Management Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 11-2032

Public Relations Managers

The published band from $82,410 to $284,990 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Computer and Information Systems Managers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Public Relations Managers: Computer and Information Systems Managers ($175K) , Industrial Production Managers ($126K) , Managers, All Other ($142K) , Advertising and Promotions Managers ($134K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Public Relations Managers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 11-2032 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Assign, supervise, and review the activities of public relations staff
  2. 2. Confer with labor relations managers to develop internal communications that keep employees informed of company activities
  3. 3. Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures
  4. 4. Develop and maintain the company's corporate image and identity, which includes the use of logos and signage
  5. 5. Develop, implement, or maintain crisis communication plans
  6. 6. Direct activities of external agencies, establishments, or departments that develop and implement communication strategies and informatio…
  7. 7. Draft speeches for company executives and arrange interviews and other forms of contact for them
  8. 8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relati…
  9. 9. Evaluate advertising and promotion programs for compatibility with public relations efforts
  10. 10. Facilitate consumer relations or the relationship between parts of the company, such as the managers and employees, or different branch o…
  11. 11. Formulate policies and procedures related to public information programs, working with public relations executives
  12. 12. Identify main client groups and audiences, determine the best way to communicate publicity information to them, and develop and implement…
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$82,410 to $284,990
median $146,910 · ~3.5× spread
$147K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
6,600
Annual openings
74,850
Estimated US jobs
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Highest-pay peer · $175K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience 5 years or more

Top Paying States for Public Relations Managers

1. Virginia $176,340
2. Massachusetts $171,740
3. Colorado $162,870
4. California $167,980
5. New Jersey $174,980
6. Rhode Island $156,080
7. New York $180,880
8. Washington $159,440
9. Maine $166,940
10. District of Columbia $197,600

Other Management Occupations titles

  1. 1. Managers, All Other $141,900
  2. 2. Advertising and Promotions Managers $133,660
  3. 3. Purchasing Managers $148,080
  4. 4. Industrial Production Managers $126,060
  5. 5. Sales Managers $148,270
  6. 6. Computer and Information Systems Managers $175,140

The OEWS band for Public Relations Managers runs from $82,410 (10th) to $284,990 (90th), about 3.5× wide, with median $146,910. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and 5 years or more as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Virginia at $176,340. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Computer and Information Systems Managers at $175,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Public Relations Managers pay-rank #11 in Management Occupations

Among 37 detailed Management Occupations with a published OEWS median, Public Relations Managers is pay-rank #11, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 11-2032 · national median $146,910 · upper third of Management Occupations (#11/37). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Public Relations Managers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 11-2032

Virginia · top state for Public Relations Managers

$176K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$172K · behind Virginia

Computer and Information Systems Managers

Highest-pay peer vs Public Relations Managers · $175K

Industrial Production Managers

Lower-pay peer beside Public Relations Managers · $126K

Compare Public Relations Managers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Public Relations Managers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Management Occupations titles sit near Public Relations Managers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Public Relations Managers is pay-rank #11 of 37 detailed Management Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Purchasing Managers ($148K), Sales Managers ($148K), Compensation and Benefits Managers ($149K), Human Resources Managers ($149K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do public relations managers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Public Relations Managers. Leading ones include: Assign, supervise, and review the activities of public relations staff; Confer with labor relations managers to develop internal communications that keep employees informed of company activities; Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures; Develop and maintain the company's corporate image and identity, which includes the use of logos and signage. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
How wide is the published pay band for Public Relations Managers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $82,410 and the 90th at $284,990 for Public Relations Managers (3.5× spread). The national median is $146,910. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Public Relations Managers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Public Relations Managers is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 6,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Public Relations Managers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Public Relations Managers. Related-work-experience category: 5 years or more. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Public Relations Managers? ▼
Virginia ($176,340), Massachusetts ($171,740), Colorado ($162,870) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Public Relations Managers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 11-2032. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Public Relations Managers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics