SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 11-9161.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $54,210 | $4,518 | $1,042 | $26.06 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $67,910 | $5,659 | $1,306 | $32.65 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $93,330 | $7,778 | $1,795 | $44.87 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $126,490 | $10,541 | $2,432 | $60.81 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $166,430 | $13,869 | $3,201 | $80.02 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Emergency Management Directors is $93,330, which is 83% higher. Among the 37 occupations of the field Management, it ranks number 27 by median pay. With 13,500 jobs, it makes up about 0.9 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Emergency Management Directors pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($184,350), New Mexico ($145,550) and Washington ($130,780). The lowest was in Mississippi ($48,650), Arkansas ($50,180) and West Virginia ($60,460). The most jobs were in Texas (1,210), California (1,170) and New York (790). The occupation is most concentrated in Alaska, where its share of all jobs is 4.4 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 150 | $184,350 | $165,390 | $88.63 |
| New Mexico | 170 | $145,550 | $140,730 | $69.98 |
| Washington | 180 | $130,780 | $136,430 | $62.87 |
| California | 1,170 | $129,910 | $138,120 | $62.46 |
| Colorado | not published | $129,660 | $125,080 | $62.34 |
| Massachusetts | 220 | $123,250 | $131,520 | $59.25 |
| New Jersey | 490 | $120,990 | $118,090 | $58.17 |
| Connecticut | 180 | $113,380 | $118,870 | $54.51 |
| Oregon | 120 | $110,720 | $119,710 | $53.23 |
| Maryland | 150 | $107,200 | $117,800 | $51.54 |
| Minnesota | 190 | $106,880 | $111,800 | $51.39 |
| Nevada | 60 | $105,570 | $118,170 | $50.75 |
| Alaska | 120 | $101,850 | $111,240 | $48.97 |
| Virginia | 450 | $99,860 | $112,810 | $48.01 |
| Idaho | 80 | $99,720 | $107,170 | $47.94 |
| Florida | 720 | $99,020 | $106,710 | $47.61 |
| Louisiana | 180 | $96,550 | $98,950 | $46.42 |
| Ohio | 250 | $94,690 | $103,520 | $45.53 |
| North Carolina | 420 | $93,840 | $98,680 | $45.12 |
| South Carolina | 330 | $93,680 | $97,190 | $45.04 |
| Texas | 1,210 | $93,570 | $102,870 | $44.99 |
| New York | 790 | $92,570 | $113,700 | $44.51 |
| Nebraska | 120 | $89,740 | $96,940 | $43.14 |
| Michigan | 220 | $87,880 | $93,750 | $42.25 |
| Rhode Island | 30 | $87,690 | $107,470 | $42.16 |
| Utah | 170 | $84,860 | $88,350 | $40.80 |
| Maine | 80 | $84,050 | $93,350 | $40.41 |
| Illinois | 450 | $83,820 | $96,410 | $40.30 |
| Georgia | 430 | $83,200 | $92,770 | $40.00 |
| Arizona | 160 | $81,970 | $93,100 | $39.41 |
| Tennessee | 370 | $81,800 | $88,970 | $39.33 |
| Pennsylvania | 520 | $81,550 | $87,700 | $39.21 |
| New Hampshire | 50 | $77,420 | $86,130 | $37.22 |
| Wisconsin | 240 | $77,260 | $80,510 | $37.15 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $76,640 | $81,330 | $36.84 |
| Missouri | 310 | $75,660 | $83,400 | $36.37 |
| Kentucky | 150 | $74,730 | $74,990 | $35.93 |
| Hawaii | 90 | $74,290 | $91,460 | $35.72 |
| Iowa | 130 | $73,700 | $76,810 | $35.43 |
| Kansas | 140 | $68,000 | $75,840 | $32.69 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $67,180 | $70,270 | $32.30 |
| Wyoming | 50 | $64,370 | $71,090 | $30.95 |
| Montana | 90 | $62,770 | $71,200 | $30.18 |
| Oklahoma | 310 | $60,990 | $70,400 | $29.32 |
| West Virginia | 120 | $60,460 | $67,620 | $29.07 |
| Arkansas | 160 | $50,180 | $58,450 | $24.12 |
| Mississippi | 230 | $48,650 | $61,150 | $23.39 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary$104,590 a year
- Postmasters and Mail Superintendents$96,660 a year
- Education Administrators, All Other$95,200 a year
- Gambling Managers$93,220 a year
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 a year
- Social and Community Service Managers$80,390 a year
Common questions
How much do Emergency Management Directors earn in the United States?
The median pay was $93,330 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $54,210 and the highest-paid 10% more than $166,430.
How many people work as Emergency Management Directors?
About 13,500 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.