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Public relations internship salary
Average public relations internship salary
$14.84
Public Relations Internship Salary Breakdown
The average public relations internship salary stands at approximately $30,868 annually, or about $15 per hour. However, this figure can vary significantly based on several factors:
- Location: Salaries differ by state, with higher rates often found in urban areas or states with a high cost of living.
- Industry: Interns in corporate sectors may earn more than those in non-profit organizations.
- Experience: Those with prior internships or relevant coursework generally command higher salaries.
In states like California and New York, public relations interns are likely to find positions offering competitive salaries compared to other locations. Additionally, industries such as tech and finance tend to offer higher compensation due to the complex nature of their public relations needs. Understanding these dynamics can help aspiring professionals make informed decisions about their careers in public relations.
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Where can a Public Relations Internship earn more?
Public relations internship salary estimates from across the web
Average public relations internship salary by state
The average public relations internship salary in Washington, New Hampshire, and Alaska are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average public relations internship salary states are Idaho, New Mexico, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for public relations interns
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $36,057 | $17.34 |
| 2 | Alaska | $35,773 | $17.20 |
| 3 | Maine | $32,851 | $15.79 |
| 4 | Michigan | $33,613 | $16.16 |
| 5 | Vermont | $32,102 | $15.43 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $31,902 | $15.34 |
| 7 | Utah | $32,134 | $15.45 |
| 8 | Arizona | $33,474 | $16.09 |
| 9 | Washington | $38,685 | $18.60 |
| 10 | Nevada | $31,980 | $15.38 |
| 11 | Montana | $30,014 | $14.43 |
| 12 | Illinois | $32,777 | $15.76 |
| 13 | California | $35,333 | $16.99 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $29,350 | $14.11 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $29,303 | $14.09 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $31,447 | $15.12 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $31,667 | $15.22 |
| 18 | Oregon | $30,606 | $14.71 |
| 19 | Arkansas | $27,955 | $13.44 |
| 20 | New York | $31,178 | $14.99 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $30,759 | $14.79 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $30,980 | $14.89 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $27,995 | $13.46 |
| 24 | Ohio | $29,903 | $14.38 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $27,875 | $13.40 |
| 26 | Georgia | $29,314 | $14.09 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $26,224 | $12.61 |
| 28 | Mississippi | $26,968 | $12.97 |
| 29 | Indiana | $28,036 | $13.48 |
| 30 | Delaware | $26,352 | $12.67 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $27,226 | $13.09 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $26,978 | $12.97 |
| 33 | Maryland | $27,323 | $13.14 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $27,560 | $13.25 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $24,973 | $12.01 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $27,140 | $13.05 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $26,123 | $12.56 |
| 38 | Idaho | $24,821 | $11.93 |
| 39 | Missouri | $27,267 | $13.11 |
| 40 | Texas | $26,890 | $12.93 |
| 41 | Iowa | $25,162 | $12.10 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $24,573 | $11.81 |
| 43 | Kansas | $24,842 | $11.94 |
| 44 | Colorado | $26,355 | $12.67 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $25,427 | $12.22 |
| 46 | New Jersey | $26,233 | $12.61 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $23,525 | $11.31 |
| 48 | Virginia | $25,474 | $12.25 |
| 49 | Florida | $24,525 | $11.79 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $23,556 | $11.32 |
| 51 | Alabama | $21,677 | $10.42 |
Highest paying cities for public relations interns
The highest-paying cities for public relations interns are Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Nashua, NH.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $39,105 | $18.80 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $36,349 | $17.48 |
| 3 | Nashua, NH | $36,025 | $17.32 |
| 4 | Anchorage, AK | $35,916 | $17.27 |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | $33,564 | $16.14 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $33,467 | $16.09 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $32,836 | $15.79 |
| 8 | Wakefield, MA | $31,711 | $15.25 |
| 9 | Greensboro, NC | $31,613 | $15.20 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $31,162 | $14.98 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $30,717 | $14.77 |
| 12 | Portland, OR | $30,660 | $14.74 |
| 13 | Dalton, GA | $29,465 | $14.17 |
| 14 | Hartford, CT | $27,973 | $13.45 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $27,600 | $13.27 |
| 16 | Baltimore, MD | $27,373 | $13.16 |
| 17 | Kansas City, MO | $27,366 | $13.16 |
| 18 | Philadelphia, PA | $27,241 | $13.10 |
| 19 | Knoxville, TN | $27,094 | $13.03 |
| 20 | Madison, WI | $26,985 | $12.97 |
Public Relations Interns are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Public relations internship salary details
A public relations internship's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $39,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a public relations internship's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
| 75th Percentile | $35,000 | $2,917 | $17 |
| Average | $30,868 | $2,572 | $15 |
| 25th Percentile | $27,000 | $2,250 | $13 |
| 10th Percentile | $24,000 | $2,000 | $12 |
Highest paying public relations internship jobs
The highest paying types of public relations interns are photography internship, policy internship, and publicist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media Coordinator | $47,471 | $3,956 | $22.82 | 35,285 |
| Publicist | $50,679 | $4,223 | $24.36 | 7,343 |
| Marketing And Event Planning Internship | $28,412 | $2,368 | $13.66 | 131,730 |
| Photography Internship | $67,376 | $5,615 | $32.39 | 52,675 |
| Internship | $35,254 | $2,938 | $16.95 | 51,064 |
| Digital Media Internship | $32,033 | $2,669 | $15.40 | 72,449 |
Top companies hiring public relations interns now:
Which companies pay public relations interns the most?
