Public Relations Specialists Salary in Phoenix, AZ (2024)
Public Relations Specialists in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area earn a median of $65,350 per year ($31.42 per hour) based on 4,380 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -6.3% against the national median of $69,780 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where public relations specialists actually sit across the pay range in Phoenix, AZ, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.13 | $41,870 | |
| 25th percentile | $25.28 | $52,580 | |
| Median | $31.42 | $65,350 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $42.12 | $87,600 | |
| 90th percentile | $62.43 | $129,860 | |
| Average (mean) | $39.25 | $81,630 |
How Phoenix, AZ compares
The local median of $65,350 runs -6.3% below the US median of $69,780 for this occupation; it pays 31.1% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($49,840); within the metro it ranks 237th of 637 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ — this occupation | $65,350 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $69,780 | -6.3% |
| Phoenix, AZ — all occupations | $49,840 | +31.1% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $98,460 | -33.6% |
The location quotient of 1.03 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 7.7%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 8%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 237th of 637 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Phoenix, AZ
To put $65,350 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 237th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Pediatricians, General | $227,410 | 780 |
| Dentists, General | $211,260 | 2,160 |
| Physicists | $206,070 | 60 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $198,800 | 1,990 |
| Sales Engineers | $169,560 | 1,130 |
| Chief Executives | $164,980 | 2,160 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $163,970 | 11,700 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $163,220 | 3,200 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $163,100 | 210 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $156,020 | 220 |
Where public relations specialists earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $58,600 to $98,460. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $98,460 | 6,040 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $95,370 | 24,000 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92,060 | 4,410 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $79,990 | 23,640 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $77,530 | 4,460 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $77,380 | 11,930 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $77,290 | 2,360 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $76,940 | 4,290 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $76,680 | 6,460 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $75,840 | 2,960 |
See the full national picture on the Public Relations Specialists salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for public relations specialists in Phoenix, AZ?
The median annual wage is $65,350, or $31 per hour. That means half of the public relations specialists working in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $81,630.
What do the highest and lowest paid public relations specialists in Phoenix, AZ earn?
The bottom 10% earn $41,870 or less, while the top 10% earn $129,860 or more — a spread of $87,990 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $52,580 and $87,600.
Is public relations specialists pay in Phoenix, AZ above the local average?
Yes, it is 31.1% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $49,840. 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 Phoenix, AZ pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $65,350 the metro median is 6.3% lower than the US median of $69,780 for public relations specialists. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $58,600 to $98,460.
How many public relations specialists work in Phoenix, AZ?
BLS counts about 4,380 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 1.87 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.03 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 5.7%). 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.