Pay by state · 54 states
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
- $102,740District of Columbia
- National median
- $74,750BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $44,950Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
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, 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.
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?
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.