Emergency management is the process of planning for, responding to, and mitigating the effects of emergencies—anything from natural disasters to man-made emergencies like bomb threats. The field encompasses a broad number of job titles, and while you might be most familiar with emergency management through OSHA or FEMA, the field encompasses much more.
Sarah K. Miller, MPA, CEM, Emergency Management Professional and Crisis Manager, wants people to know one thing: This industry isn’t like what you see on TV.
“You know, there’s an emergency manager and he orders that a building be blown up to stop the lava flow from an erupting volcano… It’s very dramatic and it’s not what we do. We all get a good kick out of it, but it is not who we are,” she said.
Instead people in emergency management spend their time doing things like planning evacuations for hurricanes or educating communities about how to create an emergency plan for their families. They might work as disaster recovery managers, cybersecurity specialists or compliance consultants.
“It really, really varies… in terms of how often your disasters happen and the kinds of disasters you have,” Miller said.
Where do emergency managers work?
Job opportunities in the emergency management field are varied and widely available, and while many in the field do have the title of “emergency manager”, different organizations prefer different terminology such as risk, safety, or business-continuity managers.
“If you can think of an industry, there’s somebody in that industry who has emergency management. The larger the organization, the more likely you’re going to find someone with that title,” Miller said, adding that some companies lump this role into titles like risk management, safety or business continuity.
Nearly every public health department in a state or county has at least one employee dedicated to emergency management.
Critical infrastructure providers:
This includes power, water, and gas.
Healthcare organizations:
Hospitals and long-term care facilities are required to have emergency preparedness employees to maintain accreditation and to qualify for Medicare reimbursement.
Nonprofits:
Nonprofits can benefit from emergency managers regardless of whether that nonprofit works in disaster relief. The Red Cross is a well-known nonprofit that employs emergency managers.
Educational organizations:
School districts and higher education institutions hire emergency managers to protect students and staff.
When do emergency management departments get involved?
Emergency
Responders
Response
Earthquake
Safety officers, rescue workers, engineers, first responders FEMA, the Red Cross
Prepare for aftershocks, rescue and provide medical care for trapped individuals, restore utilities, repair damaged buildings
Flood
State and local response agencies, first responders, FEMA, the Red Cross
Rescue and provide medical care for trapped individuals, remove or protect against common hazards (such as downed electrical lines), restore utilities
Forest fire
The U.S. Forest Service, the Department of the Interior (DOI), first responders, particularly firefighters, FEMA, the Red Cross
Evacuate the area affected, put out the fire, remove or protect against common hazards (such as carbon monoxide poisoning), restore utilities, rebuild as needed
Bomb threat
Private sector security, state and local law enforcement, first responders
There are four phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. While these are widely recognized as the four phases of disaster management, Miller explains that managing emergencies is a constant loop and there may be overlap between these phases.
“In that preparedness piece, we’re also looking at what are the bad things, what can we do to keep them from being so bad—things like building levees, reinforcing homes against earthquakes. We also do that on the tail end of recovery as we’re rebuilding,” she said.
1 Preparedness: In this phase, emergency managers are thinking about the kind of disasters that might happen. They spend time training people and practicing for the real event. As an individual, preparedness could be making a disaster kit and creating an evacuation plan for your family and pets.
2 Response: When the emergency occurs (or is about to occur), response comes into play. “We’re starting to evacuate people, we’re putting systems in place to support them,” Miller said. First responders, such as police and firefighters, will likely be involved at this point. The goal of the response stage is to deal with the immediate aftereffects.
3 Recovery: Recovery is about getting back to some sense of normality—figuring out how to make individuals and communities whole again. This could involve rebuilding homes that burned down or getting businesses back up and running.
4 Mitigation: The final phase of disaster management is mitigation, where actions are taken to reduce the impact of the next disaster.
Emergency management median annual salary
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies salaries for this type of job under the category of Emergency Management Directors. In 2023, the median pay for this position was $83,960 per year. As with any career, salaries in the field vary widely depending on factors including education, experience, location and more.
