Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $42,430–$72,010. 25,100 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
37% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $52,473.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 3,000 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology Services And Culinary Arts | 25% | — |
| General Business | 7% | Business |
| Business Management And Administration | 6% | Business Administration |
| Psychology | 5% | Psychology |
| Biology | 5% | Biology |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 4% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 4% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Anthropology And Archeology | 4% | Anthropology |
| General Engineering | 3% | Engineering |
| Animal Sciences | 3% | Animal Sciences |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Delaware | $81,530 |
| Utah | $72,800 |
| Illinois | $69,600 |
| New Jersey | $69,110 |
| Nebraska | $64,310 |
| Iowa | $63,700 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,580 |
| New York | $63,090 |
| Massachusetts | $62,120 |
| Indiana | $60,890 |
| Maine | $60,880 |
| Colorado | $60,850 |
| North Carolina | $60,730 |
| Michigan | $60,450 |
| Idaho | $60,250 |
| North Dakota | $59,760 |
| Connecticut | $59,710 |
| Washington | $59,700 |
| Kansas | $58,580 |
| Wisconsin | $58,250 |
| Maryland | $58,060 |
| Ohio | $57,800 |
| New Hampshire | $57,630 |
| Wyoming | $55,570 |
| Rhode Island | $55,420 |
| California | $50,750 |
| New Mexico | $50,380 |
| Georgia | $49,990 |
| Minnesota | $49,760 |
| Vermont | $48,740 |
| Oregon | $48,630 |
| Florida | $48,510 |
| Mississippi | $48,350 |
| West Virginia | $47,960 |
| South Dakota | $47,840 |
| Oklahoma | $47,780 |
| Louisiana | $46,730 |
| Texas | $46,630 |
| Hawaii | $46,310 |
| Tennessee | $46,180 |
| Alabama | $44,930 |
| Nevada | $43,940 |
| Montana | $43,680 |
| Kentucky | $43,320 |
| Missouri | $42,940 |
| Arizona | $41,870 |
| South Carolina | $40,020 |
| Arkansas | $36,120 |
| PR | $25,630 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$49,190
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$48,540
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$50,530
- Jacksonville$47,620
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$46,240
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$48,940
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$56,210
- Gainesville$45,020
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$60,440
- Richmond$59,340
- Roanoke$56,370
- Kingsport-Bristol$45,440
- Lynchburg$59,870
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$50,490
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$60,310
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$48,830
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$49,070
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$50,700
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$63,160
- Fresno$48,010
- Bakersfield-Delano$48,540
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Empathy
- Integrity
- Self-Control
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading), Social (helping) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers: questions
How much do morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers make?
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers earn a U.S. median $55,010 a year; the middle half earn $42,430 to $72,010 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $52,793 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 3.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,000 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arranger?
BLS lists the typical entry education as associate's degree. In O*NET's survey, 11% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is cosmetology Services And Culinary Arts (25%).
How much do morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $48,510 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $55,010 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 39-4031. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/morticians-undertakers-and-funeral-arrangers.