Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
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.
Also called: Funeral Arrangement Director · Funeral Arranger · Funeral Counselor · Funeral Director · Funeral Family Service Assistant · Funeral Location Manager
Median pay (national)
$49,800
$31,470–$85,940 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
25,700
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+3.1%
~3,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
Associate's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $85,940 versus $31,470 at the bottom 10% — 2.7x. The median of $49,800 leaves roughly 73% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +3.1% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 3,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 50 states with released data, Delaware pays the most for this role (median $80,290, +61% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $22,620 — a 255% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
- Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
- Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.
- Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
- Discuss and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients.
- Provide or arrange transportation between sites for the remains, mourners, pallbearers, clergy, or flowers.
- Plan placement of caskets at funeral sites or place or adjust lights, fixtures, or floral displays.
- Clean funeral home facilities and grounds.
- Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
- Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Salesforce software
- Belmar & Associates Mortware
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Custom Data Systems Sterling Management Software
- FPA Software MACCS
- FuneralKiosk
- HMIS Advantage
- iCIMS Talent Cloud software
- Twin Tier Technologies MIMS
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics
- Sales and Marketing