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Public Relations Specialists: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
3 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Public Relations Specialists, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,500 hours, for Public Affairs (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Coordinator | 3035 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 6,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Public Affairs | 1076 | Competency-Based: 2,500 hours |
| SERVICES (BASE FACILITIES), (3M0X1) | 1075 | Time-Based: 2,500 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What public relations specialists earn, by state
District of Columbia has the highest state median for public relations specialists ($102,740) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($44,950), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $102,740 | $49.40 | 16,720 |
| Washington | $87,470 | $42.05 | 6,430 |
| California | $85,030 | $40.88 | 32,710 |
| Connecticut | $84,990 | $40.86 | 1,910 |
| New York | $81,250 | $39.06 | 28,250 |
| Colorado | $80,680 | $38.79 | 7,410 |
| Virginia | $80,380 | $38.65 | 9,990 |
| New Jersey | $80,130 | $38.52 | 4,980 |
| Massachusetts | $79,660 | $38.30 | 6,760 |
| Maryland | $79,560 | $38.25 | 4,190 |
| Rhode Island | $77,540 | $37.28 | 1,140 |
| Illinois | $76,380 | $36.72 | 6,200 |
| Delaware | $76,120 | $36.59 | 930 |
| Oregon | $74,900 | $36.01 | 4,510 |
| Nevada | $73,840 | $35.50 | 1,600 |
| New Hampshire | $73,280 | $35.23 | 1,140 |
| Georgia | $73,200 | $35.19 | 6,860 |
| North Dakota | $70,280 | $33.79 | 640 |
| Alaska | $70,050 | $33.68 | 640 |
| New Mexico | $68,700 | $33.03 | 1,130 |
| Minnesota | $68,620 | $32.99 | 8,260 |
| Wyoming | $67,490 | $32.45 | 480 |
| Wisconsin | $67,240 | $32.33 | 4,410 |
| North Carolina | $67,230 | $32.32 | 9,910 |
| Arizona | $66,710 | $32.07 | 5,350 |
| Vermont | $66,060 | $31.76 | 1,260 |
| Michigan | $65,300 | $31.39 | 7,510 |
| Texas | $65,160 | $31.33 | 25,220 |
| Arkansas | $65,000 | $31.25 | 980 |
| Oklahoma | $64,920 | $31.21 | 2,280 |
| Indiana | $64,900 | $31.20 | 3,750 |
| Kansas | $64,860 | $31.18 | 2,340 |
| Ohio | $64,840 | $31.18 | 6,670 |
| South Dakota | $64,520 | $31.02 | 210 |
| Hawaii | $63,880 | $30.71 | 1,800 |
| Montana | $63,780 | $30.66 | 1,760 |
| Florida | $63,660 | $30.61 | 17,820 |
| Iowa | $62,970 | $30.27 | 2,890 |
| South Carolina | $62,730 | $30.16 | 2,950 |
| Utah | $62,670 | $30.13 | 1,800 |
| Maine | $62,450 | $30.02 | 1,400 |
| Nebraska | $61,780 | $29.70 | 1,590 |
| Alabama | $61,710 | $29.67 | 2,410 |
| Missouri | $61,130 | $29.39 | 4,820 |
| Idaho | $61,110 | $29.38 | 1,220 |
| Tennessee | $60,900 | $29.28 | 3,380 |
| Louisiana | $60,470 | $29.07 | 1,710 |
| Kentucky | $60,150 | $28.92 | 2,580 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $59,990 | $28.84 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $59,810 | $28.75 | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,460 | $27.62 | 11,180 |
| West Virginia | $56,730 | $27.27 | 350 |
| Guam | $48,460 | $23.30 | Not published |
| Puerto Rico | $44,950 | $21.61 | 520 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).