The salary of a Public Relations Director in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Public Relations Director in the United States is $159,708. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $141,299 to $178,328, with most professionals earning between $124,539 and $195,281.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $178,328 | $14,861 | $3,429 | $86 |
| Average | $159,708 | $13,309 | $3,071 | $77 |
| 25th Percentile | $141,299 | $11,775 | $2,717 | $68 |
An entry-level Public Relations Director with less than 1 year of experience earns about $152,839. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $153,663. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $155,587. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $157,785, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $161,653.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Public Relations Director | $152,839 |
| Intermediate Level Public Relations Director | $153,663 |
| Senior Level Public Relations Director | $155,587 |
| Specialist Level Public Relations Director | $157,785 |
| Expert Level Public Relations Director | $161,653 |
| Entry Level | 4% |
| Mid Level | 4% |
| Senior Level | 3% |
| Top Level | 1% |
| Experienced | 1% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of April 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in Public Relations Director compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $171,734 in 2023 to approximately $166,197 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of Public Relations Director salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Public Relations Director information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Public Relations Director job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Public Relations Director and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $159,708 | 73.1% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $12,218 | 5.6% | ||
| 401K/403B | $6,708 | 3.1% | ||
| Disability | $3,194 | 1.5% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 3.8% | ||
| Pension | $8,624 | 3.9% | ||
| Time Off | $19,656 | 9.0% | ||
| Total Compensation | $218,460 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.4% |
| High School | 2.2% |
| Associates | 1.8% |
| Bachelors | 64.9% |
| Masters | 29.5% |
| Doctorate | 1.3% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of Public Relations Director is $159,708. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Public Relations Director is $77; the average weekly pay of Public Relations Director is $3,071; the average monthly pay of Public Relations Director is $13,309.
A Public Relations Director's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Public Relations Director earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Public Relations Director is $201,440.
The highest pay for Public Relations Director is $195,281.
The lowest pay for Public Relations Director is $124,539.
Directs and implements a company's public relations strategies. Manages media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities. Evaluates and authorizes all forms of communication regarding the organization for release to the public. Develops press releases, white papers and supporting materials. Requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to top management. Typically manages through subordinate managers and professionals in larger groups of moderate complexity. Provides input to strategic decisions that affect the functional area of responsibility. May give input into developing the budget. Typically requires 3+ years of managerial experience. Capable of resolving escalated issues arising from operations and requiring coordination with other departments.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Crisis Communications: Crisis communication is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. The communication scholar Timothy Coombs defines crisis as "the perception of an unpredictable event that threatens important expectancies of stakeholders and can seriously impact an organization's performance and generate negative outcomes" and crisis communication as "the collection, processing, and dissemination of information required to address a crisis situation." Meaning can be socially constructed; because of this, the way that the stakeholders of an organization view an event (positively, neutrally, or negatively) is a major contributing factor to whether the event will become a crisis. Additionally, it is important to separate a true crisis situation from an incident. The term crisis “should be reserved for serious events that require careful attention from management.”
Internal Communications: Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for effective communications among participants within an organization. The scope of the function varies by organization and practitioner, from producing and delivering messages and campaigns on behalf of management, to facilitating two-way dialogue and developing the communication skills of the organization's participants. Modern understanding of internal communications is a field of its own and draws on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism, knowledge management, public relations (e.g., media relations), marketing and human resources, as well as wider organizational studies, communication theory, social psychology, sociology and political science.
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We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
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