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The national median salary for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers is $55,016 per year ($26.45/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $42,432 and $72,010 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $88,629 per year. There are approximately 25,100 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.1%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
28K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% 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
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Long-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
25K
$54,530
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
140
$91,420
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
30
$82,320
Wage range across top 5 industries: $54,530 to $91,420 (68% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.03
$33,342
P25
$20.40
$42,432
P50MEDIAN
$26.45
$55,016
P75
$34.62
$72,010
P90
$42.61
$88,629
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 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers salary?
The national median salary for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers is $55,016 per year ($26.45/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $42,432 and $72,010 annually.
How much do top-earning morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers is $88,629 per year ($42.61/hr). The 75th percentile is $72,010 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
Entry-level Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,342 per year ($16.03/hr). The 25th percentile is $42,432 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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