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The differences between communications department heads and public relations can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a communications department head and a public relations. Additionally, a communications department head has an average salary of $95,503, which is higher than the $48,383 average annual salary of a public relations.
The top three skills for a communications department head include communications strategy, external communications and external stakeholders. The most important skills for a public relations are press releases, web content, and facebook.
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations | |
| Yearly salary | $95,503 | $48,383 |
| Hourly rate | $45.91 | $23.26 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 51,594 | 22,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A communications department head is in charge of overseeing the internal and external communication operations of a company. They manage the communications department staff, set goals and guidelines, establish budgets and timelines, liaise with key partners, coordinate with different teams to conceptualize and execute plans, and resolve issues promptly. They must also spearhead the development of media and marketing materials, monitoring the workflow and the workforce to ensure efficiency. Moreover, as the communications department head, they must lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
Public relations is a strategic way of developing and maintaining a client's or company's public image through media coverage, appearances, and press releases by designing and developing events to raise funds or to spread awareness to the public regarding products, brands, or individuals. It involves research and evaluation of programs including financial, marketing, employee, or government relations using topics of public interest and news items. Due to our present technological innovations, public relations now use webinars, blogs, and downloadable resources under one convenient website.
Communications department heads and public relations have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations | |
| Average salary | $95,503 | $48,383 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $168,000 | Between $32,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, VA |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Credit Agricole CIB | Edelman Financial Engines |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a communications department head and a public relations in terms of educational background:
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications department heads' and public relations' demographics:
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |