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Average public relations major salary
Updated September 14, 2023
$50,648

What is the average public relations major salary in the US?

Public relations major graduates in America make, on average, $50,648 a year or $24.35 per hour.There is a huge gap between the top 10 percent earners and the bottom 10 percent earners -- about $74,000. The top 10 percent earn over $99,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $25,000 annually.professional companies and technology companies have the most job opportunities for public relations major graduates.The top 5 states when it comes to salaries for public relations major graduates are Washington, New York, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut.
Best paying cities
$61,112
$58,719
$57,570

Average public relations salary by company

Public relations major graduates can expect good job security. However, some industries pay higher than others.The most abundant employment opportunities for public relations majors are in professional companies and technology companies.The two companies that report the highest salaries for public relations major graduates are Microsoft and Meta.If you can find a job at a company like ESPN or Deloitte, they also offer very competitive salaries for public relations major graduates.

Average public relations major salary by city

As a public relations major graduate in the U.S., you can expect to earn on average $50,648 per year or $24.35 per hour.public relations major graduates make the most in San Francisco, CA at about $61,112 per year.The average starting salary in San Francisco, CA for public relations major graduates is $29,000.public relations major graduates in Seattle, WA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Hartford, CT, Boston, MA, and Albany, OR make the most money.Washington, New York, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut are the top 5 highest earning states for public relations major graduates.Nebraska, South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama have the lowest reported salaries for public relations major graduates.

Average salary by location

RankCityAverage public relations salarySalary range
1San Francisco, CA
$61,112
$32k
$89k
2Seattle, WA
$58,719
$32k
$89k
3New York, NY
$57,570
$32k
$89k
4Washington, DC
$57,448
$32k
$89k
5Hartford, CT
$55,215
$32k
$89k
6Boston, MA
$54,765
$32k
$89k
7Albany, OR
$52,897
$32k
$89k
8Richmond, VA
$51,845
$32k
$89k
9Baltimore, MD
$51,636
$32k
$89k
10Las Vegas, NV
$50,665
$32k
$89k
11Portland, ME
$50,105
$32k
$89k
12Philadelphia, PA
$49,759
$32k
$89k
13Chicago, IL
$48,987
$32k
$89k
14Minneapolis, MN
$48,849
$32k
$89k
15Detroit, MI
$48,792
$32k
$89k
16Cleveland, OH
$48,125
$32k
$89k
17Phoenix, AZ
$47,465
$32k
$89k
18Denver, CO
$47,117
$32k
$89k
19San Antonio, TX
$46,895
$32k
$89k
20Milwaukee, WI
$46,805
$32k
$89k

Average public relations major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where public relations majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Public relations major average salary by state

StateAverage public relations major salaryAverage hourly rate
Washington$58,477$28.11
New York$57,539$27.66
New Jersey$57,512$27.65
California$57,350$27.57
Connecticut$55,430$26.65
Massachusetts$54,899$26.39
Rhode Island$53,208$25.58
Delaware$52,866$25.42
Oregon$52,708$25.34
Virginia$52,160$25.08
New Hampshire$51,760$24.88
Maryland$51,514$24.77
Nevada$51,073$24.55
Maine$49,679$23.88
Vermont$49,583$23.84
Pennsylvania$49,490$23.79
Alaska$49,422$23.76
Minnesota$48,835$23.48
Michigan$48,826$23.47
Illinois$48,807$23.46
Idaho$47,885$23.02
North Dakota$47,691$22.93
Arizona$47,450$22.81
Colorado$47,212$22.70
Ohio$46,996$22.59
Hawaii$46,835$22.52
Wisconsin$46,770$22.49
Texas$46,648$22.43
West Virginia$46,586$22.40
New Mexico$46,393$22.30
North Carolina$46,197$22.21
Utah$44,861$21.57
Tennessee$44,339$21.32
Georgia$44,084$21.19
Kentucky$43,942$21.13
Indiana$43,882$21.10
Missouri$43,241$20.79
Montana$43,086$20.71
South Dakota$43,063$20.70
Arkansas$42,917$20.63
Iowa$42,907$20.63
Kansas$42,686$20.52
Oklahoma$41,809$20.10
Wyoming$41,736$20.07
Nebraska$41,691$20.04
South Carolina$41,391$19.90
Florida$41,166$19.79
Louisiana$41,136$19.78
Alabama$41,051$19.74
Mississippi$39,827$19.15

Average public relations major salary by industry

Wages for public relations major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our data shows that technology companies, finance companies, and health care companies tend to have the highest salaries for public relations major graduates.technology companies pay public relations major graduates an average salary of $74,849, finance companies pay $65,066, and health care companies come in at $64,357.The types of companies that pay public relations majors the least are in the retail industry, where the average annual salary is $47,541.

Average salary by industry

RankIndustryAverage public relations major salaryRange
1
Technology
$74,849
$31k
$101k
2
Finance
$65,066
$31k
$101k
3
Health Care
$64,357
$31k
$101k
4
Manufacturing
$60,844
$31k
$101k
5
Transportation
$60,767
$31k
$101k
6
Professional
$55,846
$31k
$101k
7
Media
$54,885
$31k
$101k
8
Telecommunication
$53,834
$31k
$101k
9
Hospitality
$47,612
$31k
$101k
10
Retail
$47,541
$31k
$101k

Salary history for public relations major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Public Relations major graduates.

Salaries for related majors

RankMajorAverage salaryRange
1Advertising
$62,238
$30k
$88k
2Speech Communication And Rhetoric
$61,295
$30k
$88k
3Publishing
$55,507
$30k
$88k
4Journalism
$53,479
$30k
$88k
5Journalism And Mass Communications
$53,372
$30k
$88k
6Digital Media
$48,393
$30k
$88k
7Communication
$45,257
$30k
$88k