Personal care and service
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 to 2035
+3%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
3,000
Time to qualify*
3 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers: 55% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
- Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
- Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
- Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
- Remove deceased remains from place of death.
- Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
- Plan, schedule, or coordinate funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services.
- Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.
Also called: Funeral Arrangement Director · Funeral Arranger · Funeral Counselor · Funeral Director · Funeral Family Service Assistant · Funeral Location Manager · Funeral Prearrangement Counselor · Licensed Funeral Director
Outlook and AI
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers held 26,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 27,500 by 2035 (+3%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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