Pay by state · 54 areas
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 West Virginia at $56,730 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $74,750. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $102,740District of Columbia
- National median
- $74,750BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $56,730West Virginia
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for public relations specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$102,740
- 2Washington$87,470
- 3California$85,030
- 4Connecticut$84,990
- 5New York$81,250
Lowest median pay
- 1West Virginia$56,730
- 2Pennsylvania$57,460
- 3Mississippi$59,810
- 4Kentucky$60,150
- 5Louisiana$60,470
All states
Public Relations Specialist salary in every state
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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $102,740 | $78,200 | $149,120 | 16,720 | $93,484 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $87,470 | $71,140 | $111,890 | 6,430 | $81,738 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $85,030 | $64,460 | $121,180 | 32,710 | $76,797 |
| 4 | CTConnecticut | $84,990 | $62,160 | $122,400 | 1,910 | $82,029 |
| 5 | NYNew York | $81,250 | $63,420 | $107,920 | 28,250 | $75,287 |
| 6 | COColorado | $80,680 | $64,090 | $105,190 | 7,410 | $78,291 |
| 7 | VAVirginia | $80,380 | $60,610 | $111,600 | 9,990 | $79,502 |
| 8 | NJNew Jersey | $80,130 | $58,410 | $105,030 | 4,980 | $73,646 |
| 9 | MAMassachusetts | $79,660 | $61,410 | $107,220 | 6,760 | $75,324 |
| 10 | MDMaryland | $79,560 | $58,600 | $108,160 | 4,190 | $75,801 |
| 11 | RIRhode Island | $77,540 | $63,310 | $102,280 | 1,140 | $75,811 |
| 12 | ILIllinois | $76,380 | $59,400 | $102,950 | 6,200 | $76,412 |
| 13 | DEDelaware | $76,120 | $59,870 | $94,320 | 930 | $76,266 |
| 14 | OROregon | $74,900 | $55,970 | $100,330 | 4,510 | $72,464 |
| 15 | NVNevada | $73,840 | $53,450 | $93,120 | 1,600 | $73,856 |
| 16 | NHNew Hampshire | $73,280 | $59,000 | $96,100 | 1,140 | $70,350 |
| 17 | GAGeorgia | $73,200 | $56,150 | $98,060 | 6,860 | $76,018 |
| 18 | NDNorth Dakota | $70,280 | $57,240 | $85,980 | 640 | $79,003 |
| 19 | AKAlaska | $70,050 | $61,680 | $91,920 | 640 | $68,436 |
| 20 | NMNew Mexico | $68,700 | $53,540 | $89,670 | 1,130 | $74,502 |
| 21 | MNMinnesota | $68,620 | $54,880 | $89,500 | 8,260 | $69,580 |
| 22 | WYWyoming | $67,490 | $60,160 | $80,980 | 480 | $72,812 |
| 23 | WIWisconsin | $67,240 | $56,830 | $83,430 | 4,410 | $71,460 |
| 24 | NCNorth Carolina | $67,230 | $51,530 | $89,990 | 9,910 | $71,274 |
| 25 | AZArizona | $66,710 | $52,580 | $85,950 | 5,350 | $66,261 |
| 26 | VTVermont | $66,060 | $54,080 | $80,880 | 1,260 | $67,437 |
| 27 | MIMichigan | $65,300 | $50,160 | $86,770 | 7,510 | $67,867 |
| 28 | TXTexas | $65,160 | $50,480 | $85,370 | 25,220 | $67,136 |
| 29 | ARArkansas | $65,000 | $49,980 | $96,060 | 980 | $74,767 |
| 30 | OKOklahoma | $64,920 | $49,730 | $88,610 | 2,280 | $73,905 |
| 31 | INIndiana | $64,900 | $51,700 | $83,480 | 3,750 | $69,539 |
| 32 | KSKansas | $64,860 | $50,540 | $83,430 | 2,340 | $72,012 |
| 33 | OHOhio | $64,840 | $50,040 | $85,890 | 6,670 | $69,890 |
| 34 | SDSouth Dakota | $64,520 | $55,990 | $83,480 | 210 | $72,833 |
| 35 | HIHawaii | $63,880 | $50,640 | $81,900 | 1,800 | $58,099 |
| 36 | MTMontana | $63,780 | $50,470 | $75,820 | 1,760 | $67,389 |
| 37 | FLFlorida | $63,660 | $48,340 | $83,190 | 17,820 | $61,558 |
| 38 | IAIowa | $62,970 | $49,040 | $81,450 | 2,890 | $71,751 |
| 39 | SCSouth Carolina | $62,730 | $49,150 | $92,560 | 2,950 | $66,913 |
| 40 | UTUtah | $62,670 | $49,920 | $89,190 | 1,800 | $63,390 |
| 41 | MEMaine | $62,450 | $48,130 | $79,940 | 1,400 | $64,348 |
| 42 | NENebraska | $61,780 | $50,250 | $78,870 | 1,590 | $68,566 |
| 43 | ALAlabama | $61,710 | $48,130 | $82,360 | 2,410 | $69,475 |
| 44 | MOMissouri | $61,130 | $47,700 | $78,220 | 4,820 | $67,311 |
| 45 | IDIdaho | $61,110 | $45,400 | $84,070 | 1,220 | $63,994 |
| 46 | TNTennessee | $60,900 | $47,320 | $79,210 | 3,380 | $66,289 |
| 47 | LALouisiana | $60,470 | $49,490 | $77,890 | 1,710 | $68,555 |
| 48 | KYKentucky | $60,150 | $47,920 | $77,670 | 2,580 | $66,715 |
| 49 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $59,990 | $44,990 | $69,990 | 60 | N/A |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $59,810 | $46,220 | $77,910 | 950 | $68,784 |
| 51 | PAPennsylvania | $57,460 | $45,930 | $77,480 | 11,180 | $58,890 |
| 52 | WVWest Virginia | $56,730 | $47,740 | $72,240 | 350 | $63,388 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $48,460 | $39,050 | $60,940 | N/A | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $44,950 | $33,770 | $59,770 | 520 | N/A |
Method
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, the adjustment does not change the leader: District of Columbia is first on raw pay and still first 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.
Questions
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?
Among the 50 states and DC, West Virginia reports the lowest median for public relations specialists at $56,730 a year, $46,010 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $59,990, Guam reports $48,460 and Puerto Rico reports $44,950.
In which states do public relations specialists earn over $100,000?
One of the 50 states and DC has a median of $100,000 or more: District of Columbia ($102,740) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for public relations specialists after cost of living?
Yes. District of Columbia stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $93,484 in national-average dollars from a raw $102,740. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.