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The differences between community relations specialists and communications consultants 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 specialist and a communications consultant. Additionally, a communications consultant has an average salary of $91,455, which is higher than the $49,344 average annual salary of a community relations specialist.
The top three skills for a community relations specialist include press releases, event planning and community events. The most important skills for a communications consultant are powerpoint, web content, and project management.
| Community Relations Specialist | Communications Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $49,344 | $91,455 |
| Hourly rate | $23.72 | $43.97 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 28,509 | 29,942 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A community relations specialist is responsible for handling the organization's community engagements by facilitating fundraising events, volunteering acts, and charity programs and partnerships. Community relations specialists also write content for public and media promotions to promote brand awareness and the company's mission across the community. They should also be updated with the current events and situations to identify events and strategies that will help stabilize the society's condition. Since this type of job requires interacting with community people, a community relations specialist must have excellent communication skills to respond to their inquiries and concerns.
Communications consultants are responsible for preparing media releases, whether through print, video, or email. They perform varied tasks that may include working on complete projects such as media analysis and branding, creating strategies to reinforced communication among clients and employees, and providing guidance and recommendations to a company's public relations team. Communications consultants may also conduct training on best practices for other employees. Some employers prefer someone with a bachelor's degree in communications, public relations or journalism, previous work experience in a related field, and excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Community relations specialists and communications consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Relations Specialist | Communications Consultant | |
| Average salary | $49,344 | $91,455 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $70,000 | Between $63,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | City National Bank | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Government | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a community relations specialist and a communications consultant in terms of educational background:
| Community Relations Specialist | Communications Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between community relations specialists' and communications consultants' demographics:
| Community Relations Specialist | Communications Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.3% Female, 74.7% | Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |