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The differences between chief communications officers and public information officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief communications officer and a public information officer. Additionally, a chief communications officer has an average salary of $115,086, which is higher than the $56,725 average annual salary of a public information officer.
The top three skills for a chief communications officer include crisis communications, external communications and CCO. The most important skills for a public information officer are press releases, web content, and community outreach.
| Chief Communications Officer | Public Information Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,086 | $56,725 |
| Hourly rate | $55.33 | $27.27 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,711 | 129,237 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A chief communications officer oversees internal relations and researches public employees. Most of the chief communications officers spend a massive amount of time interacting with the chief marketing officers of their organization. They are responsible for management issues and may offer risk management in industries that are prone to hazard, risk, and product failure. They provide wise counsel to the senior team whenever major decisions are debated. They act in many ways as representatives of many publics who are not in the room when these decisions are made. These officers also help the organization translate strategy to action.
The primary job of a public information officer involves the promotion of a positive public image on social media. Public information officers offer significant information during a crisis. They collect facts and distribute them to the media and organize special events like awards ceremonies. Typically, they work for large organizations and government agencies. They maintain their online presence that can be part of the duties of public information. Also, they can work for long hours on an irregular schedule, especially when the incidents or situations affect the organization.
Chief communications officers and public information officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Communications Officer | Public Information Officer | |
| Average salary | $115,086 | $56,725 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $208,000 | Between $38,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Fairfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Delaware |
| Best paying company | - | City of Fairfield |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a chief communications officer and a public information officer in terms of educational background:
| Chief Communications Officer | Public Information Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between chief communications officers' and public information officers' demographics:
| Chief Communications Officer | Public Information Officer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5% | Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |