Public relations in the United States – statistics & facts

Public relations (PR) refers to strategically trying to mediate the communication between an organization or individual and the general public. The global PR market was sized at over 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a value expected to grow by one-third within five years. Meanwhile, the industry's high-profile companies experienced double-digit growth in the United States. The combined fee income of the leading U.S.-based PR agencies reached 11.4 billion dollars in 2022 – a figure accounting only for American establishments that made it to the world's top 250 PR firms that year. Key cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, harbor some of the most sought-after agencies on the planet. Like their peers in many other sectors, these companies also benefit from increasingly including software in their routines. In 2022, the U.S. concentrated more than one-quarter of the global PR tools segment revenue, confirming this market's eagerness to refine processes and boost results.

The U.S. top PR players

Another way to illustrate the relevance of the U.S. in the industry is by checking the world's five leading holdings and networks by PR operations revenue in 2022. Four of them are based in the U.S. and their combined annual results surpassed five billion dollars. Similarly, seven of the global top 10 – and all top five – PR agencies by fee income that year had their headquarters somewhere between the Mid-Atlantic and California. The largest of them outside the U.S., Tokyo-based independent network Vector, had revenues accounting for less than half of the world's number one: Edelman. The company ended 2022 with seven decades of existence and a record-high fee income of over one billion dollars. Compared to 2012, the result grew by more than 60 percent. Weber Shandwick and BCW (both with headquarters in New York City) rounded the global top three with estimated fee incomes of 920 million and 840 million dollars, respectively.

Lobbying, big pharma, and big tech

Lobbying is among the main activities within the U.S. PR sector. In half a decade, between 2017 and 2022, lobbying spending in the U.S. skyrocketed by over 20 percent, surpassing four billion dollars in the latter year. The growth reflects the increasing costs of influencing politicians to change legislation for the benefit of interest groups. In 2022, the pharmaceutical and health products segment alone spent more than 370 million dollars in that practice, making it the U.S. leading lobbying industry. The amount exceeded the expenditures of sectors like oil and gas, insurance, and commercial banks combined. Yet the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which advocates for the real estate market, ranked first among the U.S. top lobbying spenders that year. Facebook and Amazon also made it to the top 10, suggesting that tech giants, too, need more than algorithms to shape public discourse.
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.
Published by J. G. Navarro, Jun 2, 2023

Key insights

Estimated aggregate revenue of U.S. PR agencies
16.23bn USD
Estimated aggregate expenses of U.S. PR agencies
12.53bnUSD
Lobbying's share in PR agencies' revenue
15%
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Leading public relations (PR) agencies worldwide in 2022, by fee income (in million U.S. dollars)

Brands & Leaders

Leading public relations (PR) agencies worldwide 2022, by fee income

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

Related topics

Recommended

6

Recommended statistics

Overview

9

Overview

Employment

6

Employment

Leading players

6

Leading players

Lobbying

5

Lobbying

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)
Email
latam@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu