SalariesWhat the occupation covers
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).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 39-4031.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $33,350 | $2,779 | $641 | $16.03 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $42,430 | $3,536 | $816 | $20.40 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $55,010 | $4,584 | $1,058 | $26.45 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $72,010 | $6,001 | $1,385 | $34.62 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $88,620 | $7,385 | $1,704 | $42.61 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers is $55,010, which is 8% higher. Among the 32 occupations of the field Personal Care and Service, it ranks number 4 by median pay. With 25,100 jobs, it makes up about 1.6 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers pay by state
The highest median pay was in Delaware ($81,530), Utah ($72,800) and Illinois ($69,600). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($25,630), Arkansas ($36,120) and South Carolina ($40,020). The most jobs were in California (2,240), Florida (1,510) and Texas (1,500). The occupation is most concentrated in South Dakota, where its share of all jobs is 2.7 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 80 | $81,530 | $84,160 | $39.20 |
| Utah | 240 | $72,800 | $70,730 | $35.00 |
| Illinois | 1,320 | $69,600 | $74,280 | $33.46 |
| New Jersey | 580 | $69,110 | $64,290 | $33.22 |
| Nebraska | 210 | $64,310 | $63,910 | $30.92 |
| Iowa | 640 | $63,700 | $66,430 | $30.63 |
| Pennsylvania | 910 | $63,580 | $66,810 | $30.57 |
| New York | 1,030 | $63,090 | $68,640 | $30.33 |
| Massachusetts | 430 | $62,120 | $64,870 | $29.86 |
| Indiana | 630 | $60,890 | $63,430 | $29.27 |
| Maine | 80 | $60,880 | $63,230 | $29.27 |
| Colorado | 320 | $60,850 | $70,690 | $29.26 |
| North Carolina | 1,000 | $60,730 | $62,110 | $29.20 |
| Michigan | 810 | $60,450 | $60,660 | $29.06 |
| Idaho | 160 | $60,250 | $66,720 | $28.97 |
| North Dakota | 110 | $59,760 | $66,650 | $28.73 |
| Connecticut | 300 | $59,710 | $65,810 | $28.71 |
| Washington | 400 | $59,700 | $61,710 | $28.70 |
| Kansas | 230 | $58,580 | $57,780 | $28.16 |
| Wisconsin | 580 | $58,250 | $62,190 | $28.01 |
| Maryland | 500 | $58,060 | $64,930 | $27.92 |
| Ohio | 1,370 | $57,800 | $58,870 | $27.79 |
| New Hampshire | 80 | $57,630 | $72,360 | $27.71 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $55,570 | $59,020 | $26.71 |
| Rhode Island | 40 | $55,420 | $79,510 | $26.64 |
| California | 2,240 | $50,750 | $56,130 | $24.40 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $50,380 | $52,280 | $24.22 |
| Georgia | 780 | $49,990 | $54,720 | $24.03 |
| Minnesota | 500 | $49,760 | $60,600 | $23.92 |
| Vermont | 40 | $48,740 | $54,620 | $23.43 |
| Oregon | 220 | $48,630 | $52,500 | $23.38 |
| Florida | 1,510 | $48,510 | $53,820 | $23.32 |
| Mississippi | 320 | $48,350 | $47,360 | $23.24 |
| West Virginia | 180 | $47,960 | $50,310 | $23.06 |
| South Dakota | 200 | $47,840 | $55,200 | $23.00 |
| Oklahoma | 380 | $47,780 | $56,510 | $22.97 |
| Louisiana | 440 | $46,730 | $49,500 | $22.47 |
| Texas | 1,500 | $46,630 | $45,600 | $22.42 |
| Hawaii | 150 | $46,310 | $44,740 | $22.27 |
| Tennessee | 550 | $46,180 | $49,080 | $22.20 |
| Alabama | 420 | $44,930 | $45,850 | $21.60 |
| Nevada | 280 | $43,940 | $43,160 | $21.13 |
| Montana | 110 | $43,680 | $52,050 | $21.00 |
| Kentucky | 470 | $43,320 | $43,130 | $20.83 |
| Missouri | 790 | $42,940 | $51,390 | $20.64 |
| Arizona | 360 | $41,870 | $44,350 | $20.13 |
| South Carolina | 400 | $40,020 | $50,420 | $19.24 |
| Arkansas | 360 | $36,120 | $41,510 | $17.37 |
| Puerto Rico | 70 | $25,630 | $25,630 | $12.32 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
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Common questions
How much do Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers earn in the United States?
The median pay was $55,010 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,350 and the highest-paid 10% more than $88,620.
How many people work as Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers?
About 25,100 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.