Public Relations Specialists
Also called: Communications Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Public Information Officer, Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist)Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media. May specialize in using social media.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 17 of its 18 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 1.8% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 30% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $61,710 | $48,130 to $82,360 | 2,410 |
| Alaska | $70,050 | $61,680 to $91,920 | 640 |
| Arizona | $66,710 | $52,580 to $85,950 | 5,350 |
| Arkansas | $65,000 | $49,980 to $96,060 | 980 |
| California | $85,030 | $64,460 to $121,180 | 32,710 |
| Colorado | $80,680 | $64,090 to $105,190 | 7,410 |
| Connecticut | $84,990 | $62,160 to $122,400 | 1,910 |
| Delaware | $76,120 | $59,870 to $94,320 | 930 |
| District of Columbia | $102,740 | $78,200 to $149,120 | 16,720 |
| Florida | $63,660 | $48,340 to $83,190 | 17,820 |
| Georgia | $73,200 | $56,150 to $98,060 | 6,860 |
| Guam | $48,460 | $39,050 to $60,940 | not published |
| Hawaii | $63,880 | $50,640 to $81,900 | 1,800 |
| Idaho | $61,110 | $45,400 to $84,070 | 1,220 |
| Illinois | $76,380 | $59,400 to $102,950 | 6,200 |
| Indiana | $64,900 | $51,700 to $83,480 | 3,750 |
| Iowa | $62,970 | $49,040 to $81,450 | 2,890 |
| Kansas | $64,860 | $50,540 to $83,430 | 2,340 |
| Kentucky | $60,150 | $47,920 to $77,670 | 2,580 |
| Louisiana | $60,470 | $49,490 to $77,890 | 1,710 |
| Maine | $62,450 | $48,130 to $79,940 | 1,400 |
| Maryland | $79,560 | $58,600 to $108,160 | 4,190 |
| Massachusetts | $79,660 | $61,410 to $107,220 | 6,760 |
| Michigan | $65,300 | $50,160 to $86,770 | 7,510 |
| Minnesota | $68,620 | $54,880 to $89,500 | 8,260 |
| Mississippi | $59,810 | $46,220 to $77,910 | 950 |
| Missouri | $61,130 | $47,700 to $78,220 | 4,820 |
| Montana | $63,780 | $50,470 to $75,820 | 1,760 |
| Nebraska | $61,780 | $50,250 to $78,870 | 1,590 |
| Nevada | $73,840 | $53,450 to $93,120 | 1,600 |
| New Hampshire | $73,280 | $59,000 to $96,100 | 1,140 |
| New Jersey | $80,130 | $58,410 to $105,030 | 4,980 |
| New Mexico | $68,700 | $53,540 to $89,670 | 1,130 |
| New York | $81,250 | $63,420 to $107,920 | 28,250 |
| North Carolina | $67,230 | $51,530 to $89,990 | 9,910 |
| North Dakota | $70,280 | $57,240 to $85,980 | 640 |
| Ohio | $64,840 | $50,040 to $85,890 | 6,670 |
| Oklahoma | $64,920 | $49,730 to $88,610 | 2,280 |
| Oregon | $74,900 | $55,970 to $100,330 | 4,510 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,460 | $45,930 to $77,480 | 11,180 |
| Puerto Rico | $44,950 | $33,770 to $59,770 | 520 |
| Rhode Island | $77,540 | $63,310 to $102,280 | 1,140 |
| South Carolina | $62,730 | $49,150 to $92,560 | 2,950 |
| South Dakota | $64,520 | $55,990 to $83,480 | 210 |
| Tennessee | $60,900 | $47,320 to $79,210 | 3,380 |
| Texas | $65,160 | $50,480 to $85,370 | 25,220 |
| Utah | $62,670 | $49,920 to $89,190 | 1,800 |
| Vermont | $66,060 | $54,080 to $80,880 | 1,260 |
| Virgin Islands | $59,990 | $44,990 to $69,990 | 60 |
| Virginia | $80,380 | $60,610 to $111,600 | 9,990 |
| Washington | $87,470 | $71,140 to $111,890 | 6,430 |
| West Virginia | $56,730 | $47,740 to $72,240 | 350 |
| Wisconsin | $67,240 | $56,830 to $83,430 | 4,410 |
| Wyoming | $67,490 | $60,160 to $80,980 | 480 |
Nationally: $74,750. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 17 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's accomplishments, agenda, or environmental responsibility. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Post and update content on the company's Web site and social media outlets. | 0.01% |
| AI alone | Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write press releases or other media communications to promote clients. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Confer with other managers to identify trends or key group interests or concerns or to provide advice on business decisions. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| Not much | Coach client representatives in effective communication with the public or with employees. | 0.05% |
| AI alone | Study the objectives, promotional policies, or needs of organizations to develop public relations strategies that will influence public opinion or promote ideas, products, or services. | 0.06% |
| AI + software | Arrange public appearances, lectures, contests, or exhibits for clients to increase product or service awareness or to promote goodwill. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop plans or materials to communicate organizational activities that are beneficial to the environment, public safety, or other important social issues. | 0.04% |
| AI alone | Prepare or edit organizational publications, such as employee newsletters or stockholders' reports, for internal or external audiences. | 0.16% |
| AI alone | Prepare or deliver speeches to further public relations objectives. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with production or support personnel to produce or coordinate production of advertisements or promotions. | Not published |
| AI alone | Consult with advertising agencies or staff to arrange promotional campaigns in all types of media for products, organizations, or individuals. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Plan or conduct market or public opinion research to test products or determine potential for product success, communicating results to client or management. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Purchase advertising space or time as required to promote client's product or agenda. | Not published |
| AI alone | Coordinate public responses to environmental management incidents or conflicts. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop marketing campaigns for environmental technologies or services. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 9 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #9 Edit written materials or documents
- #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop business or marketing plans | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Write material for artistic or commercial purposes | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Communicate with others about business strategies | |||
| Edit written materials or documents | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems |
Show all 13 activities
| Develop professional relationships or networks | |||
| Coach others | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Develop contingency or emergency response plans |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report39%
- An email or message13%
- A plan or strategy8%
- A resume or job application8%
- Advice or a recommendation7%
How they worked with Claude
78% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for public relations specialists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 260,065 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists Very high +7.0% 4%
- 3 Public Relations and Fundraising Managers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 4%
- 5 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 222,267 moves in
- 1 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists Very high +7.0% 5%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Public Relations and Fundraising Managers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 5 Editors Very high -1.1% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 91% bachelor's
- 9% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 5% high school
- 8% some college
- 5% associate's
- 53% bachelor's
- 23% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,581 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
11 programs, such as Communication, General, Speech Communication and Rhetoric and Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication.
See all
- Communication, General
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- Public Relations/Image Management
- Political Communication
- Health Communication
- Sports Communication
- International and Intercultural Communication
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication
- Business/Corporate Communications, General
- Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
17.3% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Marketing Coordinator; Public Affairs; SERVICES (BASE FACILITIES), (3M0X1)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Public Relations Specialists” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/27-3031.00