Fundraising Managers
Median $125,470
Occupation · SOC 11-2032
Public Relations Managers: pay and where the jobs are
What public relations managers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$146,910 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $164,760
- Median hourly wage
- $70.63
- Mean hourly wage
- $79.21
- Employment
- 74,850
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 11-2032.
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See where your pay falls among public relations managers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do public relations managers make?
The median annual wage for public relations managers was $146,910 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $82,410 and the highest-paid 10% more than $284,990. As an hourly rate, the median is $70.63. About 74,850 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($197,600), New York ($180,880) and Virginia ($176,340). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Virginia.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for public relations managers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $82,410 | $39.62 | $6,868 | $5,567 |
| 25th percentile | $106,580 | $51.24 | $8,882 | $6,984 |
| Median | $146,910 | $70.63 | $12,243 | $9,307 |
| 75th percentile | $204,520 | $98.33 | $17,043 | $12,588 |
| 90th percentile | $284,990 | $137.01 | $23,749 | $16,692 |
Public Relations Managers: pay by state
49 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$121,132 take-home in national prices
2
$120,561 take-home in national prices
3
$117,106 take-home in national prices
Where a median public relations manager paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 7,410 | $197,600 | $117,350 | $346,130 | $132,498 | $120,561 |
| New York | 7,710 | $180,880 | $108,180 | $323,190 | $124,823 | $115,661 |
| Virginia | 2,610 | $176,340 | $106,880 | $312,040 | $122,469 | $121,132 |
| New Jersey | 2,420 | $174,980 | $99,370 | $288,690 | $121,000 | $111,208 |
| Massachusetts | 2,170 | $171,740 | $93,220 | $315,920 | $119,493 | $112,989 |
| California | 9,400 | $167,980 | $97,800 | $300,800 | $112,519 | $101,625 |
| Maine | Not published | $166,940 | $77,970 | $195,860 | $113,652 | $117,106 |
| Colorado | Not published | $162,870 | $98,180 | $238,240 | $115,413 | $111,995 |
| Washington | 1,610 | $159,440 | $104,500 | $255,280 | $118,032 | $110,296 |
| Rhode Island | 210 | $156,080 | $83,400 | $252,810 | $111,035 | $108,560 |
| Connecticut | 890 | $154,210 | $78,130 | $288,180 | $107,895 | $104,136 |
| Delaware | 170 | $153,010 | $107,670 | $265,000 | $106,479 | $106,683 |
| Maryland | 1,530 | $149,380 | $82,180 | $282,160 | $106,360 | $101,335 |
| Minnesota | 1,230 | $139,040 | $86,110 | $208,970 | $97,606 | $98,971 |
| Georgia | 1,540 | $134,500 | $87,120 | $227,310 | $97,234 | $100,977 |
| Utah | 580 | $132,670 | $80,370 | $262,990 | $96,042 | $97,146 |
| New Hampshire | 330 | $132,660 | $86,770 | $212,900 | $101,939 | $97,863 |
| North Carolina | 1,510 | $132,280 | $79,320 | $229,270 | $96,910 | $102,740 |
| Illinois | 2,770 | $131,990 | $75,730 | $221,440 | $95,092 | $95,132 |
| Oregon | 1,410 | $131,190 | $77,070 | $209,670 | $89,770 | $86,851 |
| Kansas | 300 | $129,760 | $83,430 | $196,150 | $93,516 | $103,828 |
| Florida | 2,990 | $127,550 | $73,050 | $215,050 | $98,446 | $95,196 |
| Tennessee | 700 | $127,390 | $58,420 | $192,800 | $98,337 | $107,039 |
| Texas | 8,190 | $126,670 | $78,400 | $220,000 | $97,845 | $100,812 |
| Alaska | 380 | $120,920 | $73,550 | $193,980 | $93,626 | $91,468 |
| Iowa | 630 | $120,730 | $74,040 | $194,860 | $89,828 | $102,354 |
| Ohio | 1,400 | $118,670 | $59,540 | $211,290 | $89,488 | $96,458 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,210 | $118,050 | $68,890 | $206,910 | $88,171 | $90,365 |
| Michigan | 1,720 | $117,900 | $70,680 | $213,360 | $87,013 | $90,434 |
| New Mexico | 250 | $115,260 | $77,160 | $200,860 | $85,599 | $92,828 |
| Indiana | 600 | $114,960 | $75,520 | $198,300 | $86,343 | $92,514 |
| Missouri | 760 | $114,710 | $74,350 | $203,610 | $85,074 | $93,677 |
| Arizona | 1,170 | $114,400 | $80,000 | $213,370 | $86,844 | $86,260 |
| Nevada | 450 | $114,130 | $66,630 | $211,510 | $89,120 | $89,139 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $114,110 | $77,350 | $167,840 | $88,140 | $99,080 |
| Wisconsin | 1,010 | $113,980 | $73,700 | $216,460 | $83,758 | $89,014 |
| Kentucky | 510 | $112,320 | $73,470 | $171,620 | $84,034 | $93,206 |
| Hawaii | 390 | $105,010 | $73,090 | $174,520 | $76,138 | $69,247 |
| South Carolina | 650 | $104,920 | $65,160 | $212,260 | $78,141 | $83,351 |
| Nebraska | 330 | $104,440 | $64,580 | $182,760 | $78,431 | $87,046 |
| Arkansas | 340 | $104,170 | $57,810 | $305,140 | $78,460 | $90,249 |
| Montana | 180 | $99,990 | $72,980 | $147,470 | $74,884 | $79,121 |
| Alabama | 540 | $98,210 | $63,380 | $176,630 | $73,889 | $83,187 |
| Idaho | Not published | $98,160 | $60,070 | $152,480 | $73,791 | $77,273 |
| Mississippi | 170 | $97,160 | $67,750 | $190,420 | $74,028 | $85,135 |
| Oklahoma | 490 | $96,030 | $59,990 | $184,810 | $72,611 | $82,660 |
| Louisiana | 320 | $94,380 | $66,150 | $183,030 | $72,781 | $82,512 |
| West Virginia | 70 | $82,380 | $59,300 | $161,120 | $63,900 | $71,400 |
| Puerto Rico | 220 | $72,290 | $48,890 | $122,420 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 11-2032. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.