5418/Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
465K
employees, 2023
465K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 38,864 US Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services business locations employed 465,231 people and paid $43.3 billion in annual payroll, $93,178 per employee on average. Employment was down 0.4% from 2022. New York had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
38,864
+0.4% vs 2022
Employees
465,231
-0.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$43.3B
+2.8% vs 2022
Average pay
$93,178
+3.2% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 3,633 | 84,473 | $121,550 | 0.96% |
| California | 5,926 | 70,334 | $103,131 | 0.43% |
| Illinois | 1,734 | 31,214 | $89,059 | 0.55% |
| Texas | 2,670 | 28,379 | $75,873 | 0.24% |
| Florida | 3,356 | 21,896 | $81,839 | 0.22% |
| Georgia | 1,222 | 15,647 | $116,112 | 0.36% |
| New Jersey | 1,032 | 15,238 | $77,342 | 0.39% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,271 | 14,814 | $71,571 | 0.26% |
| North Carolina | 1,123 | 11,757 | $58,999 | 0.27% |
| Massachusetts | 743 | 11,165 | $108,215 | 0.32% |
| Missouri | 601 | 10,906 | $85,113 | 0.41% |
| Ohio | 1,041 | 10,689 | $77,063 | 0.21% |
| Michigan | 887 | 10,646 | $78,112 | 0.26% |
| Virginia | 898 | 9,556 | $88,805 | 0.27% |
| Minnesota | 803 | 9,398 | $83,366 | 0.34% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 3,809 | 92,132 | $118,583 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,127 | 40,316 | $101,796 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,571 | 30,003 | $89,948 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 1,356 | 15,886 | $132,583 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 946 | 14,044 | $72,932 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 825 | 13,931 | $138,758 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 931 | 13,734 | $126,675 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 622 | 11,151 | $103,478 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1,471 | 10,119 | $87,228 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 775 | 8,950 | $89,788 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 661 | 8,054 | $88,757 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 478 | 7,633 | $82,367 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 485 | 7,213 | $107,344 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 274 | 6,760 | $89,768 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 374 | 6,338 | $52,282 |
Business size
US Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 26,709 | 68.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 4,765 | 12.3% |
| 10 to 19 | 3,148 | 8.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 2,643 | 6.8% |
| 50 to 99 | 819 | 2.1% |
| 100 to 249 | 517 | 1.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 186 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 57 | 0.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 20 | 0.1% |
Related industries
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services and the 8 industries directly below it
Part of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 541
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54181 | Advertising Agencies | 200,465 | $106,841 |
| 54189 | Other Services Related to Advertising | 97,046 | $47,269 |
| 54182 | Public Relations Agencies | 60,066 | $119,649 |
| 54186 | Direct Mail Advertising | 30,369 | $66,070 |
| 54184 | Media Representatives | 23,093 | $133,056 |
| 54185 | Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising | 22,089 | $83,034 |
| 54183 | Media Buying Agencies | 20,819 | $110,836 |
| 54187 | Advertising Material Distribution Services | 11,284 | $83,008 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services in the US?
465,231 people worked at 38,864 US Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services business locations in 2023, down 0.4% from 2022. That is 0.33% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services?
$93,178 a year per employee in 2023, from $43.3 billion in annual payroll (up 3.2% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services jobs?
New York had the most, with 84,473 employees in 2023, followed by California (70,334) and Illinois (31,214).
Which metro areas have the most Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (92,132), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (40,316), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (30,003) had the most Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services employees in 2023.
Are most Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services businesses small?
89.1% of the 38,864 Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 77 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.