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The differences between public relations specialists and community relations coordinators 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 specialist and a community relations coordinator. Additionally, a public relations specialist has an average salary of $48,124, which is higher than the $45,632 average annual salary of a community relations coordinator.
The top three skills for a public relations specialist include press releases, web content and project management. The most important skills for a community relations coordinator are patients, event planning, and press releases.
| Public Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $48,124 | $45,632 |
| Hourly rate | $23.14 | $21.94 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 29,698 | 46,318 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A public relations specialist is an individual who creates and maintains a favorable public image of an organization by crafting media releases and developing social media programs. Public relations specialists must help their clients communicate effectively with the public as well as evaluate the public opinion of their clients through social media. They need to draft their press releases and contact people in the media who might want to broadcast their materials. Public relations specialists are also required to draft speeches and arrange interviews for the top executives of their organization.
A public relations coordinator or community relations coordinator is an individual who is responsible for promoting or creating a public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. Since businesses are major contributors to communities and fundraisers, public relations coordinators are required to handle donations requests and build a marketing platform for the company. They must work with advertising representatives and other members of the media team to help promote the image of the company to the community. Community relations coordinators are also required to handle charity events such as blood drives or hold a corporate carnivals to benefit cancer research.
Public relations specialists and community relations coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $48,124 | $45,632 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $68,000 | Between $34,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Meta | Tenaska |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a public relations specialist and a community relations coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Public Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between public relations specialists' and community relations coordinators' demographics:
| Public Relations Specialist | Community Relations Coordinator | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7% | Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |