Public Relations Specialist Salary

Public Relations Specialists earn a median $74,750 a year nationally. Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

U.S. median

$74,750

$35.94 per hour

Range

$44,110 – $135,150

10th to 90th percentile

Employed

283,380

across the U.S.

Public Relations Specialist take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Your take-home pay

$61,417

per year · effective tax rate 17.8%

$5,118Monthly

$2,559Twice a month

$2,362Every 2 weeks

$29.53Hourly

Federal income tax$7,615
Social Security (6.2%)$4,635
Medicare (1.45%)$1,084
Texas income tax$0
Take-home pay$61,417

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

Percentile	Salary	Hourly	Take-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)	$44,110	$21.21	$37,622
25th percentile	$56,260	$27.05	$47,385
Median (50th)	$74,750	$35.94	$61,417
75th percentile	$100,370	$48.25	$79,440
90th percentile (top earners)	$135,150	$64.98	$103,641

Best cities for public relations specialists (after tax & cost of living)

#	Metro area	Median	Take-home	Real value*	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$117,620	$83,338	$75,471	2,200
2	Seattle, WA	$96,000	$76,366	$68,716	3,980
3	Washington, DC	$101,680	$74,688	$68,594	22,810
4	Olympia, WA	$84,470	$68,255	$65,838	630
5	Hartford, CT	$87,830	$67,363	$65,562	710
6	San Francisco, CA	$102,520	$74,315	$64,279	6,290
7	Trenton, NJ	$84,990	$65,397	$63,381	610
8	Sacramento, CA	$89,640	$66,619	$62,454	2,620
9	Columbus, OH	$73,280	$59,150	$61,957	1,840
10	Durham, NC	$76,970	$60,416	$61,919	1,090
11	Des Moines, IA	$70,660	$56,506	$61,620	1,050
12	Salem, OR	$87,740	$63,707	$61,465	450
13	Bridgeport, CT	$84,990	$65,521	$61,313	450
14	Albuquerque, NM	$73,640	$58,340	$61,060	560
15	Charlotte, NC	$75,190	$59,235	$60,849	2,470
16	Atlanta, GA	$78,920	$60,877	$60,842	4,750
17	Denver, CO	$82,930	$64,231	$60,720	4,560
18	Las Vegas, NV	$73,840	$60,776	$60,646	1,180
19	Boulder, CO	$81,180	$63,077	$59,958	700
20	New Orleans, LA	$68,600	$55,418	$59,849	490
21	Richmond, VA	$75,730	$58,566	$59,848	1,760
22	Providence, RI	$77,210	$60,869	$59,808	1,250
23	Madison, WI	$73,510	$58,029	$59,647	1,410
24	Lansing, MI	$71,550	$56,375	$59,348	820
25	Colorado Springs, CO	$75,550	$59,364	$58,947	750

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

San Jose, CA — $117,620
San Francisco, CA — $102,520
Washington, DC — $101,680
Seattle, WA — $96,000
Sacramento, CA — $89,640
Hartford, CT — $87,830
Salem, OR — $87,740
Trenton, NJ — $84,990
Bridgeport, CT — $84,990
Olympia, WA — $84,470
New York, NY — $84,130
Denver, CO — $82,930
Boston, MA — $81,440
San Diego, CA — $81,240
Boulder, CO — $81,180

Public Relations Specialist salary by state

State	Median	Take-home	Range	Jobs
District of Columbia	$102,740	$75,343	$64,260 – $202,170	16,720
Washington	$87,470	$70,365	$60,760 – $136,020	6,430
California	$85,030	$63,865	$49,550 – $160,520	32,710
Connecticut	$84,990	$65,521	$51,410 – $162,280	1,910
New York	$81,250	$62,199	$51,730 – $157,610	28,250
Colorado	$80,680	$62,747	$51,710 – $139,040	7,410
Virginia	$80,380	$61,570	$46,840 – $162,050	9,990
New Jersey	$80,130	$62,287	$49,820 – $138,190	4,980
Massachusetts	$79,660	$61,108	$51,710 – $139,240	6,760
Maryland	$79,560	$61,385	$42,060 – $147,220	4,190
Rhode Island	$77,540	$61,089	$47,750 – $129,360	1,140
Illinois	$76,380	$58,927	$47,690 – $139,570	6,200
Delaware	$76,120	$58,698	$43,720 – $126,290	930
Oregon	$74,900	$55,798	$45,190 – $123,880	4,510
Nevada	$73,840	$60,776	$44,710 – $120,160	1,600
New Hampshire	$73,280	$60,382	$50,430 – $122,390	1,140
Georgia	$73,200	$57,150	$43,590 – $128,190	6,860
North Dakota	$70,280	$58,161	$47,980 – $100,710	640
Alaska	$70,050	$58,110	$45,140 – $117,210	640
New Mexico	$68,700	$55,097	$43,080 – $123,110	1,130
Minnesota	$68,620	$53,961	$42,220 – $111,180	8,260
Wyoming	$67,490	$56,309	$50,430 – $115,210	480
Wisconsin	$67,240	$53,950	$44,790 – $105,970	4,410
North Carolina	$67,230	$53,953	$39,840 – $136,450	9,910
Arizona	$66,710	$54,301	$45,080 – $111,220	5,350
Vermont	$66,060	$53,359	$45,330 – $101,520	1,260
Michigan	$65,300	$52,124	$38,560 – $117,290	7,510
Texas	$65,160	$54,536	$39,840 – $109,640	25,220
Arkansas	$65,000	$52,085	$39,170 – $137,190	980
Oklahoma	$64,920	$51,967	$39,380 – $113,780	2,280
Indiana	$64,900	$52,442	$42,060 – $105,580	3,750
Kansas	$64,860	$51,476	$39,820 – $105,500	2,340
Ohio	$64,840	$53,278	$41,540 – $121,460	6,670
South Dakota	$64,520	$54,022	$48,460 – $102,480	210
Hawaii	$63,880	$50,183	$42,070 – $104,240	1,800
Montana	$63,780	$51,185	$43,770 – $96,050	1,760
Florida	$63,660	$53,331	$37,000 – $115,680	17,820
Iowa	$62,970	$51,035	$38,890 – $104,700	2,890
South Carolina	$62,730	$49,977	$38,920 – $143,940	2,950
Utah	$62,670	$50,681	$41,410 – $119,270	1,800
Maine	$62,450	$49,325	$38,890 – $100,770	1,400
Nebraska	$61,780	$49,889	$41,490 – $93,990	1,590
Alabama	$61,710	$48,943	$39,320 – $111,970	2,410
Missouri	$61,130	$49,362	$38,490 – $102,850	4,820
Idaho	$61,110	$49,151	$36,580 – $101,890	1,220
Tennessee	$60,900	$51,113	$37,450 – $98,370	3,380
Louisiana	$60,470	$49,340	$38,640 – $98,610	1,710
Kentucky	$60,150	$48,523	$37,190 – $103,530	2,580
Mississippi	$59,810	$48,577	$38,630 – $96,690	950
Pennsylvania	$57,460	$46,585	$32,810 – $102,330	11,180
West Virginia	$56,730	$45,943	$39,720 – $103,380	350

Frequently asked questions

How much does a public relations specialist make?

The national median salary for public relations specialists is $74,750 a year ($35.94 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $44,110 and the top 10% earn over $135,150. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays public relations specialists the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay at $102,740. After taxes and local prices, San Jose, CA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many public relations specialists are there in the U.S.?

About 283,380 people work as public relations specialists nationwide.

All 89 cities