Embalmers Salary: $64,863 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 3,420 embalmers nationally earn a mean of $64,863. Employment in the series shown fell about 14% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Embalmers: what the data shows
Common questions about embalmers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a embalmers?
Embalmers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 39-4011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 3,420 workers.
What does a embalmers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a embalmers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $56,280 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $64,863 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,445 |
| 25th percentile | $56,584 |
| Median (50th) | $61,747 |
| 75th percentile | $77,184 |
| 90th percentile | $81,174 |
What education do you need?
For Embalmers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Writing, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry, Psychology, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is embalmers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -26.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -46.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 3,420.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do embalmerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 3,420 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 3,390 | 19.9% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 3,340 | 19.6% |
| Personal and Laundry Services | 3,340 | 19.6% |
| Death Care Services | 3,340 | 19.6% |
| Educational Services | 70 | 0.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Embalmers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers | 25,700 | $49,800 |
| Funeral Attendants | 30,560 | $34,610 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Embalmers workforce.
Employment Over Time
3,420 Workforce in 2023
The Embalmers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Embalmers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$64,863 Average Wage
In 2023, Embalmers earned an average of $64,863.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Embalmers.
Salary distribution for Embalmers.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
793 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -26.6%
582 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -46.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Embalmers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Embalmers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Embalmers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Embalmers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -2.0% growth (Current: $80,915)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Embalmers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Embalmers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 510 employees, $53,180 avg wage
- CA: 360 employees, $63,070 avg wage
- FL: 300 employees, $54,380 avg wage
- KY: 290 employees, $43,410 avg wage
- LA: 240 employees, $58,270 avg wage
- VA: 150 employees, $53,600 avg wage
- KS: 130 employees, $56,240 avg wage
- TN: 110 employees, $59,040 avg wage
- SC: 100 employees, $68,750 avg wage
- OR: 90 employees, $49,940 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Embalmers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 150 employees, $64,380 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 140 employees, $54,270 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 130 employees, $58,870 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 80 employees, $57,100 avg wage
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN: 60 employees, $49,030 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 60 employees, $53,370 avg wage
- Kansas City, MO-KS: 50 employees, $60,020 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 50 employees, $55,040 avg wage
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 50 employees, $51,500 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 50 employees, $62,380 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Embalmers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Embalmers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Embalmers in 2023 was 3,420 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Embalmers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Embalmers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Embalmers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Embalmers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Embalmers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Embalmers workers.
Education level distribution for Embalmers.
Skills
Embalmers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Writing, Time Management, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Embalmers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Embalmers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Embalmers include Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry, Psychology, English Language, Law and Government.
Knowledge areas required for Embalmers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Embalmers include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Embalmers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Embalmers.
Daily Activities
Embalmers spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Embalmers.
About
Embalmers
The average yearly wage for Embalmers was $64,863 in 2023.
SOC Code
39-4011 - Embalmers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Embalmers reports an average salary of $64,863.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 3,420 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.