Public Relations Specialists pay range in Durham
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $48,040 a year or less, while the top 10% make $134,140 or more. The middle half of public relations specialists in Durham earn between $61,980 and $98,720.
- $48K10th
- $62K25th
- $77KMedian
- $99K75th
- $134K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $84,780 | $7,065 | $40.76 |
| Median | $76,970 | $6,414 | $37.00 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $61,980 | $5,165 | $29.80 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $98,720 | $8,227 | $47.46 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Public Relations Specialists salary after taxes in Durham
On the average salary of $84,780, a single filer in Durham takes home about $65,599 a year, or $5,467 a month and $2,523 every two weeks. Taxes take 23% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Durham a good place for public relations specialists? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Durham area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.6), so the average $84,780 buys what about $86,890 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Durham ($60,720). A typical home costs $414,340, or 4.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Public Relations Specialists salary in other North Carolina cities
Durham ranks 2nd of 15 North Carolina metro areas for this job; Charlotte pays the most ($86,370).
- Charlotte$86,370
- Durham$84,780
- Raleigh$82,230
- Pinehurst$79,970
- Fayetteville$79,340
- Wilmington$72,290
- Greensboro$69,280
- Greenville$68,780
- Winston-Salem$67,930
- Asheville$67,760
Highest-paying cities for public relations specialists
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($126,870).
- San Jose, CA$126,870
- Washington, DC$116,930
- San Francisco, CA$114,310
- Lexington Park, MD$107,990
- Kennewick, WA$102,230
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Public Relations Specialists salary in Durham: questions
How much do public relations specialists make an hour in Durham?
$40.76 an hour on average, and $37.01 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level public relations specialists salary in Durham?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $48,040 a year and the 25th percentile is $61,980, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the public relations specialists take-home pay in Durham?
About $65,599 a year ($5,467 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $84,780.
Do public relations specialists earn more in Durham than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($85,506).
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 27-3031; area Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (20500). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.7%.
- 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 (2026 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.73, this job is 1.7 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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