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Emergency Management Director

$86,130
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Prepare plans and coordinate agencies to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies.

Where you work

Offices, emergency centers, and field sites

The hours

On-call during emergencies

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$86,130
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~1,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3%
About average
Working in the U.S.
13,200
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's plus emergency planning experience.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

What it takes

PlanningCoordinationCommunicationDecision-making

The honest take

Plans a community's response to disasters and coordinates the agencies that handle them.

Standard Occupational Classification 11-9161. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.