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Publicist salary
Average publicist salary
$50,679
How much does a publicist make?
The average publicist salary in the United States is $50,679. Publicist salaries typically range between $30,000 and $83,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for publicists is $24.36 per hour.
Publicist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Publicists earn the highest average salary in Washington.
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Where can a Publicist earn more?
Publicist salary estimates from across the web
Average publicist salary by state
Highest paying states for publicists
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $64,711 | $31.11 |
| 2 | Oregon | $63,347 | $30.46 |
| 3 | Washington | $71,127 | $34.20 |
| 4 | New York | $54,311 | $26.11 |
| 5 | California | $57,541 | $27.66 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $55,532 | $26.70 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $55,385 | $26.63 |
| 8 | Maryland | $54,645 | $26.27 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $51,347 | $24.69 |
| 10 | Virginia | $50,634 | $24.34 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $56,898 | $27.35 |
| 12 | Nevada | $47,866 | $23.01 |
| 13 | Texas | $48,735 | $23.43 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $49,279 | $23.69 |
| 15 | Idaho | $52,940 | $25.45 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $49,904 | $23.99 |
| 17 | Utah | $44,512 | $21.40 |
| 18 | Delaware | $47,292 | $22.74 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $42,525 | $20.44 |
| 20 | Arizona | $46,652 | $22.43 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $45,640 | $21.94 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $45,838 | $22.04 |
| 23 | Colorado | $47,323 | $22.75 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $42,769 | $20.56 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $46,626 | $22.42 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $40,490 | $19.47 |
| 27 | Ohio | $43,499 | $20.91 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $40,737 | $19.59 |
| 29 | Illinois | $41,804 | $20.10 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $43,719 | $21.02 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $42,883 | $20.62 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $40,439 | $19.44 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $41,487 | $19.95 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $40,378 | $19.41 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $43,416 | $20.87 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $40,101 | $19.28 |
| 37 | Indiana | $39,615 | $19.05 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $39,888 | $19.18 |
| 39 | Vermont | $37,618 | $18.09 |
| 40 | Florida | $39,350 | $18.92 |
| 41 | Montana | $40,538 | $19.49 |
| 42 | Iowa | $38,828 | $18.67 |
| 43 | Michigan | $37,250 | $17.91 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $38,877 | $18.69 |
| 45 | Missouri | $37,317 | $17.94 |
| 46 | Alabama | $38,105 | $18.32 |
| 47 | Georgia | $36,843 | $17.71 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $37,405 | $17.98 |
| 49 | Kansas | $35,757 | $17.19 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $34,996 | $16.82 |
| 51 | Maine | $30,939 | $14.87 |
Highest paying cities for publicists
The highest-paying cities for publicists are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Reston, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $61,606 | $29.62 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $54,701 | $26.30 |
| 3 | Reston, VA | $51,451 | $24.74 |
| 4 | Springfield, MO | $37,201 | $17.89 |
Publicist salary details
A publicist's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $83,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a publicist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| 75th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| Average | $50,679 | $4,223 | $24 |
| 25th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
| 10th Percentile | $30,000 | $2,500 | $14 |
Highest paying publicist jobs
The highest paying types of publicists are public affairs specialist, marketing communications specialist, and social media specialist.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Media Internship | $31,145 | $2,595 | $14.97 | 79,411 |
| Media Coordinator | $47,471 | $3,956 | $22.82 | 35,285 |
| Community Relations Coordinator | $45,632 | $3,803 | $21.94 | 46,318 |
| Communications Coordinator | $47,075 | $3,923 | $22.63 | 39,790 |
| Communications Internship | $33,458 | $2,788 | $16.09 | 62,641 |
| Public Relations Coordinator | $46,225 | $3,852 | $22.22 | 35,324 |
Which companies pay publicists the most?
Publicist salaries at J. The Jewish News of Northern California and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average publicist salary at companies like Shutterstock and Oxford University Press are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J. The Jewish News of Northern California | $97,352 | $46.80 |
| 2 | Amazon | $89,077 | $42.83 |
| 3 | Shutterstock | $73,332 | $35.26 |
| 4 | Oxford University Press | $72,807 | $35.00 |
| 5 | HarperCollins | $69,032 | $33.19 |
| 6 | AMV BBDO | $64,443 | $30.98 |
| 7 | Dow Jones | $59,806 | $28.75 |
| 8 | Ellucian | $59,774 | $28.74 |
| 9 | University of Virginia | $59,090 | $28.41 |
| 10 | AMC Networks | $53,390 | $25.67 |
| 11 | Pia | $51,511 | $24.76 |
| 12 | The Walt Disney Company | $47,766 | $22.96 |
| 13 | PMK•BNC | $46,671 | $22.44 |
| 14 | Hadassah | $46,430 | $22.32 |
| 15 | VTM Group | $44,749 | $21.51 |
| 16 | AMW Group | $43,872 | $21.09 |
| 17 | Scholastic | $43,605 | $20.96 |
| 18 | Missouri State University | $42,088 | $20.23 |
| 19 | Paramount | $41,741 | $20.07 |
| 20 | Sundance Institute | $39,381 | $18.93 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Publicist salary trends
The average publicist salary has risen by $7,762 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average publicist earned $42,917 annually, but today, they earn $50,679 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for publicists over the last decade.
Compare publicist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average publicist salary over time
Compare publicist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Publicist salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $50,700 | $24.36 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $49,300 | $23.72 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $48,400 | $23.27 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $47,800 | $23.00 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $46,800 | $22.51 | +2.2% |
Recently added publicist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dk Us | Publicist, DK (Hybrid) (276026) | New York, NY | 12/12/2024 | $63,000 |
| Knopf Doubleday Group | Publicist, DK (Hybrid) | New York, NY | 12/09/2024 | $66,500 |
| Bertelsmann | Publicist, DK (Hybrid) | New York, NY | 12/08/2024 | $63,000 |
| Hachette Distribution Inc. | Publicist, Hachette Nashville | Brentwood, TN | 12/01/2024 | $51,000 |
| Simon & Schuster, Inc. | Publicist-Simon Element, Marysue Rucci Books, & Simon Acumen | New York, NY | 11/27/2024 | $63,000 |
| Holtzbrinck Publishing Group | Publicist, TOR | New York, NY | 11/23/2024 | $58,000 |
| Simon & Schuster | Publicist-Simon Element, Marysue Rucci Books, & Simon Acumen | New York, NY | 11/21/2024 | $63,000 |
| Simon & Schuster, Inc. | Publicist | New York, NY | 10/24/2024 | $65,000 |
| IDW Media Holdings Inc. | Publicist (Books) | Harvey, IL | 10/21/2024 | $62,500 |
| Simon & Schuster | Publicist | New York, NY | 10/17/2024 | $65,000 |
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