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Best states for a public relations specialist
Quoted expert
Karen Myers Ph.D.
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for public relations specialists? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for public relations specialist jobs.Our research found that Oregon is the best state for public relations specialists, while Washington and Oregon are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Oregon has a median salary of $63,068 and Washington has the highest median salary among all 50 states for public relations specialists.
In order to get you the best states for public relations specialists, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Oregon is the best state, and Bellingham is the city with the highest pay for public relations specialists.
10 best states for public relations specialists in 2025
1. Oregon
Total public relations specialist jobs: 209 Average annual salary: $63,068 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.372. District of Columbia
Total public relations specialist jobs: 273 Average annual salary: $65,851 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 4.433. Virginia
Total public relations specialist jobs: 458 Average annual salary: $59,136 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.324. Washington
Total public relations specialist jobs: 242 Average annual salary: $67,975 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.95. Rhode Island
Total public relations specialist jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $53,675 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.466. Minnesota
Total public relations specialist jobs: 236 Average annual salary: $57,714 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 0.977. Alaska
Total public relations specialist jobs: 36 Average annual salary: $59,600 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Location Quotient: 1.178. New York
Total public relations specialist jobs: 621 Average annual salary: $55,179 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.329. Massachusetts
Total public relations specialist jobs: 397 Average annual salary: $54,017 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.1810. Idaho
Total public relations specialist jobs: 50 Average annual salary: $55,732 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
Public relations specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a public relations specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a public relations specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $63,068 | $42,000 | 4,142,776 | 209 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $65,851 | $44,000 | 693,972 | 273 |
| 3 | Virginia | $59,136 | $39,000 | 8,470,020 | 458 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,975 | $45,000 | 7,405,743 | 242 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $53,675 | $36,000 | 1,059,639 | 65 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $57,714 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 236 |
| 7 | Alaska | $59,600 | $50,000 | 739,795 | 36 |
| 8 | New York | $55,179 | $37,000 | 19,849,399 | 621 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $54,017 | $37,000 | 6,859,819 | 397 |
| 10 | Idaho | $55,732 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 50 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $58,310 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 250 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $54,751 | $37,000 | 755,393 | 26 |
| 13 | Michigan | $51,273 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 237 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $51,766 | $35,000 | 3,588,184 | 124 |
| 15 | Maryland | $54,147 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 231 |
| 16 | California | $51,616 | $35,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,413 |
| 17 | Delaware | $49,759 | $33,000 | 961,939 | 51 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $46,872 | $32,000 | 579,315 | 27 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $50,659 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 139 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $47,671 | $33,000 | 10,273,419 | 350 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $50,002 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 56 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $45,475 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 42 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $49,791 | $34,000 | 1,342,795 | 43 |
| 24 | Ohio | $49,444 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 222 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $48,779 | $33,000 | 1,815,857 | 33 |
| 26 | Colorado | $48,241 | $34,000 | 5,607,154 | 211 |
| 27 | Utah | $44,579 | $30,000 | 3,101,833 | 154 |
| 28 | Vermont | $44,557 | $31,000 | 623,657 | 41 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $46,482 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 162 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $47,047 | $31,000 | 12,805,537 | 319 |
| 31 | Montana | $44,093 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 50 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $47,445 | $33,000 | 4,454,189 | 83 |
| 33 | Nevada | $44,716 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 77 |
| 34 | Illinois | $45,171 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 505 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $42,753 | $30,000 | 5,024,369 | 159 |
| 36 | Arizona | $42,399 | $29,000 | 7,016,270 | 217 |
| 37 | Iowa | $44,295 | $30,000 | 3,145,711 | 84 |
| 38 | Georgia | $41,465 | $29,000 | 10,429,379 | 419 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $42,030 | $29,000 | 1,920,076 | 58 |
| 40 | Missouri | $41,701 | $29,000 | 6,113,532 | 168 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $39,829 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 98 |
| 42 | Texas | $40,202 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 655 |
| 43 | Florida | $37,801 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 635 |
| 44 | Indiana | $40,884 | $28,000 | 6,666,818 | 145 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $39,312 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 22 |
| 46 | Maine | $36,833 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 49 |
| 47 | Alabama | $39,737 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 98 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $39,298 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 83 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $38,312 | $27,000 | 2,088,070 | 53 |
| 50 | Kansas | $39,581 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 66 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $35,877 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 41 |
Highest paying states for public relations specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Public Relations Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $63,068 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $65,851 |
| 3 | Virginia | $59,136 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,975 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $53,675 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $57,714 |
| 7 | Alaska | $59,600 |
| 8 | New York | $55,179 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $54,017 |
| 10 | Idaho | $55,732 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $58,310 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $54,751 |
| 13 | Michigan | $51,273 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $51,766 |
| 15 | Maryland | $54,147 |
| 16 | California | $51,616 |
| 17 | Delaware | $49,759 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $46,872 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $50,659 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $47,671 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $50,002 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $45,475 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $49,791 |
| 24 | Ohio | $49,444 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $48,779 |
| 26 | Colorado | $48,241 |
| 27 | Utah | $44,579 |
| 28 | Vermont | $44,557 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $46,482 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $47,047 |
| 31 | Montana | $44,093 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $47,445 |
| 33 | Nevada | $44,716 |
| 34 | Illinois | $45,171 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $42,753 |
| 36 | Arizona | $42,399 |
| 37 | Iowa | $44,295 |
| 38 | Georgia | $41,465 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $42,030 |
| 40 | Missouri | $41,701 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $39,829 |
| 42 | Texas | $40,202 |
| 43 | Florida | $37,801 |
| 44 | Indiana | $40,884 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $39,312 |
| 46 | Maine | $36,833 |
| 47 | Alabama | $39,737 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $39,298 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $38,312 |
| 50 | Kansas | $39,581 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $35,877 |
Expert opinions on the best states for public relations specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for public relations specialists to find work opportunities?
Karen Myers Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Thank goodness, our graduates are positioned pretty well to take advantage of many job opportunities during the pandemic. Any industry that can serve its clients remotely AND whose products are still in demand and sold during the epidemic is in a good position. Tech companies have been disrupted, but mostly they have adjusted and have an even greater need for their products. These companies are hiring and onboarding workers remotely. (I'm working on a research project studying workers who have been onboarded/socialized entirely remotely to compare it to traditional, in-person training.) A number of our grads have been hired in tech industries. I also see a lot of activity in marketing/PR. As long as these companies are serving industries and customers who are still buying, they are recovering and learning how to function in the new circumstances.
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Updated January 8, 2025