Occupation salary profile

Embalmers

SOC 39-4011 BLS OEWS May 2025

Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.

National median · BLS
$58,780
▲ +4.44% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$58,390
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
3,890
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Embalmers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$38,310
25th$48,010
Median (50th)$58,780
75th$66,130
90th — top pay$77,570

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Embalmers

BLS projects employment of embalmers to grow 0.7% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
3,900 → 4,000
+0 jobs
Projected change
+0.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need an associate's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Embalmers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Service Orientation3.1
  • Social Perceptiveness3.1
  • Time Management3.1
  • Writing3.1
  • Active Learning3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.7
  • Chemistry3.6
  • Psychology3.6
  • English Language3.5
  • Law and Government3.4
  • Biology3.2
  • Administration and Management3.2
  • Administrative3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft WordBelmar & Associates MortwareCorel WordPerfect Office SuiteCustom Data Systems Sterling Management SoftwareFPA Software MACCSHMIS AdvantageTwin Tier Technologies MIMSWeb browser software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What embalmers do

  • Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
  • Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
  • Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
  • Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
  • Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
  • Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
  • Dress bodies and place them in caskets.
  • Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.
Also called
EmbalmerLicensed EmbalmerTrade Embalmer
More job titles for this occupation (5)
Anatomical EmbalmerArterial EmbalmerFuneral EmbalmerFuneral Services EmbalmerRestorative Art Embalmer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.