Public Relations Specialist Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for public relations specialists in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of public relations specialists among California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Public Relations Specialists in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$43,750
25th Percentile Wage
$58,130
50th Percentile Wage
$75,600
75th Percentile Wage
$104,270
90th Percentile Wage
$150,700

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for public relations specialists in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $150,700. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $75,600. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $43,750.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of public relations specialists from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$75,600
0.78% 15.33%
2021
$75,010
5.35% -
2020
$71,000
7.18% -
2019
$65,900
0.11% -
2018
$65,830
-0.08% -
2017
$65,880
-2.05% -
2016
$67,230
3.05% -
2015
$65,180
0.72% -
2014
$64,710
2.86% -
2013
$62,860
-1.83% -
2012
$64,010
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Public Relations Specialists in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of public relations specialists in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of public relations specialists in state of California ranges from $50,710 to $105,310. The highest paying area for public relations specialists in California is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara with a median annual salary of $105,310. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (mean annual salary $88,290). The lowest paying area is Merced with a median annual salary of $50,710.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$105,310
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$88,290
Napa
$84,320
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$80,140
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$77,920
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$75,710
Vallejo-Fairfield
$75,500
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$74,700
El Centro
$74,360
Yuba City
$73,100
Stockton
$71,970
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$71,780
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$69,350
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$69,150
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$68,490
Redding
$67,810
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$67,600
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$65,130
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$64,860
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$64,820
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$64,810
Bakersfield-Delano
$64,410
Salinas
$63,950
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$63,820
Modesto
$63,700
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$62,590
Fresno
$60,900
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$60,780
Visalia-Porterville
$60,230
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$59,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$58,210
Chico
$57,550
Madera-Chowchilla
$56,950
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$55,740
Merced
$50,710