SOC 11-2032 · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro

Public Relations Managers Salary in San Jose, CA

The average salary for public relations managers in San Jose, California is $229,420 a year ($110.30 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $213,510: half of the 980 people in this job in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 36% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($168,539).

$229,420average per year

$110.30 / hourMedian $213,510Take-home ≈ $152,427

  • $137K10th
  • $168K25th
  • $214KMedian
  • $298K75th
  • $339K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

980people in this job
+36%vs U.S. metro average
#1 of 15California metros
110cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Public Relations Managers pay range in San Jose

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $137,170 a year or less, while the top 10% make $338,830 or more. The middle half of public relations managers in San Jose earn between $167,800 and $297,680.

  • $137K10th
  • $168K25th
  • $214KMedian
  • $298K75th
  • $339K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$229,420$19,118$110.30
Median$213,510$17,792$102.65
Entry level (25th percentile)$167,800$13,983$80.67
Experienced (75th percentile)$297,680$24,807$143.12

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Public Relations Managers salary after taxes in San Jose

On the average salary of $229,420, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $152,427 a year, or $12,702 a month and $5,863 every two weeks. Taxes take 34% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

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Is San Jose a good place for public relations managers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the San Jose area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 110.4), so the average $229,420 buys what about $207,765 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.5 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 7.0 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $229,420 is worth in another city

Public Relations Managers salary in other California cities

San Jose ranks 1st of 15 California metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Public Relations Managers salaries in California

Highest-paying cities for public relations managers

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($229,420).

Public Relations Managers salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Public Relations Managers in San Jose, CA.

Public Relations Managers salary in San Jose: questions

How much do public relations managers make an hour in San Jose?

$110.30 an hour on average, and $102.65 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level public relations managers salary in San Jose?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $137,170 a year and the 25th percentile is $167,800, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the public relations managers take-home pay in San Jose?

About $152,427 a year ($12,702 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $229,420. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

Do public relations managers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?

The average here is 36% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($168,539).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 11-2032; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.5%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.79, this job is 1.8 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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