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The differences between community relations representatives and public relations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community relations representative and a public relations specialist. Additionally, a public relations specialist has an average salary of $48,124, which is higher than the $42,421 average annual salary of a community relations representative.
The top three skills for a community relations representative include community relations, patients and community organizations. The most important skills for a public relations specialist are press releases, web content, and project management.
| Community Relations Representative | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,421 | $48,124 |
| Hourly rate | $20.39 | $23.14 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 24,898 | 29,698 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Community Relations Representatives are ambassadors for an organization. Their purpose is to spread awareness of an organization's vision throughout community groups. Their work scope includes nurturing relationships with stakeholders for fundraising efforts, organizing community outreach programs, and coordinating for volunteers. Other duties include hosting activities, delivering speeches driving fundraising initiatives, and attending meetings. This job requires good interpersonal skills to negotiate across a broad demographic. They must have good analytical skills, such as using cost-benefit analysis in budgeting for a program. They also manage the company image and mission through social media management.
A public relations specialist is an individual who creates and maintains a favorable public image of an organization by crafting media releases and developing social media programs. Public relations specialists must help their clients communicate effectively with the public as well as evaluate the public opinion of their clients through social media. They need to draft their press releases and contact people in the media who might want to broadcast their materials. Public relations specialists are also required to draft speeches and arrange interviews for the top executives of their organization.
Community relations representatives and public relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Relations Representative | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $42,421 | $48,124 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $58,000 | Between $33,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a community relations representative and a public relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Relations Representative | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between community relations representatives' and public relations specialists' demographics:
| Community Relations Representative | Public Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9% | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |