Photographers vs Public Relations Specialists: $45K vs $75K Median Pay

Photographers vs Public Relations Specialists: what changes?

Consider Photographers if you want to photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. Consider Public Relations Specialists if you would rather promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. Entry credentials differ: Photographers, high school diploma or equivalent; Public Relations Specialists, bachelor's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Photographers and Public Relations Specialists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Photographers

National median pay (2025): $44,660
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus according to a combination of factors, such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 10,700

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.7% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Photographers brief

Public Relations Specialists

National median pay (2025): $74,750
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 23,000

Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Public Relations Specialists brief

How the national numbers differ

Public Relations Specialists has the edge on median pay

Public Relations Specialists is at $74,750, compared with $44,660 for Photographers.

Public Relations Specialists has the edge on annual openings

Public Relations Specialists is at 23,000 annual openings, compared with 10,700 annual openings for Photographers.

Public Relations Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Public Relations Specialists is at 1.8% projected growth, compared with -0.7% projected growth for Photographers.

Typical preparation differs.

Photographers: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Public Relations Specialists: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

38.3/ 100

Photographers

57.2/ 100

Public Relations Specialists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence