# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/morticians-undertakers-and-funeral-arrangers
- SOC code: 39-4031.00
- Career family: Personal care and service
- Median annual pay: $55,010 (10th percentile $33,350, 90th percentile $88,620)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.0%
- Openings a year: 3,000
- Typical entry education: Associate's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CES)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 43 |
| Investigative (I) | 7 |
| Artistic (A) | 13 |
| Social (S) | 57 |
| Enterprising (E) | 61 |
| Conventional (C) | 61 |

## What you'd do

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

## 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

## Also called

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

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

- [Funeral Service and Mortuary Science](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1203) (CIP 1203, 71 colleges)
- Thanatology (CIP 3053, 5 colleges)

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

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities-main-campus-2963) | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | $62,908 | $77,420 | $14,667 |
| [Mid-America College of Funeral Service](https://www.collegesref.com/college/mid-america-college-of-funeral-service-1681) | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | not reported | $67,172 | $14,757 |
| [Wayne State University-Michigan](https://www.collegesref.com/college/wayne-state-university-michigan-3181) | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | $56,637 | $62,954 | $14,500 |
| [Southern Illinois University-Carbondale](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-illinois-university-carbondale-2495) | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | $51,033 | $60,203 | $27,625 |
| [University of Central Oklahoma](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-central-oklahoma-2893) | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | $50,151 | $54,571 | $23,842 |

## Related careers

- [Funeral Attendants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/funeral-attendants): $35,680 median pay
- [Funeral Home Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/funeral-home-managers): $78,790 median pay
- [Embalmers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/embalmers): $58,780 median pay
- [Crematory Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/crematory-operators): $43,650 median pay
- [Home Health Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/home-health-aides): $35,800 median pay
- [Coroners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/coroners): $80,730 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.