Public relations internship salaries at Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and The Motley Fool are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average public relations internship salary at companies like The Culinary Institute of America and APCO Worldwide are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayor Ethan Berkowitz | $42,679 | $20.52 |
| 2 | The Motley Fool | $40,627 | $19.53 |
| 3 | The Culinary Institute of America | $40,474 | $19.46 |
| 4 | APCO Worldwide | $36,179 | $17.39 |
| 5 | Lockheed Martin | $35,383 | $17.01 |
| 6 | Thanx | $34,864 | $16.76 |
| 7 | Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc Recruiting | $34,779 | $16.72 |
| 8 | Amazon | $34,524 | $16.60 |
| 9 | The AES | $34,515 | $16.59 |
| 10 | T-Mobile | $34,178 | $16.43 |
| 11 | BNSF Railway | $33,594 | $16.15 |
| 12 | Compass Group USA | $33,389 | $16.05 |
| 13 | Shaw Industries | $32,786 | $15.76 |
| 14 | Edelman Financial Engines | $32,522 | $15.64 |
| 15 | ALDI USA | $32,376 | $15.57 |
| 16 | Community Legal Services | $32,250 | $15.50 |
| 17 | Spectrum Health | $32,035 | $15.40 |
| 18 | National Railroad Passenger Corporation | $31,620 | $15.20 |
| 19 | Imre | $31,613 | $15.20 |
| 20 | Sunbeam Family Services | $31,432 | $15.11 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Public Relations Internship salary by industry
The average public relations internship salary varies across industries:
- The average public relations internship salary in the non profits industry is $32,969, the highest of any industry.
- The average public relations internship salary in the finance industry is $31,859.
- Public relations interns in the retail industry earn an average salary of $29,106, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for public relations interns
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Non Profits | $32,969 | $15.85 |
| 2 | Education | $31,859 | $15.32 |
| 3 | Hospitality | $31,817 | $15.30 |
| 4 | Media | $31,209 | $15.00 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $29,865 | $14.36 |
| 6 | Professional | $29,225 | $14.05 |
| 7 | Retail | $29,106 | $13.99 |
High paying public relations internship jobs
Public relations internship salary trends
The average public relations internship salary has risen by $4,727 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average public relations internship earned $26,141 annually, but today, they earn $30,868 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for public relations interns over the last decade.
Compare public relations internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average public relations internship salary over time
Compare public relations internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Public relations internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $30,900 | $14.84 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $30,100 | $14.45 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $29,500 | $14.18 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $29,100 | $14.01 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $28,500 | $13.71 | +2.2% |
Recently added public relations internship salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We Communications | Fall 2025 Public Relations Internship Program: Health | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $45,914 |
| B2B Marketing Archives | Public Relations Intern | Seattle, WA | 06/29/2025 | $43,326 |
| B2B Marketing Archives | Public Relations Intern | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $37,566 |
| City of Reno, Nv | Public Service Intern | Reno, NV | 06/28/2025 | $31,305 |
| Equinox | PR & Influencer Intern | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $34,436 |
| County of Dare | Public Relations Communications Intern | Manteo, NC | 06/26/2025 | $31,305 |
| Equinox Holdings, Inc. | PR & Influencer Intern | New York, NY | 06/25/2025 | $34,436 |
| Highwire Public Relations | Post Graduate Public Relations Intern | New York, NY | 06/24/2025 | $41,740 |
| Derris | Public Relations Fall 2025 Internship | Fine, NY | 06/22/2025 | $37,566 |
| Orchestra | Public Relations Fall 2025 Internship | Washington, NY | 06/21/2025 | $37,566 |
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