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Job outlook for public information relations managers in the United States
Are public information relations manager jobs in demand?
Public information relations manager job and salary trends over time
Public information relations manager jobs over time
Public information relations manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 14 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 14 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 12 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 11 | 0.00% |
Average public information relations manager salary over time
Public information relations manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $67,269 | $32.34 | +4.1% |
| 2025 | $64,636 | $31.07 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $63,322 | $30.44 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $61,380 | $29.51 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $59,196 | $28.46 | +3.1% |
Public information relations manager jobs by state
Most common states for public information relations managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 177 | 26% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 190 | 18% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,089 | 16% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 119 | 16% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 99 | 16% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 619 | 15% |
| 7 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 155 | 15% |
| 8 | Alaska | 739,795 | 111 | 15% |
| 9 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 434 | 14% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 131 | 14% |
| 11 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 124 | 14% |
| 12 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 84 | 14% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 994 | 13% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 172 | 13% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 677 | 12% |
| 16 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 635 | 11% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 206 | 11% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 187 | 11% |
| 19 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 922 | 10% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 357 | 10% |
Public Information Relations Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of public information relations manager experts
University of Connecticut
University of New Haven
Bellarmine University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
University of Kentucky
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Public Information Relations Manager job market given the pandemic?
Mohamad Alkadry Ph.D.: Just like 9/11 resulted in substantial investment in homeland security jobs, I believe that the pandemic will likely result in a substantial investment in our public health infrastructure. More than ever before, Americans understand the importance of public servants at all levels. Americans, who have historically undermined the importance of the public serctor, were all looking to public officials more than ever before. The pandemic also highlighted the importance of professional non-elected officials' expertise to our survival. There was a clear respect for the evidence-based scientific knowledge and recommendations of professional public servants like Dr. Anthony Fauci. We are also likely to see an investment in e-government programs that would allow citizens and employees to interact virtually. I believe the pandemic undermines the trend toward service industry and we will likely see a very slow return of service and travel-related positions especially if the virus mutates and the pandemic lingers over a few years.
What experience really stands out on Public Information Relations Manager resumes?
Matt Caporale: In a nutshell, hands on and applied experiences stand out the most. What employers truly seek is not just what you know and what you did, but how you did it, where you did it, to what outcome, and what do you offer now because of those experiences. This isn't new, but employers are increasingly looking for details and level of specificity to a student's college experience - buzzwords won't suffice any more. The experiences that stand out are ones students can actively quantify and showcase success, hard skills, and soft skills.
These types of experiences include traditional experiences such as internships, research projects, study abroad, and campus leadership. But they more often now include diverse perspectives, interdisciplinary experiences, and roles in which students make a focused impact on the organization in which they served. Employers seek well rounded candidates with hard and soft skills; so, the experiences that stand out will need to be diversified, skill focused, and impactful.
For students in international relations, these experiences will include traditional internships and study abroad, but also Model UN, policy research and development, multi-cultural experiences (local and international), and data-based projects.
What experience really stands out on Public Information Relations Manager resumes?
Stacie Shain: To me, real-world experience always sets one graduate apart from others. There is also plenty of research that supports this.** Any experience a student can gain doing real projects for real organizations is a bonus because it shows students can translate what they have learned in a classroom to a project for a business or nonprofit. It shows students can do the work when there is more than a course grade on the line and when many people will see their work and not only a professor or classmates.
In our program, all majors must complete at least one internship, and we encourage our students to complete more than one so they get different experiences. This not only builds their resumes and hones their skills but also allows them to learn what they like - or don't like - doing. Some students have been set on working in a particular field only to change their minds after an internship and decide they want to do something else.
Our marketing communication minors are required to take a practicum in which they work for a student-run agency doing work for area nonprofits. They are responsible for the client meetings, production, deadlines and client satisfaction. The projects range from graphic design to writing to social media planning to website design to video production. All of their work will be used by the organizations, so having these projects in their portfolios and on their resume showcases exactly what they can do. The students earn credit and get to show the work in their portfolios, and the nonprofits do not pay for the projects. It's a true win-win situation. Students may complete more than one semester in the practicum, and that gives them a wide range of work samples in their portfolio. I've known several students who had jobs before graduation, and they all said their work for clients helped them get the job because they already had professional experience.
Internships and working for a student-run agency will help students build those soft skills, too. They must collaborate, they must learn to work in a team setting, they must solve problems as they arise, and they must think critically about the projects and how they will complete them. Research shows that students with hard skills will get interviews, but students with soft skills will get the job and keep it ** because businesses value soft skills and not every applicant has them.
What experience really stands out on Public Information Relations Manager resumes?
Aubrie Adams Ph.D.: I don't think the pandemic has played a major role to change what kinds of skills, abilities, and experiences employees look for. Of course, it's always good to be able to show that one has experience performing tasks related to the job position they are applying for, but one type of experience I know I always personally look for and encourage in my students is simply participating in "above and beyond" experiences that show that they are engaged community members. Participating in clubs, organizing events, donating time to philanthropy: all of these experiences help show that a graduate has done more than just the bare minimum to get by. It always helps to show a future employer that they participate in purposeful ways to stay connected with a broader community in some way.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Public Information Relations Managers?
Aubrie Adams Ph.D.: In some ways yes, and in some ways no. The reality is that over time, graduates must always adapt to changing industry standards and norms. In that way, this aspect will stay the same, and we'll all continue to adjust to meet the needs of our ever-evolving globalized society.
However, what's different about the coronavirus pandemic is the speed at which change was induced in so many different industries simultaneously. Never before have so many people across the globe had to adapt and implement new workplace practices and procedures so quickly. A year ago, teleworking was rare: most people didn't know how to videoconference, and paperwork often required hard copies. But industry practices have all shifted at a remarkably fast pace, and most of us have had to adapt quickly without much choice in the matter.
Ultimately, many of these adjustments are likely to result in permanent changes to workplace policies and procedures. Whereas a company before may not have had options for employees to work from home, now many of them do. And although working from home may not always be perfect, it's hard not to recognize the many benefits that it can afford. I suspect that even long after the pandemic, companies will be better positioned to allow more flexible workplace options that make better use of digital tools to facilitate our work, life, health, and wellbeing.
There's this common joke I've heard before in which the idea is that a face-to-face meeting "could have been an email." Well, the pandemic gave us the opportunity to test this idea, and for many meetings, we found out that this was true. The pandemic has basically forced us all to become more technologically savvy to better use our online tools in more efficient ways. Of course, we'll have to figure out a balance moving forward between what practices should remain online and what practices should function face-to-face. There will likely be some trial and error as each respected workplace and industry seeks to figure this out.
What experience really stands out on Public Information Relations Manager resumes?
William Howe Ph.D.: Cover letters are perhaps the most critical piece of a resume and yet are often the most underdeveloped. Cover pages should clearly state who you are, what you have done, and where you want to go with the company. Within the resume itself, it should be easy to read and well organized.