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. Excludes “Funeral Home Managers” (11-9171).
National median · BLS
$55,010
▲ +10.46%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$58,160
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
25,100
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$33,350
25th
$42,430
Median (50th)
$55,010
75th
$72,010
90th — top pay
$88,620
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
BLS projects employment of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 3,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
26,700 → 27,500
+800 jobs
Projected change
+3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
3,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
5.2% of workers (2025)
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.
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 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers do
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.
Also called
Funeral ArrangerFuneral CounselorFuneral DirectorMorticianFuneral Arrangement DirectorFuneral Family Service AssistantFuneral Location ManagerFuneral Prearrangement CounselorLicensed Funeral DirectorLicensed Mortician
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.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $55,010.
