SOC 39-4031.00

    Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

    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.

    Median pay
    $55,010
    Growth
    +3.0%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    3,000
    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
    $33,350
    Median
    $55,010
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $88,620
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    25,100 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers coordinate and direct funeral services to help families honor the deceased. This career employs 25,100 people and offers a median annual pay of $55,010.

    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 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    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.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career manage the practical and emotional details of planning a funeral. On a daily basis, they interview family members to gather information and arrange specific service details. This involves selecting pallbearers, coordinating with religious officials, and organizing transportation for both the deceased and the mourners. The work requires handling and moving objects, scheduling activities, and documenting important information.

    Success in this role relies heavily on a conventional interest area, which means structured and orderly tasks. Strong active listening, social perceptiveness, and service orientation are vital skills for understanding the needs of grieving families. Because workers must assist and care for others during difficult times, they need deep knowledge of customer and personal service, psychology, and philosophy and theology. Essential work styles include empathy, sincerity, self-control, and high stress tolerance. Additionally, administrative, management, and English language knowledge help these professionals keep services organized and running smoothly.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, individuals typically need an associate's degree. This career is classified under medium preparation, which frequently involves vocational training, an associate degree, or related on-the-job experience. Students preparing for this career often major in funeral service and mortuary science, or thanatology.

    Professional credentials can help candidates establish their qualifications. Available certifications include the Crematory Operations Certification Program from the Cremation Association of North America, as well as the National Board Examination administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so requirements can vary depending on the location of practice.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for these professionals is $55,010. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $33,350 and the highest 10% earning more than $88,620.

    Between the years 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in 3,000 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    43 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    7 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    13 / 100
    Social (S)
    57 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    61 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    61 / 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 CES. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    92
    Getting Information
    89
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    88
    Documenting/Recording Information
    87
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    86
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    84
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    84
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    84
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    83
    Handling and Moving Objects
    81
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

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

    Knowledge

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

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Information Ordering
    • Near Vision
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Fluency of Ideas
    • Selective Attention

    Work styles

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

    Also called

    Arranger · Cemetery Manager · Certified Mortician · Embalmer · Funeral Arrangement Director · Funeral Arranger · Funeral Counselor · Funeral Director · Funeral Family Service Assistant · Funeral Location Manager

    Career pathway

    From your interests to morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

    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

      • Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers$55,010 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 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers 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
    • Thanatology

    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 9, 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 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers

    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 are some alternative job titles for this career?

    Workers in this field are also called funeral directors, funeral arrangers, cemetery managers, certified morticians, funeral counselors, and funeral family service assistants.

    What college majors are most relevant to this field?

    Students typically prepare for this career by majoring in funeral service and mortuary science, or thanatology.

    What are the key certifications available for funeral arrangers?

    Two recognized credentials are the Crematory Operations Certification Program and the National Board Examination. Some states also list a license for this profession.

    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 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.