SOC 11-9171.00

    Funeral Home Managers

    Plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes.

    Median pay
    $78,790
    Growth
    +4.1%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    2,600
    Typical education
    Associate's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $49,700
    Median
    $78,790
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $156,400
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    13,910 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Funeral home managers coordinate the services, staff, and facilities of funeral homes, including setting prices for merchandise and services. This career offers a median annual pay of $78,790.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What funeral home managers do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    Plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career handle the daily business operations and public-facing services of funeral homes. They spend their time planning and prioritizing work, making decisions, and solving problems. Because they work directly with the public during difficult times, managers must assist and care for others with empathy, sincerity, and self-control. Strong active listening, social perceptiveness, and service orientation skills help them understand the needs of grieving families.

    On the business side, managers coordinate staff, organize schedules, and handle administrative duties. This requires knowledge of administration, personnel resources, economics, accounting, and sales. They must also understand psychology to support clients, and biology for mortuary aspects of the facility. Common work styles for this role include dependability, integrity, cooperation, and high stress tolerance. This occupation strongly appeals to people with enterprising interests who enjoy leading teams and managing business goals.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, individuals typically need an associate's degree. The career falls under a medium preparation level, which commonly involves vocational training, an associate degree, or related work experience. Students preparing for this career typically major in funeral service and mortuary science.

    Several professional credentials can help candidates establish their qualifications. These include the National Board Examination from the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards, the Certified Preplanning Consultant credential from the National Funeral Directors Association, and the Cremation Arranger Certification from the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so candidates should check local guidelines.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for funeral home managers is $78,790. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $49,700 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $156,400.

    There are 13,910 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 4.1 percent, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in approximately 2,600 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    30 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    22 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    15 / 100
    Social (S)
    56 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    90 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    59 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ECS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    95
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    92
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    90
    Getting Information
    90
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    88
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    86
    Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
    86
    Thinking Creatively
    85
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    84
    Performing Administrative Activities
    83
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Service Orientation
    • Active Listening
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Management of Personnel Resources
    • Speaking
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Administration and Management
    • English Language
    • Administrative
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Psychology
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Biology

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Empathy
    • Cooperation
    • Sincerity
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Attention to Detail
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Social Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance

    Also called

    Advanced Planning Director · Arranging Funeral Director · Funeral Counselor · Funeral Director · Funeral Home Director · Funeral Home GM (Funeral Home General Manager) · Funeral Home Location Manager · Funeral Home Manager · Funeral Home Owner · Funeral Sales Manager

    Career pathway

    From your interests to funeral home managers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Funeral Home Managers$78,790 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Main Campus

      Minneapolis, MN · Funeral Service and Mortuary Science · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $62,908
      4 yrs after
      $77,420
      Median debt
      $14,667
    2. 2Mid-America College of Funeral Service logo
      Mid-America College of Funeral Service

      Jeffersonville, IN · Funeral Service and Mortuary Science · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $67,172
      Median debt
      $14,757
    3. 3Wayne State University-Michigan logo
      Wayne State University-Michigan

      Detroit, MI · Funeral Service and Mortuary Science · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $56,637
      4 yrs after
      $62,954
      Median debt
      $14,500
    4. 4
      Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

      Carbondale, IL · Funeral Service and Mortuary Science · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $51,033
      4 yrs after
      $60,203
      Median debt
      $27,625
    5. 5University of Central Oklahoma logo
      University of Central Oklahoma

      Edmond, OK · Funeral Service and Mortuary Science · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $50,151
      4 yrs after
      $54,571
      Median debt
      $23,842

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What funeral home managers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Funeral Direction/Service
    • Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General
    • Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    48 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about funeral home managers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What college majors are recommended for funeral home managers?

    Students preparing for this career typically major in funeral service and mortuary science. This educational path provides the necessary foundation in business management, psychology, and biology.

    Are there professional certifications available for this career?

    Yes, several certifications are available, including the Certified Preplanning Consultant, the Cremation Arranger Certification, and the National Board Examination. Additionally, some states list a license for this work.

    What is the job outlook for funeral home managers?

    Employment is projected to grow by 4.1 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to generate about 2,600 job openings each year.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.