Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$55,010

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$42,430 – $72,010

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

25,100

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

3,000

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Associate's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.

Main tasks

• Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
• Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
• Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
• Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
• Remove deceased remains from place of death.
• Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
• Plan, schedule, or coordinate funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services.
• Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Associate's degree

Training once hired: long-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 4 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Funeral Home Managers

  $78,790 median · +4.1% projected

• Embalmers

  $58,780 median · +0.7% projected

• Crematory Operators

  $43,650 median · +3.1% projected

• Home Health Aides

  $35,800 median · +18.1% projected

• Personal Care Aides

  $35,800 median · +18.1% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

  $48,590 median · +6.3% projected