Sort by any column. Employment is the number of public relations specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Public Relations Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Public Relations Specialists earn the most in District of Columbia at $102,740 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $44,950 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $74,750. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $102,740
- National median
- $74,750
- Lowest median
- $44,950
- States reporting
- 54
District of Columbia
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Public Relations Specialists
- 1. District of Columbia$102,740 median · $93,484 adjusted · 16,720 employed
- 2. Washington$87,470 median · $81,738 adjusted · 6,430 employed
- 3. California$85,030 median · $76,797 adjusted · 32,710 employed
- 4. Connecticut$84,990 median · $82,029 adjusted · 1,910 employed
- 5. New York$81,250 median · $75,287 adjusted · 28,250 employed
Lowest-paying states for Public Relations Specialists
- 54. Puerto Rico$44,950 median · no price parity · 520 employed
- 53. Guam$48,460 median · no price parity · N/A employed
- 52. West Virginia$56,730 median · $63,388 adjusted · 350 employed
- 51. Pennsylvania$57,460 median · $58,890 adjusted · 11,180 employed
- 50. Mississippi$59,810 median · $68,784 adjusted · 950 employed
Public Relations Specialist salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $102,740 | $78,200 | $149,120 | 16,720 | $93,484 |
| 2 | Washington | $87,470 | $71,140 | $111,890 | 6,430 | $81,738 |
| 3 | California | $85,030 | $64,460 | $121,180 | 32,710 | $76,797 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $84,990 | $62,160 | $122,400 | 1,910 | $82,029 |
| 5 | New York | $81,250 | $63,420 | $107,920 | 28,250 | $75,287 |
| 6 | Colorado | $80,680 | $64,090 | $105,190 | 7,410 | $78,291 |
| 7 | Virginia | $80,380 | $60,610 | $111,600 | 9,990 | $79,502 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $80,130 | $58,410 | $105,030 | 4,980 | $73,646 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $79,660 | $61,410 | $107,220 | 6,760 | $75,324 |
| 10 | Maryland | $79,560 | $58,600 | $108,160 | 4,190 | $75,801 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $77,540 | $63,310 | $102,280 | 1,140 | $75,811 |
| 12 | Illinois | $76,380 | $59,400 | $102,950 | 6,200 | $76,412 |
| 13 | Delaware | $76,120 | $59,870 | $94,320 | 930 | $76,266 |
| 14 | Oregon | $74,900 | $55,970 | $100,330 | 4,510 | $72,464 |
| 15 | Nevada | $73,840 | $53,450 | $93,120 | 1,600 | $73,856 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $73,280 | $59,000 | $96,100 | 1,140 | $70,350 |
| 17 | Georgia | $73,200 | $56,150 | $98,060 | 6,860 | $76,018 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $70,280 | $57,240 | $85,980 | 640 | $79,003 |
| 19 | Alaska | $70,050 | $61,680 | $91,920 | 640 | $68,436 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $68,700 | $53,540 | $89,670 | 1,130 | $74,502 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $68,620 | $54,880 | $89,500 | 8,260 | $69,580 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $67,490 | $60,160 | $80,980 | 480 | $72,812 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $67,240 | $56,830 | $83,430 | 4,410 | $71,460 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $67,230 | $51,530 | $89,990 | 9,910 | $71,274 |
| 25 | Arizona | $66,710 | $52,580 | $85,950 | 5,350 | $66,261 |
| 26 | Vermont | $66,060 | $54,080 | $80,880 | 1,260 | $67,437 |
| 27 | Michigan | $65,300 | $50,160 | $86,770 | 7,510 | $67,867 |
| 28 | Texas | $65,160 | $50,480 | $85,370 | 25,220 | $67,136 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $65,000 | $49,980 | $96,060 | 980 | $74,767 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $64,920 | $49,730 | $88,610 | 2,280 | $73,905 |
| 31 | Indiana | $64,900 | $51,700 | $83,480 | 3,750 | $69,539 |
| 32 | Kansas | $64,860 | $50,540 | $83,430 | 2,340 | $72,012 |
| 33 | Ohio | $64,840 | $50,040 | $85,890 | 6,670 | $69,890 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $64,520 | $55,990 | $83,480 | 210 | $72,833 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $63,880 | $50,640 | $81,900 | 1,800 | $58,099 |
| 36 | Montana | $63,780 | $50,470 | $75,820 | 1,760 | $67,389 |
| 37 | Florida | $63,660 | $48,340 | $83,190 | 17,820 | $61,558 |
| 38 | Iowa | $62,970 | $49,040 | $81,450 | 2,890 | $71,751 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $62,730 | $49,150 | $92,560 | 2,950 | $66,913 |
| 40 | Utah | $62,670 | $49,920 | $89,190 | 1,800 | $63,390 |
| 41 | Maine | $62,450 | $48,130 | $79,940 | 1,400 | $64,348 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $61,780 | $50,250 | $78,870 | 1,590 | $68,566 |
| 43 | Alabama | $61,710 | $48,130 | $82,360 | 2,410 | $69,475 |
| 44 | Missouri | $61,130 | $47,700 | $78,220 | 4,820 | $67,311 |
| 45 | Idaho | $61,110 | $45,400 | $84,070 | 1,220 | $63,994 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $60,900 | $47,320 | $79,210 | 3,380 | $66,289 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $60,470 | $49,490 | $77,890 | 1,710 | $68,555 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $60,150 | $47,920 | $77,670 | 2,580 | $66,715 |
| 49 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $59,990 | $44,990 | $69,990 | 60 | N/A |
| 50 | Mississippi | $59,810 | $46,220 | $77,910 | 950 | $68,784 |
| 51 | Pennsylvania | $57,460 | $45,930 | $77,480 | 11,180 | $58,890 |
| 52 | West Virginia | $56,730 | $47,740 | $72,240 | 350 | $63,388 |
| 53 | Guam | $48,460 | $39,050 | $60,940 | N/A | N/A |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $44,950 | $33,770 | $59,770 | 520 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Public Relations Specialists, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $102,740, while District of Columbia leads once prices are taken into account at $93,484.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Public Relations Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Public Relations Specialists the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Public Relations Specialists at $102,740 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($87,470) and California ($85,030).
Which state pays Public Relations Specialists the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Public Relations Specialists at $44,950 a year, $57,790 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Public Relations Specialists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $93,484 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $102,740. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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