Media relations specialists can earn a living in a variety of industries.
Media relations specialists are advocates for organizations, working to improve and maintain their reputations in the public eye. The salaries of media relations specialists vary depending on the specialist's level of education and experience, the type of company she works for, the industry she works in and her geographic location.
Salaries
Salaries for media relations specialists in the United States ranged from $30,520 to $96,630 per year as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The average salary was $59,370 and the median salary was $51,960. Specialists in the 25th percentile earned an annual wage of $38,740 and those in the 75th percentile earned $72,180. Specialists typically obtain a bachelor's degree in a communications-related field, and may pursue certification with the Public Relations Society of America or the International Association of Business Communicators.
Employers
The industry of advertising, public relations and related services employed the highest number of media relations specialists and offered a salary average of $69,630 a year, according to the BLS. Those working for business, professional, labor and political organizations earn an average of $62,040, while specialists working for colleges, universities and professional schools earned $52,540. The local government paid media relations specialists an average salary of $54,720 a year, and those working in the management of companies and enterprises earned an average of $62,040.
Higher Wages
Specialists working in the industry of oil and gas extraction earned a salary average of $86,640 a year, and those working for drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers earned an average of $87,700. In rail transportation the average salary was $88,540 and in other professional, scientific and technical services the average was $89,430. Wages for media relations specialists were highest in petroleum and coal products manufacturing, where the average salary was $120,420 annually.
Location
According to the BLS, Washington D.C. is both the state with the highest concentration of employed media relations specialists --- almost 15 professionals for 1,000 workers, more than three times the concentration than in any other state --- and the state with the highest salary average at $97,550 per year. New York ranks a distant second in terms of wages with a salary average of $66,820, followed by Virginia at $66,740. California and Idaho are also in the list of top five highest paying states for media relations specialists with salary averages of $66,690 and $65,100 respectively.
