Communications Manager Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 2,372 US job postings by 1,446 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for communications managers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 2,372 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for communications managers in US job postings is $110,000 a year (726 postings from 416 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $69,000 to $158,000.
- The skills that most set communications manager postings apart are editing, writing, media relations.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 5 years of experience.
Communications Manager job postings in the US, October 2026
- $110,000
- Median advertised pay (726 postings)
- $69,000–$158,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- 2,372
- US job postings from 1,446 employers
- 5 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a communications manager make?
The median advertised pay is $110,000 a year, from 726 US job postings by 416 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $198,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 726 US communications manager job postings: median $110,000 a year, middle half $69,000 to $158,000.
- Median: $110,000
- 25th percentile: $69,000
- 75th percentile: $158,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 1.1% |
| $30K–$40K | 2.2% |
| $40K–$50K | 8.9% |
| $50K–$60K | 8.4% |
| $60K–$70K | 4.8% |
| $70K–$80K | 4.9% |
| $80K–$90K | 6.2% |
| $90K–$100K | 4.9% |
| $100K–$110K | 7.9% |
| $110K–$120K | 5.7% |
| $120K–$130K | 6.0% |
| $130K–$140K | 4.8% |
| $140K–$150K | 4.8% |
| $150K–$160K | 6.0% |
| $160K–$170K | 4.4% |
| $170K–$180K | 3.3% |
| $180K–$190K | 2.9% |
| $190K–$200K | 2.9% |
| $200K–$210K | 2.7% |
| $210K–$220K | 1.9% |
| $220K–$230K | 1.1% |
| $230K–$240K | 0.5% |
| $240K–$250K | 0.6% |
| $250K–$260K | 1.3% |
| $260K–$270K | 0.3% |
| $270K–$280K | 0.8% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an annual salary | $125,000 | $90K–$165K | 524 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $110,000 | $69K–$158K | 726 |
What is the starting salary for a communications manager?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Skills employers ask for in communications manager job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 32% |
| Organizational skills | 25% |
| Attention to detail | 22% |
| Writing | 21% |
| Editing | 18% |
| Microsoft Office | 16% |
| Interpersonal skills | 16% |
| Excel | 14% |
| Powerpoint | 14% |
| Word | 12% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set communications managers apart
- Editing114.9× as often as in all postings · 18%
- Writing31.1× as often as in all postings · 21%
- Media relations448.5× as often as in all postings · 10%
- Public relations128.9× as often as in all postings · 11%
- Corporate communications487× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Strategic communications416.2× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Storytelling47.1× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Communications35.4× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Storytelling skills64.6× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Powerpoint3.7× as often as in all postings · 14%
- Project management skills8.4× as often as in all postings · 8%
- SharePoint10.7× as often as in all postings · 6%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a communications manager job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a communications manager do?
Employers post these jobs as Communications Specialist, Communications Intern, Director of Communications, Communications Coordinator, Public Relations Manager and other titles. The largest specializations are Communications Specialist (21%), Public Relations Manager (19%), Communications Intern (13%), Internal Communications Manager (6%), Strategic Communications Specialist (3%), Corporate Affairs Manager (2%).
The closest official occupation is Public Relations Specialists (27-3031.00). Its most important tasks:
- Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source.
- Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's accomplishments, agenda, or environmental responsibility.
- Post and update content on the company's Web site and social media outlets.
- Write press releases or other media communications to promote clients.
- Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a communications manager?
Among 1,063 postings that state a minimum, the median is 5 years. Under 1% say 0 years and 7% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,063 US communications manager job postings: median 5 years, and 7% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | under 1% |
| 1 yr | 6% |
| 2 yrs | 12% |
| 3-4 yrs | 20% |
| 5-7 yrs | 39% |
| 8-9 yrs | 8% |
| 10+ yrs | 15% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Other names for a communications manager: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Communications Manager | 144 (10.0%) |
| Communications Specialist | 111 (7.7%) |
| Communications Intern | 87 (6.0%) |
| Director of Communications | 48 (3.3%) |
| Communications Coordinator | 47 (3.2%) |
| Public Relations Manager | 42 (2.9%) |
| Communications Director | 35 (2.4%) |
| Communications Internship | 31 (2.1%) |
| Public Relations Specialist | 31 (2.1%) |
| Public Affairs Specialist | 29 (2.0%) |
| Marketing Communications Intern | 25 (1.7%) |
| Communications Strategist | 24 (1.7%) |
| Internal Communications Manager | 24 (1.7%) |
| Senior Communications Specialist | 21 (1.5%) |
| PR Manager | 19 (1.3%) |
| Public Relations Intern | 19 (1.3%) |
| Communication Specialist | 19 (1.3%) |
| Communications Consultant | 17 (1.2%) |
| Communications Associate | 16 (1.1%) |
| Internal Communications Specialist | 15 (1.0%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Communications manager job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communications Specialist | 140 | 111 | – | – | – |
Communications Manager compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communications Manager | $110K | 5 years | 2,372 | – |
| Writer | $92K | 3 years | 1,279 | 15 |
| Proposal Manager | $118K | 5 years | 1,144 | 18 |
| Producer | $70K | 3 years | 938 | 15 |
| Fundraiser | $90K | 4 years | 1,619 | 17 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Writer | 15 | $92K |
| Proposal Manager | 18 | $118K |
| Producer | 15 | $70K |
| Fundraiser | 17 | $90K |
| Marketing Manager | 15 | $130K |
| Video Editor | 10 | $76K |
Applying for communications manager jobs?
- Communications manager resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find communications manager jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a communications manager make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.