Builds and looks after an online community of customers, fans, players or developers, running forums, Discord servers and events that keep members engaged. BLS does not publish separate figures for public relations specialists; it counts them within public relations specialist (SOC 27-3031), whose median pay is $74,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 27-3031
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Online Community Manager in four numbers
- Median pay
- $74,750a year, or $35.94/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $44KTop 10% $135K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +1.8%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+1.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +1.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 23,000314,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025314.5K
- Projected 2035320.2K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 314.5K Projected 2035 320.2K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Bachelor's90.9%
- Master's9.1%
Highest education held by public relations specialists Segment Value Bachelor's 90.9% Master's 9.1%
Also advertised as: Community Manager, Community Lead, Head of Community, Developer Community Manager, Discord Community Manager.
Pay
How much do Public Relations Specialists make?
Every online community manager in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$74,750
Middle half earn $56,260 to $100,370
- 10th
- $44,110
- 25th
- $56,260
- 75th
- $100,370
- 90th
- $135,150
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $44,110 |
| 25th | $56,260 |
| Median | $74,750 |
| 75th | $100,370 |
| 90th | $135,150 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $74,750
- Median hourly wage
- $35.94/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $84,120
- People employed
- 283,380
Versus all US occupations
At $74,750, Public Relations Specialists earn 47% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $23,770 a year.
Versus arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
Inside the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group, where the middle occupation pays $68,060, this is 10% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $135,150 or more while the bottom 10% earn $44,110, a gap of 3.1×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 50% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $102,740, and still leads at $93,484 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Public Relations Specialists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $102,740 | $93,484 | 16,720 |
| 2Washington | $87,470 | $81,738 | 6,430 |
| 3California | $85,030 | $76,797 | 32,710 |
| 4Connecticut | $84,990 | $82,029 | 1,910 |
| 5New York | $81,250 | $75,287 | 28,250 |
| 6Colorado | $80,680 | $78,291 | 7,410 |
| 7Virginia | $80,380 | $79,502 | 9,990 |
| 8New Jersey | $80,130 | $73,646 | 4,980 |
| 9Massachusetts | $79,660 | $75,324 | 6,760 |
| 10Maryland | $79,560 | $75,801 | 4,190 |
Job outlook
Is Online Community Manager a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +1.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Public Relations Specialists | +1.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Public Relations Specialists to change 1.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 5,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 23,000 openings are projected each year, 7.3% of the 314,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Online Community Manager
Community managers come from marketing, communications, customer support, gaming and volunteer moderation backgrounds. A bachelor's degree is common but not always required; a track record of building or moderating an active community counts heavily.
CMX, a professional network for community builders, publishes research and training on the field, and many practitioners learn through its resources. A typical path is starting as a community moderator or coordinator, especially at gaming or software companies, then growing into a manager role.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as public relations specialists.
- Bachelor's Degree90.9%
- Master's Degree9.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 90.9% |
| Master's Degree | 9.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Online Community Manager do?
Online community managers create spaces where a company's users talk to each other and to the company. They run forums, Discord or Slack groups, social groups and user conferences, write community guidelines, welcome new members and keep discussions useful and civil. They organize events such as livestreams, meetups, ambassador programs and contests.
Community managers also act as a bridge. They collect feedback, bug reports and feature ideas from members and pass them to product teams, then bring updates back to the community. They track measures such as active members and support questions answered by peers, and they handle tense moments, such as a controversial update, with clear and honest communication.
Day-to-day tasks
- Run forums, Discord servers and online groups
- Write and enforce community guidelines
- Plan virtual and in-person community events
- Recruit and support volunteer moderators and ambassadors
- Gather member feedback and share it with product teams
- Announce updates and handle community reactions
- Report community growth and engagement metrics
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Community managers work at software companies, game studios, consumer brands, nonprofits and creator businesses, often fully remote. The job is online most of the day, with some evening and weekend events and occasional travel to conferences and meetups.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Writing4.0
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.4
- Monitoring3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Coordination3.9
- Time Management3.9
- Persuasion3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Negotiation3.3
- Systems Evaluation3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.9 |
| Persuasion | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Sales and marketing software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Online Community Manager?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SEA) built on O*NET's Public Relations Specialist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Online Community Manager |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 5 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules.
- Enterprising5.8
- Artistic4.7
- Social4.6
- Conventional3.5
- Investigative2.7
- Realistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Online Community Manager
O*NET related occupations
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Management
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist
$78,760median a year
Most earn $43K to $155K
+7.0%Bachelor's - Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Management
More arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media careers
Median annual pay, with public relations specialists highlighted
- Art Director$114,850
- Technical Writer$90,390
- Editor$77,920
- Writer and Author$76,910
- Public Relations Specialist$74,750
- Online Community Manager$74,750
- Interior Designer$67,190
- Graphic Designer$62,960
- Photographer$44,660
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Art Director | $114,850 |
| Technical Writer | $90,390 |
| Editor | $77,920 |
| Writer and Author | $76,910 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $74,750 |
| Online Community Manager | $74,750 |
| Interior Designer | $67,190 |
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 |
| Photographer | $44,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Online Community Manager appears on
Questions
Online Community Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Public Relations Specialists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for public relations specialists. It counts them within public relations specialist, whose median pay is $74,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $56,260 and $100,370, and the top 10% earn $135,150 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Online Community Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Public Relations Specialists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 90.9% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Online Community Manager a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 1.8% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 23,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Online Community Manager do?
Online community managers create spaces where a company's users talk to each other and to the company. A typical task: run forums, Discord servers and online groups. Employers most often ask for Customer relationship management CRM software, Data mining software, Desktop publishing software.
Which states pay Public Relations Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Public Relations Specialists are District of Columbia ($102,740), Washington ($87,470), California ($85,030) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Online Community Manager?
O*NET scores Public Relations Specialists highest on the Enterprising, Artistic and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFJ, ENFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.