Public relations officer vs public information officer

The differences between public relations officers and public information officers 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 information officer. Additionally, a public information officer has an average salary of $56,725, 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 information officer are press releases, web content, and community outreach.

Public relations officer vs public information officer overview

	Public Relations Officer	Public Information Officer
Yearly salary	$33,646	$56,725
Hourly rate	$16.18	$27.27
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	73,367	129,237
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Public relations officer vs public information officer salary

Public relations officers and public information officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Relations Officer	Public Information Officer
Average salary	$33,646	$56,725
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $38,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fairfield, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Delaware
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	City of Fairfield
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Professional

Differences between public relations officer and public information officer education

There are a few differences between a public relations officer and a public information officer in terms of educational background:

	Public Relations Officer	Public Information Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Communication
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Public relations officer vs public information officer demographics

Here are the differences between public relations officers' and public information officers' demographics:

	Public Relations Officer	Public Information Officer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9%	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%
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, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	16%

Differences between public relations officer and public information officer duties and responsibilities

Public relations officer example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations and manage a high volume of communication via phone and e-mail from and internal and external sources.
Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
Share other organizations' collaborative Facebook events on CAO's Facebook.
Create events and publicize that information through social media platforms such as Facebook.
Implement a strategic communications plan that increase brand awareness across all platforms including product visibility, social media presence and SEO.
Compile and distribute game notes and player biographies.

Public information officer example responsibilities.

Manage agency's social media pages (Facebook/Twitter).
Manage multiple websites and associate SEO; direct all brand photography to publicize and promote the resort.
Serve as college spokesperson managing crisis communications.
Lead implementation of a robust membership database to support organization strategy and decision making.
Interview featured alumni, manage copywriting staff and editorial calendar, and coordinate photography.
Create and maintain the college's blackboard intranet site.

Public relations officer vs public information officer skills

Common public relations officer skills

Website Content, 16%
Press Releases, 16%
Facebook, 8%
Press Conferences, 7%
Twitter, 4%
Instagram, 4%

Common public information officer skills

Press Releases, 16%
Web Content, 10%
Community Outreach, 5%
Press Conferences, 4%
Graphic Design, 4%
Emergency Operations, 4%

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Public Relations Officer
Public Relations Officer vs Public Information Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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