Emergency Management Directors

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.

SOC: 11-9161.00

Common Job Titles

Emergency Management DirectorEmergency Management System Director (EMS Director)Emergency PlannerPublic Safety Director
Wage Data According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Annual wage data for Emergency Management Directors (2024)

Estimated Total Employment (U.S.)

12,570

Wage Distribution by Percentile

MetricU.S.
10% of workers earn the following or less$51,260
10% of workers earn the following or more$160,420
Workers on average earn$97,700

+ indicates wage is at or above the BLS reporting cap ($239,200/year)

Skills & Requirements

Key competencies for this occupation, ranked by importance

  • Public Safety and Security4.7/5
  • Administration and Management4.2/5
  • Law and Government4.2/5
  • Communications and Media4.0/5
  • English Language4.0/5
Tools & Technology

Equipment and software commonly used in this occupation

In-Demand Technology

Frequently requested by employers in job postings

ESRI ArcGIS softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft Word

Technology Skills

Alert Technologies OpsCenterDesktop publishing softwareDigital Engineering Corporation E-MAPSEmergency Managers Weather Information Network EMWINEmergency Services Integrators ESi WebEOCFederal Emergency Management Information System FEMISGeographic information system GIS softwareGraphics software

Tools & Equipment

Chemical protective bootsChemical protective clothingDesktop computersEmergency alert notification systemsHard hatsLaptop computersPersonal computersProtective hoods