What are the best cities for PR pros to maximize their earning potential?
PR is on a growth spurt, and industry salaries prove it. Some cities are seeing bigger dividends than other, attracting talent and competition.
It’s good to be in PR, especially if you’re at the top of the pyramid.
According to a study by PR Underground, demand for PR professionals has increased 58 percent since 1999, with salaries growing in accordance to demand. Yet, not all paychecks are created equal.
PR is increasingly good if you’re at the top, but the gap between the industry’s highest and lowest earners has jumped with the average salary for a PR manager reaching $123,360 per year for those in management positions compared to $66,540 per year for PR specialists (defined as non-managing positions).
Managers’ wages were just 40 percent higher than PR specialists’ in 2000, but the difference ballooned to nearly 90 percent last year. At the same time, the lowest 25th percentile of salary for PR specialists has dipped since 2008, while every pay range above that has increased modestly, adjusted for inflation.
The study also showed that salaries differed substantially by geography. The number of PR pros hired in Washington, D.C. and Maryland increased 325 percent and 257 percent, respectively, compared to just 58 percent nationally since the turn of the century.
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