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Role hub · Public Relations Managers

Public Relations Manager: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of public relations managers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$146,910
Hourly
$70.63
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Public Relations Managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client. The median pay is $146,910 a year ($70.63 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$146,910
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
74,850
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Key facts

Public Relations Managers at a glance

  • Public relations managers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $146,910 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for public relations managers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of public relations managers in the United States to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,100 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 74,850 people were employed as public relations managers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Public Relations Managers

SalaryPublic Relations Manager salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →Career changePublic Relations Manager career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

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The work

What public relations managers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new business opportunities.
  2. Assign, supervise, and review the activities of public relations staff.
  3. Identify main client groups and audiences, determine the best way to communicate publicity information to them, and develop and implement a communication plan.
  4. Develop, implement, or maintain crisis communication plans.
  5. Write interesting and effective press releases, prepare information for media kits, and develop and maintain company internet or intranet web pages.
  6. Manage communications budgets.
  7. Develop and maintain the company's corporate image and identity, which includes the use of logos and signage.
  8. Facilitate consumer relations or the relationship between parts of the company, such as the managers and employees, or different branch offices.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all public relations manager jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services19.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +8.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $189,190
  2. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations17.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $155,280
  3. Educational services; state, local, and private14.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $127,530
  4. Management of companies and enterprises8.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $189,140
  5. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals7.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $130,480
  6. Insurance carriers and related activities3.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $168,290

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SpeakingcoreReading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreSocial PerceptivenessWritingPersuasionComplex Problem SolvingCritical ThinkingCoordination

Knowledge areas: Communications and Media, English Language, Administration and Management, Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative.

Tools and technology

Software public relations managers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe After EffectsVideo creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • CanvaGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Google AnalyticsData mining softwareHot technology
  • HubSpot softwareSales and marketing softwareHot technology
  • Marketo Marketing AutomationSales and marketing softwareHot technology
  • SlackCloud-based data access and sharing softwareHot technology
  • Teradata DatabaseData base management system softwareHot technology

Also called: Public Relation Manager, Communications Director, Communications Manager, Community Relations Director, PR Director (Public Relations Director), Public Affairs Director.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.