# Coroners

> Direct activities such as autopsies, pathological and toxicological analyses, and inquests relating to the investigation of deaths occurring within a legal jurisdiction to determine cause of death or to fix responsibility for accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/coroners
- SOC code: 13-1041.06
- Career family: Business and finance
- Median annual pay: $80,730 (10th percentile $48,220, 90th percentile $133,720)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.8%
- Openings a year: 32,700
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Compliance officers".

## Interest profile (code ICE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 51 |
| Investigative (I) | 66 |
| Artistic (A) | 8 |
| Social (S) | 35 |
| Enterprising (E) | 52 |
| Conventional (C) | 64 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 96/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 95/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 94/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 91/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 91/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 88/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 88/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 85/100)
- Processing Information (importance 85/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 81/100)

## Skills

Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving

## Knowledge

English Language, Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Administration and Management, Biology, Education and Training, Administrative, Public Safety and Security, Computers and Electronics

## Also called

Autopsy Facilities Manager, Certified Medical Examiner, Coroner, Coroner Investigator, County Coroner, Death Investigator, Examiner, Forensic Medical Examiner, Forensic Pathologist, MDI (Medicolegal Death Investigator)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Criminal Justice and Corrections](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4301) (CIP 4301, 1,742 colleges)
- [Health and Medical Administrative Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5107) (CIP 5107, 1,585 colleges)
- [Natural Resources Conservation and Research](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0301) (CIP 0301, 1,081 colleges)
- [Public Health](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5122) (CIP 5122, 836 colleges)
- [Human Resources Management and Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5210) (CIP 5210, 758 colleges)
- [Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0302) (CIP 0302, 204 colleges)
- Environmental Geosciences (CIP 3041, 17 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | Health and Medical Administrative Services | not reported | $143,686 | $11,000 |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Human Resources Management and Services | $74,192 | $112,713 | $12,000 |
| [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill-main-campus-2990) | Health and Medical Administrative Services | $44,456 | $110,204 | not reported |
| [Northwestern University-Illinois](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northwestern-university-illinois-1966) | Human Resources Management and Services | $98,392 | $108,498 | not reported |
| [Calumet College of Saint Joseph](https://www.collegesref.com/college/calumet-college-of-saint-joseph-380) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,078 | $106,465 | $20,417 |
| [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-main-campus-2956) | Human Resources Management and Services | $69,663 | $99,594 | $20,596 |
| [George Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-washington-university-1066) | Human Resources Management and Services | $58,393 | $97,126 | $20,000 |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Human Resources Management and Services | $66,527 | $96,354 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Police Identification and Records Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/police-identification-and-records-officers): $93,790 median pay
- [Detectives and Criminal Investigators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/detectives-and-criminal-investigators): $93,790 median pay
- [Medical Records Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/medical-records-specialists): $51,140 median pay
- [Forensic Science Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/forensic-science-technicians): $72,060 median pay
- [Physicians, Pathologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physicians-pathologists): $312,400 median pay
- [Private Detectives and Investigators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/private-detectives-and-investigators): $51,220 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.