A Communications Associate is a public relations professional working across various departments to ensure communication about the activities or nature of a company is robust and consistent. Usually hired on a temporary basis and working closely with management, they support the work of in-house communications or marketing departments.
Communication associates work towards generating awareness of their employers' agenda. They contribute to the design and development of communication and marketing campaigns across printed and digital media platforms.
You will most likely be expected to work full time, but you might be able to do the job remotely. Previous experience in public relations, communications, or marketing is generally required for this position. Being able to speak and write in an engaging and inspiring way will be a must.
What is a Communications Associate?
What Does a Communications Associate Do
There are certain skills that many communications associates have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed interpersonal skills, organizational skills and problem-solving skills.
How To Become a Communications Associate
If you're interested in becoming a communications associate, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 77.0% of communications associates have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.0% of communications associates have master's degrees. Even though most communications associates have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Communications Associate Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of communications specialist you might progress to a role such as account executive eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title marketing program manager.
Average Salary for a Communications Associate
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Communications Associate Jobs
Number Of Communications Associate Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,715 | $54,145 |
| 2 | New York | 951 | $54,784 |
| 3 | Texas | 819 | $32,594 |
| 4 | Virginia | 621 | $50,907 |
| 5 | Florida | 545 | $32,376 |
| 6 | Illinois | 539 | $42,847 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 516 | $50,856 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 444 | $48,381 |
| 9 | Georgia | 407 | $35,020 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 405 | $35,040 |
| 11 | Washington | 397 | $50,426 |
| 12 | Maryland | 396 | $57,388 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 347 | $57,804 |
| 14 | Michigan | 309 | $49,864 |
| 15 | Colorado | 293 | $41,758 |
| 16 | Ohio | 274 | $46,291 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 272 | $41,646 |
| 18 | Arizona | 229 | $39,047 |
| 19 | Indiana | 216 | $38,185 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 213 | $39,977 |
| 21 | Missouri | 208 | $34,963 |
| 22 | Utah | 194 | $35,977 |
| 23 | Oregon | 193 | $48,724 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 188 | $38,710 |
| 25 | Connecticut | 158 | $60,163 |
| 26 | Alabama | 151 | $32,457 |
| 27 | South Carolina | 150 | $35,278 |
| 28 | Louisiana | 129 | $33,239 |
| 29 | Iowa | 126 | $38,768 |
| 30 | Kentucky | 119 | $41,628 |
| 31 | Delaware | 117 | $49,516 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 109 | $32,805 |
| 33 | Nevada | 107 | $39,420 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 103 | $35,248 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 100 | $41,045 |
| 36 | Kansas | 100 | $32,775 |
| 37 | Idaho | 94 | $42,377 |
| 38 | Mississippi | 86 | $29,666 |
| 39 | Maine | 81 | $35,971 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 78 | $49,232 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 77 | $33,522 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | 70 | $53,560 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 70 | $38,330 |
| 44 | Vermont | 67 | $42,511 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 64 | $45,422 |
| 46 | Hawaii | 64 | $42,408 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 62 | $44,695 |
| 48 | Montana | 60 | $34,151 |
| 49 | Alaska | 58 | $44,220 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 56 | $37,733 |
Top Colleges for Communications Associates
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
3. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
4. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
6. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
8. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
10. Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Top Skills For a Communications Associate
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.5% of communications associates listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as interpersonal skills and organizational skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Communications Associate Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Communications Associate templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Communications Associate resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Communications Associate Demographics
Communications Associate Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among communications associates, 67.5% of them are women, while 32.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among communications associates is White, which makes up 73.3% of all communications associates.
- The most common foreign language among communications associates is Spanish at 51.5%.
Work Experience Programs For Communications Associates
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: NSW Government Virtual Program
Cost: Free
Duration: 1-2 hours
Company: Accenture Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Sydney School of Entrepreneurship
Cost: Free
Duration: 7-9 hours
Company: Tata
Cost: Free
Duration: 3.5-4.5 hours
Company: Teach for Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 2 hours
Company: Standard Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-4.5 hours
Online Courses For Communications Associate That You May Like
Become an Effective Communicator And Learn How to Get Your Message Across By Learning Communication Fundamentals...
Communication Training Course - Develop True Communication Mastery!...
Master Communication Skills: Learn Persuasion, Negotiation, Body Language, Emotional Intelligence & More!...
Best States For a Communications Associate
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a communications associate. The best states for people in this position are Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York. Communications associates make the most in Connecticut with an average salary of $60,163. Whereas in New Jersey and Maryland, they would average $57,804 and $57,388, respectively. While communications associates would only make an average of $54,784 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. District of Columbia
$59,537
Avg. Salary
2. Connecticut
$60,163
Avg. Salary
3. Maryland
$57,388
Avg. Salary
How Do Communications Associate Rate Their Jobs?
Top Communications Associate Employers
Most Common Employers For Communications Associate
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $115,434 | $55.50 | 15 |
| 2 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $86,331 | $41.51 | 27 |
| 3 | The Vanguard Group | $73,836 | $35.50 | 117 |
| 4 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $71,713 | $34.48 | 12 |
| 5 | Johns Hopkins University | $49,034 | $23.57 | 14 |
| 6 | Ballotpedia | $46,206 | $22.21 | 29 |
| 7 | City of New York | $44,070 | $21.19 | 28 |
| 8 | Sam's Club | $43,956 | $21.13 | 13 |
| 9 | AT&T | $43,742 | $21.03 | 22 |
| 10 | New York City Housing Development | $41,700 | $20.05 | 30 |
Communications Associate Videos
Becoming a Communications Associate FAQs
What Is The Salary For A Communications Associate?
The salary for a communications associate is around $45,000 a year, but it depends on their experience level. Entry-level communications associates will make closer to $40,000 annually, while experienced communications associates make upwards of $55,000 a year.
What Qualifications Do You Need To Work In Communications?
The minimum qualifications to work in communications is a bachelor's degree in communications or a related field. They must also have a lot of experience in conveying messages using different mediums while also being able to deal with urgent and crisis situations.