Public relations in the U.S. - statistics & facts

Public relations, also known as PR, can be simply understood as the communication process between companies, organizations or individuals and the general public. PR specialists typically work to establish and maintain relationships with an organization’s target audience, the media, relevant trade media, as well as other opinion leaders. Market data for this fast growing sector designed to promote the interests and image of clients, shows that the worldwide public relations revenue is projected to grow from 88 billion U.S. dollars generated in 2020 to approximately 129 billion by 2025. In the United States, PR agencies generated a revenue of 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, experiencing growth compared to previous years, despite the effects of the coronavirus on the advertising and marketing industry as a whole.

Leading players

According to an industry ranking, Edelman – a private firm co-headquarted in Chicago and New York City – is the largest PR agency worldwide. In 2020, the company generated nearly 840 million U.S. dollars in fee income, down from 892 million a year earlier. This constitutes an annual growth rate of roughly -5.8 percent. The agency employs nearly six thousand people worldwide. Other key players on the market include BCW, FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, and Weber Shandwick. Weber Shandwick is fully owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), which in 2020 was one of the leading agency holding groups with the highest revenue from PR activities.

PR Staff

U.S. public relations specialists earn, on average, 62.8 thousand U.S. dollars per year .The highest wage in the field belongs to PR specialists in professional, scientific, and technical services, whose earnings reach 67.6 thousand U.S. dollars annually. Survey data shows, however, that recruiting and retaining the right talent is considered one of the main challenges in the PR business. Strategic planning and good written communications are the most valued skills for PR professionals.

Lobbying

Lobbying is considered one of the main activities within the public relations industry. In 2021, U.S. lobby spending amounted to 3.73 billion U.S. dollars, up from 3.53 billion in the previous year, when the spending peaked for the second time since 2010. The sectors with the largest lobby spending are health, finance/insurance/real estate as well as miscellaneous businesses. In 2020 there were more than 11 thousand active lobbyists in the United States, earning on average 116.8 thousand U.S. dollars annually.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Public relations industry value worldwide: 107bn USD

Public relations spending in the U.S.: 6.6bn USD

Expenses of public relation agencies in the U.S.: 12.5bn USD

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Leading PR agencies worldwide in 2021, by fee income (in million U.S. dollars)

Brands & Leaders

Leading PR agencies worldwide 2021

Public relations market size worldwide from 2022 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Traditional marketing

PR industry market size worldwide 2022-2027

Annual lobbyist salaries in the United States as of September 27, 2021, by percentile (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)

Traditional marketing

Lobbyist salaries in the U.S. 2021

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Overview

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Marketing services spending in the United States from 2017 to 2021, by category (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Fee income of leading PR agencies in the U.S. 2019-2020
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Fee income of leading public relations agencies in the United States in 2019 and 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)
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Number of establishments in U.S. advertising industry 2007-2020, by sector
Number of establishments in the advertising and related services industry in the United States from 2007 to 2020, by sector
Basic Statistic Public relations agencies revenue in the U.S. 2021, by source
Public relations agencies revenue in the U.S. 2021, by source
Revenue generated by public relations agencies in the United States in 2021, by source (in million U.S. dollars)
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Premium Statistic Expenses of U.S. public relations agencies 2007-2021
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Estimated expenses of public relations agencies in the United States from 2007 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Employment

Basic Statistic Employment in U.S. advertising services 2009-2020, by subsector
Employment in U.S. advertising services 2009-2020, by subsector
Employment in U.S. advertising and related services from 2009 to 2020, by subsector
Basic Statistic Change in employment for P.R. specialists in the U.S. 2021-2031
Change in employment for P.R. specialists in the U.S. 2021-2031
Change in employment for public relations specialists in the United States between 2021 and 2031
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Median annual wages of PR specialists in the U.S. 2021
Median annual wages of public relations specialists in the United States as of May 2021 (in U.S. dollars)
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Leading players

Premium Statistic Largest agency holding groups worldwide 2020, by PR revenue
Largest agency holding groups worldwide 2020, by PR revenue
Largest agency holding groups and independent networks worldwide in 2020, by PR revenue (in million U.S. dollars)
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Premium Statistic Leading PR agencies worldwide 2021
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Client retention rates of leading PR agencies as of November 2022
Client retention rates of the leading public relations agencies as of November 2022
Premium Statistic Leading PR firms in the U.S. 2021, by net fees
Leading PR firms in the U.S. 2021, by net fees
Leading public relations firms with major U.S. operations in 2021, by net fees (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Fastest growing PR agencies in the U.S. 2020
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Lobbying

Basic Statistic Total lobbying spending U.S. 1998-2022
Total lobbying spending U.S. 1998-2022
Total lobbying spending in the United States from 1998 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Leading lobbying industries in the U.S. 2022
Leading lobbying industries in the U.S. 2022
Leading lobbying industries in the United States in 2022, by total lobbying spending (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Leading lobbying firms, by expenses U.S. 2022
Leading lobbying firms, by expenses U.S. 2022
Ranking of the leading lobbying firms in the United States in 2022, by expenses (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Number of lobbyists in the U.S. 2000-2022
Number of lobbyists in the U.S. 2000-2022
Number of registered active lobbyists in the United States from 2000 to 2022
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Lobbyist salaries in the U.S. 2021
Annual lobbyist salaries in the United States as of September 27, 2021, by percentile (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)

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Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "Public relations in the United States" and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.

Number of PR companies in the U.S.
8,632
Detailed statistics
Number of establishments in U.S. advertising industry 2007-2020, by sector
Number of people employed at PR agencies in the U.S.
57,083
Detailed statistics
Employment in U.S. advertising services 2009-2020, by subsector
Annual wage of a PR specialist in the U.S.
62.8k USD
Detailed statistics
Median annual wages of PR specialists in the U.S. 2021