Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-3031

Public Relations Specialists

The published band from $44,110 to $135,150 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Special Effects Artists and Animators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Public Relations Specialists: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Set and Exhibit Designers ($75K) , Fashion Designers ($81K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Public Relations Specialists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-3031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source
  2. 2. Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's acco…
  3. 3. Post and update content on the company's Web site and social media outlets
  4. 4. Write press releases or other media communications to promote clients
  5. 5. Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups
  6. 6. Confer with other managers to identify trends or key group interests or concerns or to provide advice on business decisions
  7. 7. Coach client representatives in effective communication with the public or with employees
  8. 8. Study the objectives, promotional policies, or needs of organizations to develop public relations strategies that will influence public o…
  9. 9. Prepare or edit organizational publications, such as employee newsletters or stockholders' reports, for internal or external audiences
  10. 10. Arrange public appearances, lectures, contests, or exhibits for clients to increase product or service awareness or to promote goodwill
  11. 11. Plan or conduct market or public opinion research to test products or determine potential for product success, communicating results to c…
  12. 12. Develop plans or materials to communicate organizational activities that are beneficial to the environment, public safety, or other impor…

O*NET skills and knowledge for Public Relations Specialists

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-3031 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.1
  2. 2. Speaking 4.1
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.9
  7. 7. Coordination 3.9
  8. 8. Time Management 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Communications and Media 4.9
  2. 2. English Language 4.7
  3. 3. Administration and Management 4.0
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 4.0
  5. 5. Sales and Marketing 3.9
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$44,110 to $135,150
median $74,750 · ~3.1× spread
$75K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
27,600
Annual openings
283,380
Estimated US jobs
Special Effects Artists and Animators
Highest-pay peer · $102K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Public Relations Specialists

1. New York $81,250
2. Maryland $79,560
3. California $85,030
4. Virginia $80,380
5. New Jersey $80,130
6. Washington $87,470
7. District of Columbia $102,740
8. Colorado $80,680
9. Connecticut $84,990
10. Massachusetts $79,660

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240
  2. 2. Special Effects Artists and Animators $102,030
  3. 3. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  4. 4. Fashion Designers $80,960
  5. 5. Editors $77,920
  6. 6. Commercial and Industrial Designers $83,910

The OEWS band for Public Relations Specialists runs from $44,110 (10th) to $135,150 (90th), about 3.1× wide, with median $74,750. 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 27,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. 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: New York at $81,250. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Special Effects Artists and Animators at $102,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

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

Dive into Public Relations Specialists in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in New York

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Maryland

Second-highest state pay

Special Effects Artists and Animators

Highest-pay peer · $102K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer · $72K

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Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

What do public relations specialists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Public Relations Specialists. Leading ones include: Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source; Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's acco…; Post and update content on the company's Web site and social media outlets; Write press releases or other media communications to promote clients. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for public relations specialists? ▼
For SOC 27-3031, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.1), Speaking (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Communications and Media, English Language, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does Public Relations Specialists sit next to other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Special Effects Artists and Animators, Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners, Set and Exhibit Designers, Fashion Designers. Among those peers, Special Effects Artists and Animators holds the highest published national median ($102,030). Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners sits lower at $72,420. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Public Relations Specialists? ▼
The median salary for Public Relations Specialists is $74,750 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $44,110 (10th percentile) to $135,150 (90th percentile). For context beside Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102,030), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Public Relations Specialists a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects +5% employment change for Public Relations Specialists from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 27,600 projected annual openings. This is about as fast as average relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a public relations specialists? ▼
BLS assigns Public Relations Specialists to Bachelor's degree for typical education needed for entry. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay public relations specialists the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Public Relations Specialists are New York ($81,250), Maryland ($79,560), California ($85,030). The table does not identify why 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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau