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Public relations manager salary
Average public relations manager salary
$91,426
Average Public Relations Manager Salary Overview
The average salary for a public relations manager in the United States is approximately $91,426 per year. This salary reflects a combination of factors including experience, education, and the specific industry of employment. For instance, public relations managers in corporate sectors often earn higher salaries than those in nonprofit organizations.
Salary Variations by State
Geographic location plays a significant role in salary differences. States like California, New York, and Texas are known for offering higher salaries due to higher costs of living and greater demand for skilled professionals. For example, data indicates that public relations managers in California can earn upwards of $110,000.
Opportunities for Advancement
In addition to location, years of experience greatly influence salary potential. Entry-level positions typically start around $60,000, while experienced managers can command salaries exceeding $120,000. Moreover, specialized industries within public relations, such as technology or healthcare, often offer competitive compensation packages.
By understanding these dynamics, you can make informed decisions about your career path in public relations, ensuring that you pursue opportunities that align with your financial goals.
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Where can a Public Relations Manager earn more?
Public relations manager salary estimates from across the web
Average public relations manager salary by state
The highest-paying states for public relations managers are Nevada, Idaho, and California. The lowest average public relations manager salary states are Wisconsin, Alaska, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for public relations managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $127,477 | $61.29 |
| 2 | Delaware | $109,937 | $52.85 |
| 3 | California | $111,428 | $53.57 |
| 4 | Washington | $109,161 | $52.48 |
| 5 | Idaho | $112,121 | $53.90 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $109,226 | $52.51 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $109,658 | $52.72 |
| 8 | Montana | $104,098 | $50.05 |
| 9 | New York | $103,215 | $49.62 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $109,491 | $52.64 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $105,560 | $50.75 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $103,785 | $49.90 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $102,097 | $49.09 |
| 14 | Virginia | $99,790 | $47.98 |
| 15 | Kansas | $105,458 | $50.70 |
| 16 | Oregon | $97,105 | $46.69 |
| 17 | Iowa | $103,278 | $49.65 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $103,431 | $49.73 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $100,877 | $48.50 |
| 20 | Utah | $94,695 | $45.53 |
| 21 | Vermont | $99,049 | $47.62 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $101,952 | $49.02 |
| 23 | Arizona | $94,276 | $45.33 |
| 24 | Missouri | $98,922 | $47.56 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $90,627 | $43.57 |
| 26 | Colorado | $94,827 | $45.59 |
| 27 | Michigan | $93,934 | $45.16 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $97,643 | $46.94 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $95,134 | $45.74 |
| 30 | Indiana | $93,583 | $44.99 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $91,717 | $44.09 |
| 32 | Georgia | $88,827 | $42.71 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $89,100 | $42.84 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $87,264 | $41.95 |
| 35 | Maryland | $85,559 | $41.13 |
| 36 | Illinois | $83,793 | $40.29 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $87,086 | $41.87 |
| 38 | Texas | $83,048 | $39.93 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $83,804 | $40.29 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $84,967 | $40.85 |
| 41 | Ohio | $81,470 | $39.17 |
| 42 | Alaska | $75,860 | $36.47 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $81,453 | $39.16 |
| 44 | Maine | $77,220 | $37.13 |
| 45 | Alabama | $80,903 | $38.90 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $76,295 | $36.68 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $76,405 | $36.73 |
| 48 | Florida | $73,599 | $35.38 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $66,541 | $31.99 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $74,879 | $36.00 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $75,770 | $36.43 |
Highest paying cities for public relations managers
The highest-paying cities for public relations managers are Las Vegas, NV, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas, NV | $127,053 | $61.08 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $121,582 | $58.45 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $109,663 | $52.72 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $109,262 | $52.53 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $109,090 | $52.45 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City, OK | $105,933 | $50.93 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $103,537 | $49.78 |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $100,512 | $48.32 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $95,901 | $46.11 |
| 10 | Edison, NJ | $95,229 | $45.78 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $94,702 | $45.53 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $94,644 | $45.50 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $94,170 | $45.27 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $94,149 | $45.26 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $93,932 | $45.16 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $92,244 | $44.35 |
| 17 | Providence, RI | $90,552 | $43.53 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $89,686 | $43.12 |
| 19 | Stamford, CT | $89,148 | $42.86 |
| 20 | Raleigh, NC | $87,719 | $42.17 |
Public relations manager salary details
A public relations manager's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $128,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a public relations manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $128,000 | $10,667 | $62 |
| 75th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| Average | $91,426 | $7,619 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
Highest paying public relations manager jobs
The highest paying types of public relations managers are vice president of public relations, director, customer relations, and communications director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager Of Corporate Communications | $84,161 | $7,013 | $40.46 | 34,908 |
| Director, Customer Relations | $134,672 | $11,223 | $64.75 | 26,470 |
| Campaign Manager | $78,890 | $6,574 | $37.93 | 12,293 |
| Communications Director | $107,700 | $8,975 | $51.78 | 27,939 |
| Communications Lead | $96,988 | $8,082 | $46.63 | 20,413 |
| Vice President Of Public Relations | $143,172 | $11,931 | $68.83 | 55,300 |
Top companies hiring public relations managers now:
Which companies pay public relations managers the most?
