Cold email software for PR agencies
Acqro gives public relations agencies cold email that researches each prospect's company before writing. Below: verified federal data on the industry across all 50 states, the buyers it sells to, and a playbook for outreach that earns replies.
Onboarding in batches. No credit card to join.
How many PR agencies are in the United States?
The United States had 8,646 establishments in NAICS 541820, public relations agencies, in 2023, employing 60,066 people. The largest markets by establishments were California, New York and Florida. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
PR agencies in the US by the numbers
- US establishments
- 8,646+0.1% vs 2022Census CBP 2023, NAICS 541820
- Paid employees
- 60,066Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $119,649Census CBP 2023
- Firms under 10 employees
- 86.3%Census CBP 2023
- Largest state
- CaliforniaBy establishments, CBP 2023
Census does not publish a separate category for public relations agencies; figures use NAICS 541820, Public Relations Agencies, the closest official industry. 86.3% of establishments have fewer than 10 employees, so most firms in the industry run outbound with a founder or a very small sales team. The 1,164 firms with 10 to 249 employees are the ones most likely to be building a repeatable outbound process.
The five largest states hold 47.7% of all establishments. Among states with at least 100 establishments, the fastest growth between 2022 and 2023 was in Maryland (+8.0%), Arizona (+6.4%) and Missouri (+5.1%). Growing markets bring new competitors and new buyers at the same time, which rewards outreach that is specific rather than volume-driven.
PR agencies by state
All states and DC ranked by number of establishments, with the change since 2022.
| Rank | State | Establishments | Employees | Change vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,638 | 10,558 | −0.4% |
| 2 | New York | 938 | 12,561 | −2.5% |
| 3 | Florida | 591 | 1,843 | −0.5% |
| 4 | District of Columbia | 493 | 6,904 | −1.6% |
| 5 | Texas | 467 | 2,570 | +2.2% |
| 6 | Illinois | 336 | 3,305 | −4.3% |
| 7 | Virginia | 308 | 2,048 | +2.3% |
| 8 | Georgia | 277 | 1,311 | −1.4% |
| 9 | Colorado | 256 | 870 | −1.9% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 218 | 1,329 | +3.8% |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 201 | 2,122 | −1.0% |
| 12 | Washington | 200 | 1,414 | −1.0% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 198 | 790 | +4.2% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 195 | 1,045 | −3.0% |
| 15 | Arizona | 166 | 602 | +6.4% |
| 16 | Maryland | 162 | 832 | +8.0% |
| 17 | Ohio | 161 | 624 | −1.8% |
| 18 | Oregon | 144 | 956 | −2.0% |
| 19 | Michigan | 129 | 800 | 0.0% |
| 20 | Minnesota | 123 | 729 | −1.6% |
| 21 | Nevada | 111 | 429 | +2.8% |
| 22 | Tennessee | 107 | 682 | −1.8% |
| 23 | Missouri | 104 | 1,122 | +5.1% |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 92 | — | 0.0% |
| 25 | Connecticut | 82 | 387 | +6.5% |
| 26 | South Carolina | 76 | 327 | −6.2% |
| 27 | Oklahoma | 73 | 183 | +14.1% |
| 28 | Louisiana | 71 | 239 | +2.9% |
| 29 | Utah | 71 | 355 | +1.4% |
| 30 | Indiana | 66 | 670 | +1.5% |
| 31 | Alabama | 52 | 129 | +13.0% |
| 32 | Kentucky | 45 | 179 | +18.4% |
| 33 | Kansas | 41 | 107 | 0.0% |
| 34 | Mississippi | 39 | — | +2.6% |
| 35 | New Mexico | 38 | 110 | −5.0% |
| 36 | Idaho | 37 | 87 | +8.8% |
| 37 | Iowa | 35 | 150 | −2.8% |
| 38 | Maine | 32 | — | 0.0% |
| 39 | Nebraska | 30 | 101 | +7.1% |
| 40 | Delaware | 29 | 79 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Montana | 29 | 42 | +7.4% |
| 42 | Arkansas | 28 | 150 | −6.7% |
| 43 | Hawaii | 26 | — | +13.0% |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 26 | 97 | +18.2% |
| 45 | New Hampshire | 23 | 89 | +4.5% |
| 46 | Wyoming | 23 | — | −4.2% |
| 47 | Alaska | 17 | 83 | 0.0% |
| 48 | Vermont | 15 | 89 | −6.2% |
| 49 | West Virginia | 13 | — | 0.0% |
| 50 | South Dakota | 8 | — | 0.0% |
| 51 | North Dakota | 6 | 41 | −14.3% |
Who PR agencies sell to
Common buyer industries for public relations agencies, with US establishment counts and how many have 10 to 249 employees.
| Buyer industry | Establishments | 10–249 employees | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Publishers | 18,425 | 5,923 | 1,011,187 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 225,945 | 22,061 | 1,736,343 |
| Other Financial Investment Activities | 86,389 | 7,972 | 654,062 |
| Offices of Physicians | 218,066 | 58,939 | 2,771,935 |
How PR agencies should run cold email
Public relations agencies sell media relations, thought leadership, communications strategy and crisis support. These are the contacts, triggers and messages that make a first email relevant rather than generic.
Who to email
- CEO or founder
- CMO or head of marketing
- Head of communications
- Investor relations lead at later-stage companies
Signals worth researching
- Funding rounds, acquisitions or leadership hires worth announcing
- Product launches
- Low or declining media coverage relative to peers
- Executives building a public profile
What to say
- Reference the newsworthy event you found
- Suggest a specific story angle
- Offer a short media plan outline
What to avoid
- Guaranteeing coverage in named publications
- Generic 'raise your profile' offers
Cold email for PR agencies, answered
How many PR agencies are there in the US?
There were 8,646 establishments in NAICS 541820 (Public Relations Agencies) in 2023, employing 60,066 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Which states have the most PR agencies?
By establishments in 2023: California (1,638), New York (938), Florida (591), District of Columbia (493) and Texas (467). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
How do PR agencies win clients with cold email?
Reference something newsworthy the prospect has done or is about to do, such as a funding round, launch or leadership hire, and suggest a specific story angle. That demonstrates media judgement immediately, which is what buyers are paying for.
Who hires a PR agency?
Founders and CEOs at growth-stage companies, CMOs or heads of marketing at established companies, and heads of communications where that role exists.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
PR Agencies by state
Other industries
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
- Industry definition: NAICS 541820, Public Relations Agencies, used as the closest official category for public relations agencies.
Built for PR agencies who sell to a finite list
Acqro researches every account on your list and writes the first email from what it finds.
Prefer a conversation? Get in touch.