Pay by state · 47 states
Emergency Management Director Salary by State (2026)
Emergency Management Directors earn the most in District of Columbia at $184,350 a year and the least in Mississippi at $48,650 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $93,330. All 47 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $184,350District of Columbia
- National median
- $93,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $48,650Mississippi
- States reporting
- 47of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Emergency Management Director salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of emergency management directors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $184,350 | $141,710 | $195,190 | 150 | $167,742 |
| 2 | NMNew Mexico | $145,550 | $97,990 | $172,370 | 170 | $157,843 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $130,780 | $108,740 | $158,160 | 180 | $122,209 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $129,910 | $105,320 | $163,130 | 1,170 | $117,332 |
| 5 | COColorado | $129,660 | $103,630 | $136,930 | N/A | $125,820 |
| 6 | MAMassachusetts | $123,250 | $97,490 | $159,640 | 220 | $116,541 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $120,990 | $96,180 | $124,090 | 490 | $111,199 |
| 8 | CTConnecticut | $113,380 | $87,150 | $143,040 | 180 | $109,430 |
| 9 | OROregon | $110,720 | $99,180 | $131,940 | 120 | $107,120 |
| 10 | MDMaryland | $107,200 | $85,890 | $146,810 | 150 | $102,135 |
| 11 | MNMinnesota | $106,880 | $87,980 | $135,200 | 190 | $108,374 |
| 12 | NVNevada | $105,570 | $74,690 | $151,660 | 60 | $105,592 |
| 13 | AKAlaska | $101,850 | $75,370 | $132,630 | 120 | $99,503 |
| 14 | VAVirginia | $99,860 | $79,420 | $132,530 | 450 | $98,770 |
| 15 | IDIdaho | $99,720 | $85,230 | $126,940 | 80 | $104,425 |
| 16 | FLFlorida | $99,020 | $72,060 | $137,820 | 720 | $95,751 |
| 17 | LALouisiana | $96,550 | $72,110 | $118,500 | 180 | $109,458 |
| 18 | OHOhio | $94,690 | $69,650 | $123,910 | 250 | $102,065 |
| 19 | NCNorth Carolina | $93,840 | $78,010 | $118,920 | 420 | $99,485 |
| 20 | SCSouth Carolina | $93,680 | $67,390 | $128,050 | 330 | $99,926 |
| 21 | TXTexas | $93,570 | $69,920 | $130,620 | 1,210 | $96,407 |
| 22 | NYNew York | $92,570 | $78,830 | $124,500 | 790 | $85,776 |
| 23 | NENebraska | $89,740 | $64,610 | $121,880 | 120 | $99,597 |
| 24 | MIMichigan | $87,880 | $68,340 | $112,410 | 220 | $91,335 |
| 25 | RIRhode Island | $87,690 | $78,540 | $134,410 | 30 | $85,735 |
| 26 | UTUtah | $84,860 | $66,000 | $98,220 | 170 | $85,835 |
| 27 | MEMaine | $84,050 | $80,070 | $107,200 | 80 | $86,605 |
| 28 | ILIllinois | $83,820 | $61,910 | $125,530 | 450 | $83,855 |
| 29 | GAGeorgia | $83,200 | $63,840 | $110,190 | 430 | $86,403 |
| 30 | AZArizona | $81,970 | $66,040 | $102,820 | 160 | $81,419 |
| 31 | TNTennessee | $81,800 | $63,930 | $103,390 | 370 | $89,039 |
| 32 | PAPennsylvania | $81,550 | $62,350 | $103,220 | 520 | $83,579 |
| 33 | NHNew Hampshire | $77,420 | $69,470 | $103,880 | 50 | $74,324 |
| 34 | WIWisconsin | $77,260 | $64,340 | $95,750 | 240 | $82,109 |
| 35 | NDNorth Dakota | $76,640 | $65,220 | $94,960 | 80 | $86,152 |
| 36 | MOMissouri | $75,660 | $52,070 | $101,690 | 310 | $83,310 |
| 37 | KYKentucky | $74,730 | $44,990 | $93,100 | 150 | $82,887 |
| 38 | HIHawaii | $74,290 | $66,720 | $113,940 | 90 | $67,566 |
| 39 | IAIowa | $73,700 | $59,520 | $89,560 | 130 | $83,977 |
| 40 | KSKansas | $68,000 | $58,720 | $90,870 | 140 | $75,499 |
| 41 | SDSouth Dakota | $67,180 | $51,270 | $81,590 | 120 | $75,836 |
| 42 | WYWyoming | $64,370 | $59,650 | $76,450 | 50 | $69,446 |
| 43 | MTMontana | $62,770 | $56,050 | $79,830 | 90 | $66,322 |
| 44 | OKOklahoma | $60,990 | $48,330 | $84,160 | 310 | $69,431 |
| 45 | WVWest Virginia | $60,460 | $49,990 | $75,690 | 120 | $67,555 |
| 46 | ARArkansas | $50,180 | $40,100 | $65,890 | 160 | $57,720 |
| 47 | MSMississippi | $48,650 | $42,160 | $70,660 | 230 | $55,950 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Emergency Management Directors, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $184,350, while District of Columbia leads once prices are taken into account at $167,742.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Emergency Management Director pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Emergency Management Directors the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Emergency Management Directors at $184,350 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Mexico ($145,550) and Washington ($130,780).
Which state pays Emergency Management Directors the least?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Emergency Management Directors at $48,650 a year, $135,700 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Emergency Management Directors earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $167,742 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $184,350. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.