Public relations manager salaries at Google and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average public relations manager salary at companies like Asana and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $170,937 | $82.18 | |
| 2 | Microsoft | $158,712 | $76.30 |
| 3 | Asana | $157,704 | $75.82 |
| 4 | Apple | $155,196 | $74.61 |
| 5 | Egnyte | $148,253 | $71.28 |
| 6 | Cisco | $143,860 | $69.16 |
| 7 | Zoho | $143,587 | $69.03 |
| 8 | Amazon | $141,762 | $68.15 |
| 9 | Twilio | $141,627 | $68.09 |
| 10 | Allbirds | $134,602 | $64.71 |
| 11 | Xilinx | $134,031 | $64.44 |
| 12 | Netflix | $131,404 | $63.17 |
| 13 | Oracle | $131,127 | $63.04 |
| 14 | Amd | $130,122 | $62.56 |
| 15 | Kronos Incorporated | $129,933 | $62.47 |
| 16 | Burberry | $128,942 | $61.99 |
| 17 | Nasuni | $128,683 | $61.87 |
| 18 | Applied Materials | $127,859 | $61.47 |
| 19 | APCO Worldwide | $123,829 | $59.53 |
| 20 | Fox News | $123,197 | $59.23 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Public Relations Manager salary by industry
The average public relations manager salary varies across industries:
- The average public relations manager salary in the technology industry is $114,540, the highest of any industry.
- The average public relations manager salary in the finance industry is $106,016.
- Public relations managers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $93,530, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for public relations managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $114,540 | $55.07 |
| 2 | Retail | $106,016 | $50.97 |
| 3 | Finance | $103,701 | $49.86 |
| 4 | Media | $99,980 | $48.07 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $98,787 | $47.49 |
| 6 | Health Care | $97,174 | $46.72 |
| 7 | Hospitality | $94,821 | $45.59 |
| 8 | Professional | $93,530 | $44.97 |
High paying public relations manager jobs
Public relations manager salary trends
The average public relations manager salary has risen by $21,475 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average public relations manager earned $69,951 annually, but today, they earn $91,426 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for public relations managers over the last decade.
Compare public relations manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average public relations manager salary over time
Compare public relations manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Public relations manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $91,400 | $43.95 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $87,800 | $42.23 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $86,100 | $41.38 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $83,400 | $40.11 | +3.6% |
| 2021 | $80,500 | $38.68 | +3.0% |
Recently added public relations manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pr Volt | Public Relations Account Manager (Fully Remote) | West Hollywood, CA | 06/29/2025 | $83,480 |
| Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. | Public Relations Manager (Onsite) | Vail, CO | 06/28/2025 | $75,000 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Public Relations Manager | Saint Peter, MN | 06/28/2025 | $60,000 |
| On-X Life Technologies | Public Relations Manager-Offroad & Backcountry | Missoula, MT | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Apple Inc. | Public Relations Manager | Cupertino, CA | 06/25/2025 | $143,900 |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | PR Manager, Supercomputing & AI | San Jose, CA | 06/25/2025 | $101,900 |
| Compass Group USA Inc. | Public Restaurant PR & Marketing Manager (BAY Area) | Redwood City, CA | 06/25/2025 | $95,000 |
| Hepco, Inc. | Public Relations Manager (On-Site) | Albany, NY | 06/25/2025 | $62,610 |
| Hennepin Arts | Content and Public Relations Manager | Minneapolis, MN | 06/25/2025 | $70,000 |
| Medstar Research Institute | Public Relations Manager | Columbia, MD | 06/25/2025 | $80,995 |
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