If you doubt the value of public relations in the local economy, the area chapter of the Public Relations Society of America has commissioned a study to prove you wrong.

The report, produced by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., found that PR agencies contributed $445 million to the economy in Los Angeles County in 2008.

“What surprised me was the big number – half a billion dollars is substantial,” said Eric Moses, communication manager at Occidental Petroleum and president of PRSA’s L.A. chapter. “No one has quantified that before.”

Moses noted that the $445 million figure, the local industry’s labor income, only refers to PR agencies with employees and doesn’t include PR positions at government agencies and corporations, or self-employed PR consultants. If those jobs could be included, “the impact of PR on the economy would be a multiple of what the report has shown.”

For comparison, the economic impact of the toy industry has been estimated at $10 billion and the sports industry $4 billion. A closer comparison would be art galleries, at $463 million.

The average salary of employees at local PR agencies is $78,129 – more than 50 percent higher than the average wage in the county – according to the study.

“PR is one of the drivers of the business community that often goes unseen and unnoticed,” Moses said. “We hope from this study people will see PR as an industry and a profession, rather than just an expense on their budgets.”