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The differences between public relations officers and public affairs specialists 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 relations officer and a public affairs specialist. Additionally, a public affairs specialist has an average salary of $66,383, which is higher than the $33,646 average annual salary of a public relations officer.
The top three skills for a public relations officer include website content, press releases and facebook. The most important skills for a public affairs specialist are news stories, veterans, and fact sheets.
| Public Relations Officer | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,646 | $66,383 |
| Hourly rate | $16.18 | $31.91 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,367 | 19,889 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Public relations officers and public affairs specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Relations Officer | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Average salary | $33,646 | $66,383 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $43,000 | Between $43,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics | |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Government |
There are a few differences between a public relations officer and a public affairs specialist in terms of educational background:
| Public Relations Officer | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between public relations officers' and public affairs specialists' demographics:
| Public Relations Officer | Public Affairs Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9% | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |