Public Relations Specialists Salary in Washington, DC (2024)
Public Relations Specialists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn a median of $95,370 per year ($45.85 per hour) based on 24,000 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +36.7% 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 Washington, DC, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $28.32 | $58,910 | |
| 25th percentile | $33.35 | $69,370 | |
| Median | $45.85 | $95,370 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $62.88 | $130,780 | |
| 90th percentile | $84.00 | $174,730 | |
| Average (mean) | $53.02 | $110,280 |
How Washington, DC compares
The local median of $95,370 runs +36.7% above the US median of $69,780 for this occupation; it pays 39.4% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($68,430); within the metro it ranks 193rd of 703 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC — this occupation | $95,370 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $69,780 | +36.7% |
| Washington, DC — all occupations | $68,430 | +39.4% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $98,460 | -3.1% |
Washington, DC has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 4.23 means the job is roughly 423% 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 3.2%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 193rd of 703 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Washington, DC
To put $95,370 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 193rd.
| 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 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 Washington, DC?
The median annual wage is $95,370, or $46 per hour. That means half of the public relations specialists working in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $110,280.
What do the highest and lowest paid public relations specialists in Washington, DC earn?
The bottom 10% earn $58,910 or less, while the top 10% earn $174,730 or more — a spread of $115,820 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $69,370 and $130,780.
Is public relations specialists pay in Washington, DC above the local average?
Yes, it is 39.4% 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 $95,370 the metro median is 36.7% higher 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 Washington, DC?
BLS counts about 24,000 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 7.70 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. Washington, DC has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 4.23 means the job is roughly 423% 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 4.3%). 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.