O’Dwyer’s Releases Annual PR Firm Rankings

NEW YORK, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — O’Dwyer’s has published its annual PR firm rankings, based on 2024 net fee income.  Since 1970, the PR news outlet has chronicled the industry’s growth through the rankings, which require firms to submit financial proofs. Founder Jack O’Dwyer believed the rankings contributed to the “professionalism” of PR, which has helped the business earn the respect that it so richly deserved.

“Public relations firms recorded a 1.5 percent drop in combined 2024 fee income to $4.7B as clients adopted a cautious approach toward spending due to economic uncertainty,” O’Dwyer’s editor-in-chief Kevin McCauley observed.

For 2023, O’Dwyer’s rankings saw PR firms post a meager 1.8 percent growth due to nosediving technology spending, tumbling healthcare outlays and recession-jittery consumers.

2022 and 2021 were great years for PR with 18.2 percent and 29.7 percent increases, respectively, as the nation emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic

No. 1 ranked Edelman, which became the first billion-dollar PR firm in 2022, dropped below the $1B annual fee income mark in 2024 following a 4.9 percent drop in revenues to $986M. 

JPA Health enjoyed the biggest gain among firms in the Top 25. The Washington, D.C.-based healthcare PR specialist was up 26.6 percent to $30.8M, taking the 25^thspot. 

The second biggest gainer in the top 25 is Hunter. Headquartered in New York City, the consumer marketing agency came in at #12, up 17 percent to $67.4M.  

Technology and healthcare focused Highwire PR rounded out the leading three gainers in the top 25.  The San Francisco-based agency posted a 14 percent gain to $41.3M.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

Top 10 PR firms as ranked by O’Dwyer’s for 2025:

1. Edelman, New York – $986M
2. Real Chemistry, San Francisco – $665M
3. Inizio Evoke, New York – $333.4M
4. APCO, Washington, D.C. – $236.4M
5. Finn Partners, New York – $199.7M
6. Ruder Finn, New York – $189.5M
7. ICR, New York – $156.6M
8. Zeno Group, New York – $140.5M
9. Prosek, New York – $119.5M
10. Spectrum, Washington, D.C. – $83M

In addition to the overall ranking of firms, O’Dwyer’s also breaks down the top firms by PR specialties.  New for 2025 is “Crisis Communications” and “Adult Beverages/Spirits” bringing total number of specialties ranked to 23.

Top firms are also identified in key regions and cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Based in New York City, O’Dwyer’s has been covering the public relations industry for 57 years. In addition to a daily website featuring the latest public relations news, people appointments, news of accounts, bylined articles, RFP postings, jobs section and more, the company publishes a magazine seven times a year, offers a weekly e-mailed newsletter, annual printed and online public relations firms directory and a daily e-blast.

John O’Dwyer
Publisher
O’Dwyer’s
571/228-3040
[email protected] 

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