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The differences between public affairs assistants and public relations assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a public affairs assistant and a public relations assistant. Additionally, a public affairs assistant has an average salary of $50,453, which is higher than the $46,197 average annual salary of a public relations assistant.
The top three skills for a public affairs assistant include data entry, public affairs and press releases. The most important skills for a public relations assistant are press releases, facebook, and twitter.
| Public Affairs Assistant | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,453 | $46,197 |
| Hourly rate | $24.26 | $22.21 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 16,955 | 26,021 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Public Affairs Assistants can enjoy a salary of around $44K per year and requires a bachelor's degree in either marketing, journalism, public relations, or communications, as well as work experience in public affairs or related positions. Skill-wise, one must have experience in drafting press release materials, coordinating press meets and other events, applying knowledge of marketing and advertising strategies, and understanding social media to be successful. This position will mandate the provision of public relations departmental support through filing, copying, answering the phone, assembly of press kits, customer surveys, and social media content to customers, and conducting media research.
A public relations assistant is responsible for assisting the development of promotional campaigns based on clients' specifications to boost brand awareness and generate sales for the company. Public relations assistants support the organization's public relations department, such as handling press releases, monitoring social media platforms, scheduling media advertisements, and perform market research to identify close competitors and adjust campaign strategies as needed. They also perform administrative duties, responding to the client's inquiries and concerns, conducting customer surveys, and requesting supplies for marketing campaigns, requiring them to have excellent communication and customer service skills.
Public affairs assistants and public relations assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Affairs Assistant | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,453 | $46,197 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $91,000 | Between $34,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Hunton & Williams LLP | California Institute of Technology |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a public affairs assistant and a public relations assistant in terms of educational background:
| Public Affairs Assistant | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between public affairs assistants' and public relations assistants' demographics:
| Public Affairs Assistant | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3% | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |