Serves as the official voice of a government agency, police or fire department, briefing the media and public, especially during emergencies. 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
Public Information Officer 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: PIO, Government Communications Officer, Public Affairs Officer, Police Public Information Officer, Emergency Public Information Officer.
Pay
How much do Public Relations Specialists make?
Every public information officer 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 Public Information Officer 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 a Public Information Officer
Most PIOs have a bachelor's degree in communications, journalism or public relations, and many are former reporters. Police and fire PIOs are sometimes sworn officers or firefighters assigned to the role. Strong writing, calm on camera and judgment under pressure matter most.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute runs a public information officer training series, from basic to advanced courses, that many agencies require. The National Association of Government Communicators and the National Information Officers Association support the profession, and the Public Relations Society of America offers an accreditation. People often start as communications specialists or social media coordinators in government.
- 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 a Public Information Officer do?
Public information officers manage communication between a government agency and the public. They work for police and fire departments, cities, school districts, transit agencies, health departments and state and federal agencies. On a normal day, they write news releases, answer reporters' questions, run social media accounts, prepare officials for interviews and explain new programs and policies.
During emergencies, the PIO becomes central. In a wildfire, shooting, storm or disease outbreak, the PIO gives briefings, posts updates, counters rumors and makes sure residents know what to do, often working inside a joint information center with other agencies under the National Incident Management System. PIOs also handle public records requests in some agencies and plan community events.
Day-to-day tasks
- Write news releases, statements and public alerts
- Respond to media questions and arrange interviews
- Prepare officials and spokespeople for press briefings
- Run agency social media and website updates
- Brief the public during emergencies and major incidents
- Work in joint information centers with partner agencies
- Correct misinformation and rumors
- Plan community outreach and public education campaigns
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
PIOs work in agency offices but often go to emergency scenes and press conferences. Being on call is common, and major incidents bring long, intense days. The job is public facing and closely watched. Monitoring news and social media continues outside office hours.
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 a Public Information Officer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ESA) built on O*NET's Public Relations Specialist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Public Information Officer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 5 |
| Social | 4 |
| 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.
- Enterprising5.9
- Artistic4.7
- Social4.4
- 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 Public Information Officer
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
- Public Information Officer$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 |
| Public Information Officer | $74,750 |
| Interior Designer | $67,190 |
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 |
| Photographer | $44,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Public Information Officer appears on
Questions
Public Information Officer: 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 a Public Information Officer?
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 Public Information Officer 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 a Public Information Officer do?
Public information officers manage communication between a government agency and the public. A typical task: write news releases, statements and public alerts. 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 a Public Information Officer?
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.