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Public Relations Specialists

General Information

Description

Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media. May specialize in using social media.

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Business Breakdown

People in this career work in these sectors.

  1. Private, for profit49.08%
  2. Private, not for profit21.25%
  3. State and local government13.59%
  4. Self-employed9.82%
  5. Federal government5.70%

Workplace at a Glance

What you can expect to experience while on the job

  • Responsibility
  • Exposure to job hazards
  • Physical activity
  • Decision making
  • Repetitiveness
  • Level of competition
  • Time pressure

Industry areas

  • Marketing

Job Outlook

Employment of public relations specialists is projected to grow 8 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. About 27,400 openings for public relations specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

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Job Outlook

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Employment of public relations specialists is projected to grow 8 percent from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. About 27,400 openings for public relations specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

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    • Public Affairs Specialists and Broadcast Journalists
      • Public affairs specialists and broadcast journalists publish communication products through radio, television, video, and web content for worldwide distribution. They are responsible for advising leadership, public affairs planning, developing and executing information strategies, and community relations. Some are trained to operate audio and video equipment in both tactical and non-tactical environments. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • Recruiting and Retention Specialists
      • Recruiting and retention specialists provide prospective candidates with the appropriate information and assistance prior to and throughout the military enlistment process. They are responsible for interviewing, orienting, and screening potential candidates, and they participate in recruiting actions by attending promotional events and maintaining liaison with high schools and college officials. They plan and implement interviews with military personnel, and they provide unit leaders with feedback and guidance for improving and enhancing retention. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • Communications Managers
      • Communication managers plan, build, secure, operate, and defend communications networks. They oversee the development and maintenance of policies and plans that are essential to operational success. They may supervise the encryption and decryption process and appropriate routing of sensitive communications. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • Community Services Officers
      • Community services officers administer programs and offerings that aim to support and enhance the well-being of service members and their families. They oversee official programs and parades, as well as diverse ceremonial functions and military honors initiatives. They direct the operations of recreational programs and facilities, clubs, and libraries. These officers also supply personal assistance to military personnel and their families during times of crisis, including providing funeral support when casualties occur. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • Human Intelligence Officers
      • Intelligence officers who specialize in HUMINT manage operations to obtain intelligence information using humans as both intelligence data sources and collectors. Human intelligence officers may also be responsible for planning and overseeing psychological operations, which are designed to control, influence, predict, and understand persons and groups though communication and contact with these individuals. Intelligence officers who specialize in HUMINT have an expert level of knowledge about the history, culture, geography, and current politics and economics of the country or countries to which they are assigned. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • Human Intelligence Specialists
      • Human intelligence specialists identify adversarial elements, strengths, dispositions, tactics, equipment, personnel, and capabilities through collecting information from people. HUMINT specialists screen documents and other materials to identify potential source leads. They conduct and oversee interviews, interrogations, screenings, and debriefings in English, and work with translators when necessary. They also exploit information found in a variety of media. HUMINT specialists may also plan and implement psychological operations to control and influence groups through persuasive communications. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • International and Civil Affairs Officers
      • International and civil affairs officers have extensive in-country experience in a designated region. They build effective relationships with governments, militaries, and local citizens and they support a variety of international engagement activities, from humanitarian relief to intelligence collection. They serve as primary advisors to government agencies across service branches on all stages of operations planning because of their regional and cultural expertise. Navigate to Military Career Page
    • International and Civil Affairs Specialists
      • International and civil affairs specialists perform various duties incident to the planning, coordination, and conduct of civil-military operations. They support the operation of civil affairs planning and coordination centers. They also perform civil-military assessments of their assigned operational area and coordinate with a wide variety of civilian populations, organizations, and agencies.   Navigate to Military Career Page
    • Public Affairs Officers
      • Public Affairs Officers research, plan, budget, execute, and evaluate operations involving the public. They liaise with the news media and provide guidance to senior leaders on decisions that impact mission success. They also collect and present information to internal staff on current operations and matters affecting the military community. Navigate to Military Career Page
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Salary

Average Salary

Salary

$62,800

Military salary*

$72,750

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State-by-state Salary

Gray states indicate no data available

$90,110
$37,950
No Information for this section

Education

Most Common Education Levels

People in this career achieve this level of education.

  • Bachelor's degree 90%
  • Master's degree 9%
  • High school 0%
  • Some college 0%
  • Doctoral degree 0%
  • Associate's degree 0%
  • Post baccalaureate 0%
  • Less than high school 0%
  • Post-doctoral training 0%
  • Post-master's certificate 0%
  • First professional degree 0%
  • Post-secondary certificate 0%

Related College Majors

Select major to see colleges that offer it

Knowledge

  • Communications and Media
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Sales and Marketing
  • English Language
  • Administrative

Skills at a Glance

Skills helpful in this career

  • Verbal skills
  • Critical thinking & problem solving
  • Equipment operation & maintenance
  • Math & science skills
  • Technology design & control
  • Leadership
No Information for this section

* Military pay may be higher based on specialty pays or bonuses. Learn more about Military benefits.

Data supplied by Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center of Education Statistics, Defense Manpower Data Center (View our update schedule). Contact any business, college or military service branch to answer additional questions.