Public Relations Managers Salary in Washington, DC (2024)
Public Relations Managers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn a median of $185,760 per year ($89.31 per hour) based on 11,140 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +34.1% against the national median of $138,520 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where public relations managers actually sit across the pay range in Washington, DC, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $51.87 | $107,890 | |
| 25th percentile | $64.64 | $134,450 | |
| Median | $89.31 | $185,760 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | — | — | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $106.45 | $221,420 |
How Washington, DC compares
The local median of $185,760 runs +34.1% above the US median of $138,520 for this occupation; it pays 171.5% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($68,430); within the metro it ranks 13th of 703 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC — this occupation | $185,760 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $138,520 | +34.1% |
| Washington, DC — all occupations | $68,430 | +171.5% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $185,760 | 0.0% |
Washington, DC has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 7.24 means the job is roughly 724% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 3.3%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 13th of 703 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Washington, DC
To put $185,760 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 13th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $225,340 | 390 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $224,330 | 1,900 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $223,030 | 1,740 |
| Psychiatrists | $219,970 | 570 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $218,490 | 230 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $199,990 | 150 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,880 | 20,770 |
| Lawyers | $191,880 | 48,170 |
| Physicians, All Other | $191,880 | 11,170 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $189,770 | 300 |
Where public relations managers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $106,600 to $185,760. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $185,760 | 11,140 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $184,080 | 7,760 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $178,850 | 2,040 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $169,250 | 1,280 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $169,100 | 1,930 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $165,840 | — |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $146,630 | 3,460 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $139,860 | 630 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $137,800 | 890 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $135,760 | 1,080 |
See the full national picture on the Public Relations Managers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for public relations managers in Washington, DC?
The median annual wage is $185,760, or $89 per hour. That means half of the public relations managers working in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $221,420.
Is public relations managers pay in Washington, DC above the local average?
Yes, it is 171.5% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $68,430. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Washington, DC pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $185,760 the metro median is 34.1% higher than the US median of $138,520 for public relations managers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $106,600 to $185,760.
How many public relations managers work in Washington, DC?
BLS counts about 11,140 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 3.57 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. Washington, DC has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 7.24 means the job is roughly 724% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 4.7%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.