Emergency Management Directors
National data
Median Salary: $83,960
Projected job growth: 3.3%
10th Percentile: $50,340
25th Percentile: $62,630
75th Percentile: $112,190
90th Percentile: $151,560
Projected job growth: 3.3%
State data
State
Median Salary
Bottom 10%
Top 10%
Alabama
$64,210
$36,860
$117,460
Alaska
$84,970
$59,590
$192,130
Arizona
$69,140
$52,710
$126,560
Arkansas
$47,370
$33,990
$92,490
California
$118,240
$77,510
$200,460
Colorado
$104,590
$75,330
$167,860
Connecticut
$105,580
$58,740
$157,790
District of Columbia
$176,450
$119,920
$183,500
Florida
$95,830
$53,030
$163,120
Georgia
$74,470
$43,410
$130,490
Idaho
$82,550
$55,590
$208,860
Illinois
$85,580
$54,600
$133,020
Indiana
$61,690
$47,800
$79,000
Iowa
$62,650
$47,840
$94,090
Kansas
$61,440
$39,090
$104,960
Kentucky
$65,750
$39,480
$126,270
Louisiana
$81,120
$60,670
$146,410
Maine
$74,160
$48,480
$109,030
Maryland
$106,350
$64,440
$180,420
Massachusetts
$101,870
$69,750
$174,180
Michigan
$80,960
$57,330
$126,600
Minnesota
$90,490
$64,390
$144,830
Mississippi
$45,680
$36,050
$76,590
Missouri
$73,070
$43,380
$127,690
Montana
$58,560
$39,670
$99,790
Nebraska
$75,440
$56,130
$128,360
Nevada
$76,820
$52,340
$144,500
New Hampshire
$70,110
$47,070
$110,390
New Jersey
$117,000
$85,340
$161,930
New Mexico
$108,150
$57,600
$172,930
New York
$89,080
$61,260
$163,780
North Carolina
$78,640
$58,340
$125,980
North Dakota
$75,160
$56,440
$103,940
Ohio
$85,740
$54,460
$156,420
Oklahoma
$60,150
$35,980
$131,390
Oregon
$106,730
$66,840
$118,880
Pennsylvania
$76,750
$50,590
$121,820
Rhode Island
$90,060
$65,270
$149,360
South Carolina
$75,330
$50,980
$118,620
South Dakota
$58,030
$48,310
$92,330
Tennessee
$69,990
$49,480
$131,230
Texas
$94,170
$58,000
$147,890
Utah
$72,580
$53,830
$109,980
Vermont
$70,300
$50,460
$96,710
Virginia
$81,220
$57,240
$151,160
Washington
$124,860
$84,080
$179,230
West Virginia
$61,510
$44,760
$93,540
Wisconsin
$75,640
$51,530
$103,910
Wyoming
$58,920
$46,590
$82,180
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2023 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.
Rural areas tend to pay less, while larger organizations in more populous metropolitan areas might pay more due to their higher cost of living expenses. Miller uses Seattle as an example: While the average salary for emergency management staff members in the greater Seattle area is high, “our housing costs are ridiculous… You need to do the math.”
How do emergency management salaries compare?
Professions similar to Emergency Management Directors include Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, and Health and Safety Engineers.
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
aim to prevent disease and injury caused by chemical, physical, biological, or ergonomic factors. They do this by analyzing work environments and procedures to ensure employees are following laws and regulations. The median annual salary is very close to the median salary for Emergency Management Directors.
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
collect data on work environments for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists to analyze. Technicians implement and evaluate risk management programs.
Health and Safety Engineers
focus on making workplaces safer. They work with industrial processes, mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and industrial health and safety laws. This career earns a higher median salary than Emergency Management Directors.
Career
Median Annual Salary
Emergency Management Directors
$83,960
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
$81,140
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
$57,920
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
$103,690
Professional resources
If you’re interested in working in emergency management, use these resources to learn more about the field:
International Association of Emergency Managers. IAEM is a nonprofit educational organization that provides information, networking, and development opportunities.
#AEMO. This LinkedIn hashtag stands for Aspiring Emergency Managers Online. People use this tag to share information with aspiring emergency managers.
The Dukes of Hazards. The Dukes of Hazards is a self-described “irreverent but useful” podcast about disaster response, emergency management, mobilization culture, community resilience, and life in emergency operations.
