PR Agency Salaries Will Continue to Rise in 2016

Salary Blog 2014We are continuing to see upward pressure on salaries as the demand for communications talent is unrelenting.  Yay for those exploring new opportunities!  The growth in digital, the integration of communications disciplines and healthier budgets are all big factors fueling the demand.

In New York we’ve seen salaries begin to approach those in the Bay Area while other major markets like Southern California and Chicago are also seeing increases.

Below are the ranges our on-the-ground recruiters are seeing in NY, LA, SF and Chicago. Note: we did not conduct a salary survey that takes into account agencies of every shape and size which of course skews the results and depresses the numbers when you’r considering salary ranges for mid-size and large agencies which is where we do a majority of our consulting.  In-house titles vary so widely that we’ve kept this analysis to agency titles but always glad to provide some insights on in-house roles if you’d like to follow-up with an email to me at jdelulio@prtalent.com.

New York

  • AAE $38 – 44K
  • AE | $45 – 58K
  • Sr. AE | $56 – 70K
  • AS | $70 – 90K
  • Sr. AS/Director | $90 – 120K
  • VP | $120 – 165K
  • SVP | $165 – 240K
  • EVP | $225 – 290K
  • Practice Leader – $250 – 300K
  • GM | $350K ++

Chicago

  • AAE | $35 – $40K
  • AE | $40 – $50K
  • Sr. AE | $50 – 65K
  • AS | $62 – 80K
  • Sr. AS/Director | $80 – 110K
  • VP | $110 – $135K
  • SVP | $130 – $190K
  • EVP | $190 – $250K
  • Practice Leader – $225 – 290K
  • GM | $300K +


San Francisco

  • AAE | $40 – $50K
  • AE | $50 – $65K
  • Sr. AE | $65 – $80K
  • AS | $80 – $95K
  • Sr AS/Director | $95 – $120K
  • VP | $120 – $165K
  • SVP $165 – $225K
  • EVP $225 – $290K
  • Practice Leader – $250 – 300K
  • GM | $350K ++


Los Angeles

  • AAE | $38-42K
  • AE | $43-52K
  • Sr. AE | $53-65K
  • AS | $66-80K
  • Sr. AS / Director | $81-115K
  • VP | $116-150K
  • SVP | $151-210K
  • EVP | $211-320K
  • Practice Leader – $200 – 250K
  • GM | $320K +