Public Relations Managers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 11-2032 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$138,528
$66.60/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Public Relations Managers is $138,528 per year ($66.60/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $102,315 and $197,995 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $221,645 per year. There are approximately 76,060 public relations managers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.0%
Faster than average
Annual openings
7K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
83K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
5 years or more
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
9K
$165,550
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
7K
$172,810
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations
NAICS 813900
6K
$136,500
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
6K
$106,610
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
4K
$122,300
Wage range across top 5 industries: $106,610 to $172,810 (62% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$37.92
$78,874
P25
$49.19
$102,315
P50MEDIAN
$66.60
$138,528
P75
$95.19
$197,995
P90
$106.56
$221,645
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average public relations managers salary?
The national median salary for Public Relations Managers is $138,528 per year ($66.60/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $102,315 and $197,995 annually.
How much do top-earning public relations managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Public Relations Managers is $221,645 per year ($106.56/hr). The 75th percentile is $197,995 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for public relations managers?
Entry-level Public Relations Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $78,874 per year ($37.92/hr). The 25th percentile is $102,315 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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