SalaryExplorer

SOC 27-3031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Public Relations Specialists — Tampa

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL · 10 metro areas compared

$64,690 /year
$31.10per hour
2,590jobs in area
−13.5%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Tampa, FL is $64,690 a year, trailing the national median of $74,750 by 13.5%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $74,75010TH$39,75025TH$50,070MEDIAN$64,69075TH$86,12090TH$115,680

How pay has moved

$68,253$46,8782019202020212022202320242025$64,690
$54,120 in 2019 to $64,690 in 2025, +19.5% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+4.8%
Openings per year
27,600
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Tampa, FL is $64,690 a year, trailing the national median of $74,750 by 13.5%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $50,070 and $86,120. The lowest tenth earn under $39,750, while the highest tenth earn more than $115,680.

The area has 2,590 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.8 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Wildwood records the highest median at $71,060. Of the 629 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 217th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$39,750−46.8%
25th$50,070−33.0%
Median (50th)$64,690−13.5%
75th$86,120+15.2%
90th$115,680+54.8%
Mean$72,440−3.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Florida

Median annual wage for Public Relations Specialists, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Wildwood$71,06040
2Naples$67,780270
3Orlando$67,3702,320
4Miami$64,6005,460
5Jacksonville$63,6201,070
6Crestview$62,750190
7Panama City$62,74090
8Palm Bay$62,400380
9Gainesville$62,050380
10Ocala$61,740180

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Tampa sit close to the national average, so $64,690 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$64,690as reported by BLS

Local price level

100.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$64,113US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $64,690 a year, 13.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $39,750 to $115,680 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 2,590 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Wildwood, at $71,060.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Public Relations Specialists in Tampa, FL?

The median annual wage is $64,690, or $31.10 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $74,750, so pay in Tampa, FL is 13.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Tampa, FL earns more than $115,680 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $39,750 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Wildwood, at $71,060 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 2,590 jobs in this occupation in Tampa, FL. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.