Coroners

Coroners direct crucial death investigation activities, including autopsies, pathological tests, and toxicological analyses. On a daily basis, these professionals gather and process information, document their findings, and solve complex problems to determine how a death occurred. The role requires identifying objects and events, working with computers, and keeping professional knowledge up to date.

Strong communication is essential, as coroners must share information with supervisors, colleagues, and external parties, while also interacting directly with the public. Key skills for this career include critical thinking, active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, and social perceptiveness.

This investigative work demands a solid understanding of biology, medicine, law, government, and public safety. To succeed, coroners must display high integrity, dependability, stress tolerance, and extreme attention to detail. They must also remain cautious and maintain self-control in challenging situations.

To enter this field, candidates typically need a bachelor's degree, though the career is classified under a medium preparation level where vocational training, an associate degree, or related work experience is common.

Students interested in this career often major in fields such as criminal justice and corrections, public health, health and medical administrative services, or natural resources conservation and research. Other relevant majors include human resources management and services, environmental geosciences, and environmental or natural resources management and policy.

Depending on where you plan to practice, some states list a license for this work. This career is closely related to roles like forensic science technicians, pathologists, detectives, and medical records specialists.

The median annual pay for coroners is $80,730, though this figure is for the broader compliance officers occupational group. Within this group, the lowest 10 percent earn less than $48,220, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $133,720.

There are 417,070 people employed in this broader category. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3.8 percent, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth and turnover are expected to result in approximately 32,700 job openings each year.