# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/emergency-management-directors
- SOC code: 11-9161.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $93,330 (10th percentile $54,210, 90th percentile $166,430)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.9%
- Openings a year: 1,100
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 42 |
| Investigative (I) | 58 |
| Artistic (A) | 14 |
| Social (S) | 50 |
| Enterprising (E) | 68 |
| Conventional (C) | 62 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 88/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 88/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 87/100)
- Getting Information (importance 86/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 86/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 84/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 83/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 82/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 81/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 81/100)

## Skills

Service Orientation, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness

## Knowledge

Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management, Law and Government, Communications and Media, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Telecommunications, Education and Training, Computers and Electronics, Personnel and Human Resources

## Also called

911 Communications Manager, Change Management Specialist, Civil Defense Director, Civil Preparedness Officer, Disaster Response Director, Emergency Management Coordinator, Emergency Management Director, Emergency Management Planner, Emergency Management Program Manager, Emergency Management System Director (EMS Director)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Criminal Justice and Corrections](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4301) (CIP 4301, 1,742 colleges)
- [Homeland Security](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4303) (CIP 4303, 337 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [George Mason University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-mason-university-1065) | Homeland Security | $91,928 | $143,972 | $20,250 |
| [Calumet College of Saint Joseph](https://www.collegesref.com/college/calumet-college-of-saint-joseph-380) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,078 | $106,465 | $20,417 |
| [Grand Canyon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/grand-canyon-university-1108) | Homeland Security | $65,237 | $84,553 | $22,916 |
| [Utica College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utica-college-3104) | Homeland Security | $62,578 | $82,733 | $23,250 |
| [National University-California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/national-university-california-1825) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $66,056 | $81,299 | $25,000 |
| [Fisher College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fisher-college-957) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $48,983 | $80,136 | $26,875 |
| [George Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-washington-university-1066) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,080 | $80,070 | $19,500 |
| [Saint Mary's University of Minnesota](https://www.collegesref.com/college/saint-mary-s-university-of-minnesota-2317) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $62,842 | $79,464 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Business Continuity Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/business-continuity-planners): $83,050 median pay
- [Security Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/security-managers): $106,660 median pay
- [Security Management Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/security-management-specialists): $83,050 median pay
- [Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/health-and-safety-engineers-except-mining-safety-engineers-and-inspectors): $115,160 median pay
- [Medical and Health Services Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/medical-and-health-services-managers): $123,860 median pay
- [Management Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/management-analysts): $101,860 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.