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The national median salary for Crematory Operators is $43,638 per year ($20.98/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,024 and $50,378 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $62,462 per year. There are approximately 2,970 crematory operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate crematory equipment to reduce human or animal remains to bone fragments in accordance with state and local regulations. Duties may include preparing the body for cremation and performing general maintenance on crematory equipment. May use traditional flame-based cremation, calcination, or alkaline hydrolysis.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.3%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
600
per year, on avg
Workforce today
3K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 3 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Death Care Services
NAICS 812200
3K
$44,100
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
NAICS 541900
140
$37,000
Other Personal Services
NAICS 812900
80
$37,220
Wage range across top 5 industries: $37,000 to $44,100 (19% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.00
$33,280
P25
$17.80
$37,024
P50MEDIAN
$20.98
$43,638
P75
$24.22
$50,378
P90
$30.03
$62,462
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average crematory operators salary?
The national median salary for Crematory Operators is $43,638 per year ($20.98/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,024 and $50,378 annually.
How much do top-earning crematory operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Crematory Operators is $62,462 per year ($30.03/hr). The 75th percentile is $50,378 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for crematory operators?
Entry-level Crematory Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,280 per year ($16.00/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,024 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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