Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers Salary: $54,815 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 25,700 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers nationally earn a mean of $54,815. Projections imply about 5.0% annual growth; much hiring sits in other services (except public administration).
Key Statistics
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers: what the data shows
Common questions about morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 39-4031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 25,700 workers.
What does a morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Working with Computers, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $49,800 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $54,815 — 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 | $36,201 |
| 25th percentile | $38,731 |
| Median (50th) | $48,511 |
| 75th percentile | $62,076 |
| 90th percentile | $78,233 |
What education do you need?
For Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers, 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 Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Coordination, Speaking, Service Orientation, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Administrative, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 27.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 62.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 25,700.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 25,700 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 25,530 | 19.9% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 25,360 | 19.8% |
| Personal and Laundry Services | 25,350 | 19.8% |
| Death Care Services | 25,350 | 19.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 180 | 0.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Embalmers | 3,420 | $56,280 |
| Funeral Attendants | 30,560 | $34,610 |
| Economists | 15,880 | $115,440 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Financial Analysts | 340,580 | $101,350 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,420 | $119,980 |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | 20,840 | $78,050 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers workforce.
Employment Over Time
25,700 Workforce in 2023
The Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$54,815 Average Wage
In 2023, Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers earned an average of $54,815.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Salary distribution for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Employment Growth Projections
5.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
12,504 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 27.6%
15,955 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 62.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 5.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
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:
- CA: 2,670 employees, $53,300 avg wage
- TX: 1,530 employees, $41,130 avg wage
- OH: 1,530 employees, $56,080 avg wage
- NY: 1,390 employees, $66,730 avg wage
- FL: 1,160 employees, $62,020 avg wage
- IL: 1,120 employees, $65,520 avg wage
- PA: 1,120 employees, $61,060 avg wage
- NC: 940 employees, $54,120 avg wage
- MO: 790 employees, $52,190 avg wage
- MI: 760 employees, $61,900 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,160 employees, $67,190 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,000 employees, $52,740 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 590 employees, $69,610 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 420 employees, $64,210 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 380 employees, $64,060 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 360 employees, $64,180 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 350 employees, $59,310 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 320 employees, $43,320 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 320 employees, $59,850 avg wage
- Pittsburgh, PA: 290 employees, $61,410 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers in 2023 was 25,700 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
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 Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers workers.
Education level distribution for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Skills
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Coordination, Speaking, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers include Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Administrative, Psychology, Sales and Marketing.
Knowledge areas required for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers include Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
Daily Activities
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.
About
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
The average yearly wage for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers was $54,815 in 2023.
SOC Code
39-4031 - Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers reports an average salary of $54,815.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 25,700 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 5.0%, 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.