Creative · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Public Relations Specialist (2024)

The median Public Relations Specialist salary is $101,200 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Salt Lake City, UT offers the best purchasing power at $91,933 adjusted.

$74,078

National Median

$101,200

Highest City

$58,600

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$101,200	$40,450 – $206,990	195.8	$51,685	2,400
2	San Francisco, CA	$98,460	$58,240 – $167,340	179.6	$54,822	6,040
3	Washington, DC	$95,370	$58,910 – $174,730	152.8	$62,415	24,000
4	Salt Lake City, UT	$93,220	$43,640 – $107,080	101.4	$91,933	1,680
5	Seattle, WA	$92,060	$61,220 – $143,540	149.4	$61,620	4,410
6	New York, NY	$79,990	$51,080 – $153,010	187.2	$42,730	23,640
7	Denver, CO	$77,530	$48,110 – $132,050	112.8	$68,732	4,460
8	Los Angeles, CA	$77,380	$47,920 – $129,020	166	$46,614	11,930
9	San Diego, CA	$77,290	$47,720 – $129,060	160.2	$48,246	2,360
10	Atlanta, GA	$76,940	$40,660 – $129,860	99.2	$77,560	4,290
11	Boston, MA	$76,680	$44,860 – $144,500	152.1	$50,414	6,460
12	Portland, OR	$75,840	$46,600 – $128,260	130.1	$58,294	2,960
13	Charlotte, NC	$69,410	$38,850 – $111,520	96.7	$71,779	2,600
14	Minneapolis, MN	$67,230	$43,920 – $111,370	106.2	$63,305	5,290
15	Phoenix, AZ	$65,350	$41,870 – $129,860	100.7	$64,896	4,380
16	Raleigh, NC	$64,810	$38,160 – $118,860	99.8	$64,940	1,970
17	Austin, TX	$64,380	$34,710 – $104,510	103	$62,505	3,830
18	Philadelphia, PA	$64,380	$37,960 – $111,580	118.4	$54,375	4,810
19	Chicago, IL	$63,910	$40,440 – $119,270	107.3	$59,562	4,890
20	Miami, FL	$63,340	$35,700 – $122,950	123.1	$51,454	5,530
21	Dallas, TX	$63,150	$37,680 – $109,980	104.1	$60,663	7,310
22	Detroit, MI	$62,850	$35,710 – $122,450	95.1	$66,088	3,270
23	Houston, TX	$62,580	$36,980 – $109,620	96.5	$64,850	5,130
24	Nashville, TN	$60,000	$35,260 – $94,870	100.3	$59,821	1,190
25	Tampa, FL	$58,600	$41,600 – $101,210	99.6	$58,835	2,970

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Public Relations Specialist paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Salt Lake City, UT	$91,933	$93,220	101.4
2	Atlanta, GA	$77,560	$76,940	99.2
3	Charlotte, NC	$71,779	$69,410	96.7
4	Denver, CO	$68,732	$77,530	112.8
5	Detroit, MI	$66,088	$62,850	95.1
6	Raleigh, NC	$64,940	$64,810	99.8
7	Phoenix, AZ	$64,896	$65,350	100.7
8	Houston, TX	$64,850	$62,580	96.5
9	Minneapolis, MN	$63,305	$67,230	106.2
10	Austin, TX	$62,505	$64,380	103
11	Washington, DC	$62,415	$95,370	152.8
12	Seattle, WA	$61,620	$92,060	149.4
13	Dallas, TX	$60,663	$63,150	104.1
14	Nashville, TN	$59,821	$60,000	100.3
15	Chicago, IL	$59,562	$63,910	107.3
16	Tampa, FL	$58,835	$58,600	99.6
17	Portland, OR	$58,294	$75,840	130.1
18	San Francisco, CA	$54,822	$98,460	179.6
19	Philadelphia, PA	$54,375	$64,380	118.4
20	San Jose, CA	$51,685	$101,200	195.8
21	Miami, FL	$51,454	$63,340	123.1
22	Boston, MA	$50,414	$76,680	152.1
23	San Diego, CA	$48,246	$77,290	160.2
24	Los Angeles, CA	$46,614	$77,380	166
25	New York, NY	$42,730	$79,990	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Public Relations Specialist salary at $101,200. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Salt Lake City, UT offers the most purchasing power at $91,933 adjusted.

The national median Public Relations Specialist salary is $74,078 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $58,600 to $101,200 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.