,137 | $45,599 |
| Montana | 1,760 | $63,780 | $43,770 | $96,050 | $51,185 | $54,081 |
| Florida | 17,820 | $63,660 | $37,000 | $115,680 | $53,331 | $51,570 |
| Iowa | 2,890 | $62,970 | $38,890 | $104,700 | $51,035 | $58,152 |
| South Carolina | 2,950 | $62,730 | $38,920 | $143,940 | $50,740 | $54,123 |
| Utah | 1,800 | $62,670 | $41,410 | $119,270 | $50,135 | $50,711 |
| Maine | 1,400 | $62,450 | $38,890 | $100,770 | $49,509 | $51,014 |
| Nebraska | 1,590 | $61,780 | $41,490 | $93,990 | $49,889 | $55,369 |
| Alabama | 2,410 | $61,710 | $39,320 | $111,970 | $49,180 | $55,368 |
| Missouri | 4,820 | $61,130 | $38,490 | $102,850 | $49,362 | $54,353 |
| Idaho | 1,220 | $61,110 | $36,580 | $101,890 | $49,151 | $51,471 |
| Tennessee | 3,380 | $60,900 | $37,450 | $98,370 | $51,113 | $55,636 |
| Louisiana | 1,710 | $60,470 | $38,640 | $98,610 | $49,340 | $55,936 |
| Kentucky | 2,580 | $60,150 | $37,190 | $103,530 | $48,523 | $53,819 |
| Virgin Islands | 60 | $59,990 | $37,400 | $83,780 | — | — |
| Mississippi | 950 | $59,810 | $38,630 | $96,690 | $48,577 | $55,866 |
| Pennsylvania | 11,180 | $57,460 | $32,810 | $102,330 | $46,545 | $47,703 |
| West Virginia | 350 | $56,730 | $39,720 | $103,380 | $46,034 | $51,437 |
| Guam | Not published | $48,460 | $39,050 | $71,480 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 520 | $44,950 | $28,540 | $81,330 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.