# Public Relations Specialists

US SOC code 27-3031. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-3031

Also called: PR specialist, Communications specialist, Publicist, Media relations specialist, Corporate communications specialist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **283,380** US public relations specialists, with median pay of **$74,750** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.prsa.org/about/prsa-milestones) of **19,000** from 1960, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for public relations specialists: AI-powered media monitoring, media database targeting, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3031&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **78.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Public Relations Specialists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1900
- Latest US employment: 283,380 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $74,750 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +1.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 19,000 (estimate) | $6,800 (estimate) | Est., Public Relations Society of America (employment) [1]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [5] |
| 1980 | 55,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 2000 | 137,000 (estimate) | $39,580 | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS 2000 (pay) [6] |
| 2003 | 147,970 | $42,590 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 166,210 | $43,830 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 191,430 | $45,020 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 209,560 | $47,350 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 225,880 | $49,800 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 240,610 | $51,280 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 242,670 | $51,960 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 225,590 | $52,090 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 212,510 | $53,190 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 201,280 | $54,170 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 202,530 | $54,940 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 208,030 | $55,680 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 218,910 | $56,770 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 226,940 | $58,020 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 233,730 | $59,300 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 239,030 | $60,000 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 244,730 | $61,150 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 244,550 | $62,810 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 242,710 | $62,800 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 264,750 | $67,440 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 275,550 | $66,750 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 280,590 | $69,780 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 283,380 | $74,750 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (83)

### Employment series

1. [Public Relations Society of America — PRSA Milestones (membership 4,500 in 1960)](https://www.prsa.org/about/prsa-milestones), Public Relations Society of America
2. [Wikipedia — Public Relations Society of America (membership history: 4,500 in 1960, 9,000 by 1981)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Relations_Society_of_America), Wikipedia / PRSA
3. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2000-2001 — Public Relations Specialists (historical baseline reference)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/public-relations-specialists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [University of Missouri Libraries — Prices and Wages by Decade: 1960-1969 (professional occupation salary context)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1960-1969), University of Missouri Libraries
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [PR Newswire — About PR Newswire (historical context: PR Newswire founded 1954, teleprinter era)](https://www.prnewswire.com/about-pr-newswire/), PR Newswire
10. [EBSCO Research Starters — Early Public Relations (Ivy Lee 1906 press release and Declaration of Principles)](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/early-public-relations), EBSCO
11. [PR Newswire history — Funding Universe (Herbert Muschel, August 3, 1954 founding)](https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/pr-newswire-history/), FundingUniverse / PR Newswire
12. [Wikipedia — PR Newswire (founding, teleprinter network, Western Union acquisition 1971)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PR_Newswire), Wikipedia
13. [Archynewsy — "The Evolution of Storytelling: From Fax Machines to Digital Media" (PR technology history)](https://www.archynewsy.com/the-evolution-of-storytelling-from-fax-machines-to-digital-media/), Archynewsy
14. [Everything-PR — "The Tylenol Crisis of 1982: A Masterclass in Crisis Management and Litigation PR"](https://everything-pr.com/the-tylenol-crisis-of-1982-a-masterclass-in-crisis-management-and-litigation-pr), Everything-PR
15. [Agility PR Solutions — "Exploring the evolution of public relations in the digital age"](https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/pr-news-trends/exploring-the-evolution-of-public-relations-in-the-digital-age/), Agility PR Solutions
16. [Museum of Public Relations PR Timeline (2008: Obama campaign pioneers social media for voter engagement)](https://www.prmuseum.org/pr-timeline), Museum of Public Relations
17. [Agility PR Solutions — "How traditional PR has changed and where we are today"](https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/how-traditional-pr-has-changed-and-where-we-are-today/), Agility PR Solutions
18. [PRSA — State of Public Relations: AI Becomes Priority, Sept 2025](https://www.prsa.org/article/state-of-public-relations-ai-media-relations-SEPT25), Public Relations Society of America
19. [Muck Rack — State of AI in PR 2026 webinar recap (76% of PR pros using AI daily)](https://muckrack.com/blog/state-of-ai-in-pr-2026-webinar-recap), Muck Rack
20. [PRSA — In Brief: Majority of PR Pros Using AI, March 2026](https://www.prsa.org/article/in-brief--majority-of-pr-pros-using-ai-survey-finds--MARCH26), Public Relations Society of America

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-3031 Public relations specialists (2025: 314.5 thousand; 2035: 320.2 thousand; +1.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3031&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-3031.00, human-rated β 0.788)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [History of Public Relations — Wikipedia (Publicity Bureau, 1900, Boston)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_public_relations), Wikipedia
24. [EBSCO Research Starters — "Lee Establishes the Field of Public Relations" (1906 Declaration of Principles)](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/lee-establishes-field-public-relations), EBSCO
25. [PRSA Milestones (founding 1947, first Code of Ethics 1950, APR credential 1964)](https://www.prsa.org/about/prsa-milestones), Public Relations Society of America
26. [FundingUniverse — PR Newswire Company History (Herbert Muschel, August 3, 1954, $15/day flat rate)](https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/pr-newswire-history/), FundingUniverse / PR Newswire
27. [Everything-PR — "The Tylenol Crisis of 1982: A Masterclass in Crisis Management and Litigation PR"](https://everything-pr.com/the-tylenol-crisis-of-1982-a-masterclass-in-crisis-management-and-litigation-pr), Everything-PR
28. [Museum of Public Relations PR Timeline (2008: Obama campaign pioneers extensive social media use)](https://www.prmuseum.org/pr-timeline), Museum of Public Relations

### Predecessors & successors

29. [EBSCO Research Starters — Early Public Relations (Lee worked as newspaper reporter 1899-1903 before founding Parker and Lee in 1904)](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/early-public-relations), EBSCO
30. [Museum of Public Relations PR Timeline (press agentry and theatrical publicity as precursor profession)](https://www.prmuseum.org/pr-timeline), Museum of Public Relations

### Present-day analysis

- [Muck Rack — State of AI in PR 2026 (webinar recap)](https://muckrack.com/blog/state-of-ai-in-pr-2026-webinar-recap), accessed 2026-05-22
- [PRSA — State of Public Relations: AI Becomes Priority, Sept 2025](https://www.prsa.org/article/state-of-public-relations-ai-media-relations-SEPT25), accessed 2026-05-22
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Public Relations Specialists (27-3031.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3031.00), accessed 2026-05-22
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-22
- [PRSA — In Brief: Majority of PR Pros Using AI, Mar 2026](https://www.prsa.org/article/in-brief--majority-of-pr-pros-using-ai-survey-finds--MARCH26), accessed 2026-05-22
- [CisionOne — AI-Powered Platform Expansion, Sept 2025](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cisionone-expands-ai-powered-platform-with-enhanced-instant-insights-and-social-intelligence-302557904.html), accessed 2026-05-22
- [Meltwater — Mira AI Teammate launch, May 2025](https://www.meltwater.com/en/about/press-releases/meltwater-unveils-mira-latest-ai-innovations-in-2025), accessed 2026-05-22
- [Brand24 — AI PR Tools (2025)](https://obapr.com/resources/15-ai-tools-for-pr-professionals-2026-complete-guide-to-pr-technology/), accessed 2026-05-22
- [Prowly — AI Press Release Generator](https://prowly.com/ai-press-release-generator/), accessed 2026-05-22
- [Jasper — Press Release AI Agent](https://www.jasper.ai/agents/press-release), accessed 2026-05-22

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.