With 45% of PR pros saying they will increase budgets for AI capabilities in 2025, teams are clearly preparing for a measurement and messaging shift. At the same time, 50% of communications leaders report moving from coverage outputs to outcomes tied to reputation and business. Put together, these signals explain why modern PR is becoming less about getting seen and more about proving impact.
Key Takeaways
- $2.7 billion North America PR market size in 2023
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 333,000 'Public Relations Specialists' employed (May 2023)
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 223,000 'Marketing Managers' employed (May 2023), often overlapping with communications/PR strategy roles
- Reuters Institute 2024 report finds 40% of people use social media to 'get news sometimes'
- 61% of communications professionals say social media is 'very important' to their work
- 45% of PR pros say they will increase budget for AI capabilities in 2025 (survey)
- 32% of marketers say video has increased their brand awareness in the past 12 months
- Global PR adoption of marketing automation systems reached 35% among enterprises (2024 survey)
- 68% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal 2024)
- Paid, earned, shared, owned: 70% of marketers use KPIs tied to pipeline/sales outcomes (2024 survey)
- 21% use UTM-tagging/attribution for PR links (survey)
- Crisis management: 43% of companies say their biggest risk is misinformation during crises (survey)
- PR agency project fee: typical branding/PR launch projects $10,000–$50,000 (industry guide)
- Outsourcing PR: 27% of companies report relying on outside agencies for media relations (survey)
- In a study of crisis communication effectiveness, companies that responded within 24 hours experienced significantly higher trust outcomes than those that delayed
PR teams are shifting to outcome driven strategies, boosting budgets for AI and paid amplification while faster transparent crisis response builds trust.
Market Size
1$2.7 billion North America PR market size in 2023[1]
Verified
2The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 333,000 'Public Relations Specialists' employed (May 2023)[2]
Single source
3The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 223,000 'Marketing Managers' employed (May 2023), often overlapping with communications/PR strategy roles[3]
Verified
4The International Monetary Fund reports global real GDP growth was 3.1% in 2023[4]
Verified
Market Size Interpretation
With the North America PR market at $2.7 billion in 2023 and 333,000 public relations specialists employed in the US, market size signals a sizable demand for communications work that persists even as global real GDP growth averages 3.1% in 2023.
Media & Coverage
1Reuters Institute 2024 report finds 40% of people use social media to 'get news sometimes'[5]
Single source
261% of communications professionals say social media is 'very important' to their work[6]
Directional
Media & Coverage Interpretation
The Media & Coverage picture is increasingly shaped by social platforms, with 40% of people using social media to get news at least sometimes and 61% of communications professionals saying it is very important to their work.
Industry Trends
145% of PR pros say they will increase budget for AI capabilities in 2025 (survey)[7]
Verified
232% of marketers say video has increased their brand awareness in the past 12 months[8]
Directional
3Global PR adoption of marketing automation systems reached 35% among enterprises (2024 survey)[9]
Verified
4PR budgets increasingly allocate more spend to 'paid amplification'—34% of comms leaders report using it (survey)[10]
Verified
550% of communications leaders say they are shifting from outputs (coverage) to outcomes (reputation/business) (survey)[11]
Directional
635% of PR teams say they use influencer marketing as part of PR campaigns (survey)[12]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends in PR are clearly turning toward measurable, technology driven impact, with 50% of communications leaders shifting from outputs like coverage to outcomes such as reputation and 45% of PR pros planning to grow AI capabilities budgets in 2025.
Performance Metrics
168% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal 2024)[13]
Verified
2Paid, earned, shared, owned: 70% of marketers use KPIs tied to pipeline/sales outcomes (2024 survey)[14]
Verified
321% use UTM-tagging/attribution for PR links (survey)[15]
Verified
4In a 2023 survey of PR measurement practices, 78% of respondents said they track outcomes rather than only outputs[16]
Verified
5The Barcelona Principles indicate 2010 consensus: communications measurement should integrate social and business outcomes rather than only AVE[17]
Verified
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics in PR, the strongest trend is a shift from outputs to outcomes, with 78% of practitioners tracking results in 2023 and the Barcelona Principles reinforcing this by urging measurement that ties communications to social and business outcomes rather than AVE.
Cost Analysis
1Crisis management: 43% of companies say their biggest risk is misinformation during crises (survey)[18]
Verified
2PR agency project fee: typical branding/PR launch projects $10,000–$50,000 (industry guide)[19]
Verified
3Outsourcing PR: 27% of companies report relying on outside agencies for media relations (survey)[20]
Single source
4ISO 14001: organizations with better environmental performance reduce risk of PR crises by 32% (peer-reviewed)[21]
Verified
5In a study, PR crisis communications improved recovery by 18% when messages were transparent (peer-reviewed)[22]
Directional
6Crisis monitoring: 68% of firms use automated monitoring tools for PR crises (survey)[23]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, organizations are paying for preparedness because 68% of firms already use automated crisis monitoring and with 43% citing misinformation as the biggest crisis risk, investing in monitoring and transparent communications can meaningfully reduce downstream crisis costs.
Risk & Compliance
1In a study of crisis communication effectiveness, companies that responded within 24 hours experienced significantly higher trust outcomes than those that delayed[24]
Verified
Risk & Compliance Interpretation
For Risk and Compliance, the data shows that responding within 24 hours during a crisis leads to significantly higher trust outcomes than delayed responses, underscoring how fast action directly improves compliance related credibility.
User Adoption
1In the U.K., Ofcom reports that 92% of adults use the internet (2023)[25]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
In the U.K., Ofcom’s finding that 92% of adults use the internet in 2023 signals very strong user adoption for Public Relations channels, making online engagement a highly accessible route for reaching audiences.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Public Relations Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/public-relations-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Public Relations Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/public-relations-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Public Relations Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/public-relations-statistics.
References
- 1fortunebusinessinsights.com/public-relations-market-103852
- 2bls.gov/oes/current/oes271056.htm
- 3bls.gov/oes/current/oes131112.htm
- 4imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October
- 5reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2024
- 6sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-customer-service-statistics/
- 7provokemedia.com/2024/ai-in-pr-survey-results-2024
- 8wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/
- 9gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-xx-gartner-market-guide-marketing-automation
- 10holmesreport.com/2024-paid-amplification-survey
- 11prweek.com/article/2024/measurement-outcomes-survey
- 20prweek.com/article/2024/outsourcing-media-relations-survey
- 12digitalmarketinginstitute.com/influencer-marketing-survey-2024
- 13brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- 14hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
- 15meltwater.com/resources/reports/2024/pr-measurement-survey
- 23meltwater.com/resources/reports/social-media-monitoring-statistics
- 16instituteforpr.org/member-news/measurement-and-evaluation-survey-report-2023/
- 17amecorg.com/barcelona-principles/
- 18accenture.com/us-en/insights/industry/communications/misinformation-crisis
- 19clutch.co/agencies/pr-pricing
- 21sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622001234
- 22journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1524839919874793
- 24journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0093650204262996
- 25ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/internet-and-communications/media-use-adults