Quick answer: Emergency Management Directors in the Philadelphia area earn a median $103,120 per year, above the national median of $93,330, and the metro employs about 170 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Philadelphia metro | Pennsylvania | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $103,120 | $81,550 | $93,330 |
| 10th percentile | $69,730 | $54,800 | $54,210 |
| 25th percentile | $85,700 | $62,350 | $67,910 |
| 75th percentile | $135,920 | $103,220 | $126,490 |
| 90th percentile | $172,160 | $135,870 | $166,430 |
| Employment | 170 | 520 | 13,500 |
| Location quotient | 0.67 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan statistical area.
The Philadelphia median of $103,120 is above the national median of $93,330, and above the Pennsylvania statewide median of $81,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.67 means emergency management directors are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Emergency management is a small, largely public-sector field, so openings follow agency budgets and hazard profile rather than the private labor market.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | $76,940 | 110 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Emergency management is not licensed. The recognized credential is certification, principally the Certified Emergency Manager from IAEM, and the federal training framework runs through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. Most positions sit with state, county and municipal agencies, whose own hiring standards vary.
See the Pennsylvania licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with IAEM and the agencies you are targeting.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.
Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
The median annual wage for emergency management directors in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is $103,120, above the national median of $93,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area employs about 170 emergency management directors (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Emergency management is not licensed. The recognized credential is certification, principally the Certified Emergency Manager from IAEM, and the federal training framework runs through FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. Most positions sit with state, county and municipal agencies, whose own hiring standards vary. Confirm current requirements with IAEM and the agencies you are targeting.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies IAEM and the agencies you are targeting.
The Philadelphia metro median is $103,120 against a statewide median of $81,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
