Public relations is turning into a measurable, software heavy business, with the global PR software and analytics market forecasted to reach $19.4 billion in 2024 and media monitoring and management already sized at $3.2 billion in 2023. Yet budgets do not move evenly. While 55% of PR pros say earned media reach is how they judge campaign success, only 39% use web analytics in reporting and the median wage for PR specialists still sits at $76,010 in the US.
Key Takeaways
- $20.6 billion U.S. public relations agency services revenue in 2023
- $8.0 billion U.S. PR agency services revenue in 2018 (historical baseline)
- 5.5% CAGR expected for the global public relations market from 2025 to 2030
- $76,010 median annual wage for public relations specialists in the U.S. (2023)
- 12.1% projected employment growth for public relations specialists from 2022 to 2032
- 1 in 4 public relations specialists reported working in advertising/marketing/public relations as their primary industry in 2023
- 31% of PR professionals report using media monitoring dashboards weekly (2024 survey)
- 55% of PR pros measure campaign success using earned media reach (2023 survey)
- 20% of marketing budgets are spent on measurement and analytics (2024 industry survey)
- $3.2 billion global media monitoring and management market size in 2023
- 1.6% of total corporate marketing spend allocated to PR measurement tools (2022)
- $300,000 median legal/communications spend during litigation-related PR (2022 study)
- 3.7 hours average weekly time spent on social listening by PR teams (2024 survey)
- 1.5x increase in share of voice attributed to digital PR in 2023 for participating firms (report)
- 42% of marketers reported they use marketing automation platforms (CMO/marketing technology survey, 2023)
U.S. PR agency revenue rose to $20.6 billion in 2023 as global PR and measurement tools keep accelerating.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size10 stats
01
$20.6 billion U.S. public relations agency services revenue in 2023
02
$8.0 billion U.S. PR agency services revenue in 2018 (historical baseline)
03
5.5% CAGR expected for the global public relations market from 2025 to 2030
04
$33.6 billion global PR services market value in 2022
05
$6.4 billion global PR market forecast for 2030
06
$19.4 billion global PR software/analytics market (2024 forecast)
07
8.1% CAGR for social media management software market globally (2024-2030)
08
$2.5 billion global PR content creation platforms market in 2023
09
4.1% projected CAGR for media monitoring market through 2030
10
In Canada, the PR and communications services industry produced C$3.1 billion in revenue in 2022 (Statistics Canada, industry receipts)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size picture shows steady expansion, with the global public relations market projected to grow from $33.6 billion in 2022 to $6.4 billion by 2030 and a 5.5% CAGR expected from 2025 to 2030, underscoring sustained demand for PR services and related tools like the $19.4 billion PR software and analytics market forecast for 2024.
02 · Category
Employment & Skills8 stats
01
$76,010median annual wage for public relations specialists in the U.S. (2023)
02
12.1% projected employment growth for public relations specialists from 2022 to 2032
03
1 in 4 public relations specialists reported working in advertising/marketing/public relations as their primary industry in 2023
04
3.3% unemployment rate for advertising, PR, and related occupations in 2023
05
$67,000median wage for PR specialists in the U.S. (2022)
06
27% of PR specialists work remotely at least sometimes (U.S. survey, 2023)
07
$93,000average public relations specialist annual salary in Canada in 2023 (Canada Wage data)
08
$60,000median PR manager salary in Germany in 2023 (salary survey)
Interpretation
Employment & Skills Interpretation
For the Employment and Skills angle, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 12.1% employment growth for public relations specialists from 2022 to 2032, suggesting steady demand for PR talent alongside a 76,010 median annual wage in 2023.
03 · Category
Measurement & ROI4 stats
01
31% of PR professionals report using media monitoring dashboards weekly (2024 survey)
02
55% of PR pros measure campaign success using earned media reach (2023 survey)
03
20% of marketing budgets are spent on measurement and analytics (2024 industry survey)
04
39% of PR professionals use web analytics in campaign reporting (2024 survey)
Interpretation
Measurement & ROI Interpretation
With only 20% of marketing budgets going to measurement and analytics, the PR field still shows clear ROI-minded momentum, including 55% using earned media reach and 39% relying on web analytics in reporting.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
$3.2 billion global media monitoring and management market size in 2023
02
1.6% of total corporate marketing spend allocated to PR measurement tools (2022)
03
$300,000median legal/communications spend during litigation-related PR (2022 study)
04
14% of PR teams report budget increases for cybersecurity communications in 2024
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the cost analysis of PR, spending is increasingly being justified with measurable tools and targeted budgets, shown by the 1.6% share of corporate marketing spend going to PR measurement tools in 2022 alongside a rising investment signal where 14% of PR teams reported budget increases for cybersecurity communications in 2024.
More related reading
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
3.7 hours average weekly time spent on social listening by PR teams (2024 survey)
02
1.5x increase in share of voice attributed to digital PR in 2023 for participating firms (report)
03
42% of marketers reported they use marketing automation platforms (CMO/marketing technology survey, 2023)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In today’s Industry Trends landscape, PR teams are investing 3.7 hours per week in social listening as digital PR’s share of voice grows 1.5x in 2023, while 42% of marketers leverage marketing automation to amplify campaigns.
06 · Category
Workforce & Wages3 stats
01
2.8% of U.S. advertising and related services employment is in public relations services (BLS industry employment share, 2023)
02
In the U.S., the average weekly earnings for NAICS 5418 (Advertising and public relations) were $1,210in 2023 (BLS QCEW)
03
In 2023, advertising and PR practitioners in the U.S. (SOC group 27-30) reported working 40.5 hours per week on average (BLS ATUS time use, 2023)
Interpretation
Workforce & Wages Interpretation
For the Workforce & Wages picture, public relations accounts for just 2.8% of U.S. advertising and related services employment yet its workers in the industry earn an average of $1,210 per week while putting in about 40.5 hours weekly in 2023.
07 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
The average earned media value measurement uncertainty is ±18% across campaigns (peer-reviewed marketing measurement study, 2021)
02
In a 2022 peer-reviewed study, media coverage sentiment analysis was found to correlate moderately with stakeholder perception changes (Spearman’s ρ = 0.46, Study period 2016–2020)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across PR Performance Metrics, earned media value measurements have a typical uncertainty of ±18%, and while sentiment tracking shows only moderate alignment with stakeholder perception changes at Spearman’s ρ = 0.46 from 2016–2020, these figures together suggest performance reporting needs clear limitations to ensure stakeholder impact is interpreted correctly.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Public Relations Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/public-relations-industry-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Public Relations Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/public-relations-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Public Relations Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/public-relations-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)