Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

39-4031 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. Excludes �Funeral Home Managers� (11-9171).

National estimates for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Industry profile for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Geographic profile for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

National estimates for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
24,200	2.8 %	$ 27.90	$ 58,020	1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 14.74	$ 18.90	$ 24.53	$ 34.28	$ 44.17
Annual Wage (2)	$ 30,660	$ 39,320	$ 51,030	$ 71,300	$ 91,870

Industry profile for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Death Care Services	23,910	17.42	$ 27.79	$ 57,800
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	160	0.01	$ 42.49	$ 88,390
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	40	0.00	$ 37.88	$ 78,790

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Death Care Services	23,910	17.42	$ 27.79	$ 57,800
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	160	0.01	$ 42.49	$ 88,390
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	40	0.00	$ 37.88	$ 78,790

Top paying industries for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	160	0.01	$ 42.49	$ 88,390
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	40	(7)	$ 37.88	$ 78,790
Death Care Services	23,910	17.42	$ 27.79	$ 57,800

Geographic profile for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Map of employment of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers by state, May 2023

States with the highest employment level in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	2,590	0.14	0.91	$ 25.26	$ 52,550
Ohio	1,790	0.33	2.05	$ 30.24	$ 62,900
Texas	1,150	0.08	0.53	$ 15.89	$ 33,040
New York	1,040	0.11	0.70	$ 35.08	$ 72,970
North Carolina	1,010	0.21	1.33	$ 26.41	$ 54,920

Map of location quotient of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers by state, May 2023

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Iowa	560	0.36	2.28	$ 31.13	$ 64,750
Arkansas	420	0.33	2.10	$ 21.41	$ 44,540
Ohio	1,790	0.33	2.05	$ 30.24	$ 62,900
North Dakota	130	0.32	2.02	$ 37.41	$ 77,810
Kentucky	610	0.31	1.96	$ 21.97	$ 45,700

Map of annual mean wages of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers by state, May 2023

Top paying states for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island	50	0.09	0.59	$ 40.44	$ 84,120
Minnesota	600	0.21	1.30	$ 40.38	$ 83,990
North Dakota	130	0.32	2.02	$ 37.41	$ 77,810
Delaware	80	0.16	1.02	$ 36.31	$ 75,530
Connecticut	350	0.21	1.31	$ 35.43	$ 73,690

Map of employment of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers by area, May 2023

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	1,110	0.12	0.73	$ 35.75	$ 74,360
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	910	0.15	0.93	$ 25.19	$ 52,380
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	510	0.11	0.70	$ 36.05	$ 74,990
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	320	0.12	0.73	$ 34.76	$ 72,300
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	320	0.10	0.62	$ 16.75	$ 34,840
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	320	0.17	1.04	$ 31.78	$ 66,100
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	310	0.13	0.81	$ 28.02	$ 58,290
St. Louis, MO-IL	310	0.23	1.47	$ 30.17	$ 62,750
Cleveland-Elyria, OH	310	0.31	1.94	$ 29.91	$ 62,210
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	300	0.11	0.70	$ 29.70	$ 61,770

Map of location quotient of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers by area, May 2023

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Springfield, OH	40	0.81	5.06	$ 28.24	$ 58,740
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA	110	0.56	3.50	$ 29.47	$ 61,300
Duluth, MN-WI	60	0.49	3.07	$ 35.62	$ 74,080
Florence, SC	40	0.43	2.70	$ 25.43	$ 52,900
Yakima, WA	40	0.42	2.61	$ 27.72	$ 57,660
Saginaw, MI	30	0.41	2.56	$ 30.56	$ 63,560
Canton-Massillon, OH	70	0.40	2.53	$ 27.20	$ 56,570
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	60	0.40	2.49	$ 25.68	$ 53,400
Asheville, NC	80	0.39	2.47	$ 26.77	$ 55,680
Cedar Rapids, IA	50	0.39	2.45	$ 30.95	$ 64,380

Map of annual mean wages of morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers by area, May 2023

Top paying metropolitan areas for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	280	0.15	0.93	$ 41.00	$ 85,270
Fargo, ND-MN	30	0.22	1.40	$ 38.28	$ 79,620
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT	90	0.22	1.35	$ 37.29	$ 77,570
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	510	0.11	0.70	$ 36.05	$ 74,990
Rochester, NY	60	0.12	0.74	$ 35.77	$ 74,410
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	1,110	0.12	0.73	$ 35.75	$ 74,360
Duluth, MN-WI	60	0.49	3.07	$ 35.62	$ 74,080
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	110	0.19	1.19	$ 35.49	$ 73,830
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	50	0.30	1.90	$ 35.29	$ 73,400
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	40	0.10	0.65	$ 34.84	$ 72,460

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous)	190	0.58	3.64	$ 31.46	$ 65,430
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area	120	0.48	3.00	$ 27.64	$ 57,490
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area	110	0.43	2.67	$ 31.27	$ 65,050
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	100	0.60	3.73	$ 20.64	$ 42,930
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area	90	0.38	2.38	$ 26.32	$ 54,740

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area	70	0.69	4.32	$ 29.02	$ 60,360
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area	40	0.66	4.17	$ 20.22	$ 42,060
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	40	0.66	4.13	$ 32.35	$ 67,290
Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area	80	0.60	3.76	$ 29.63	$ 61,630
Southeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area	90	0.60	3.75	$ 29.22	$ 60,780

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area	40	0.38	2.36	$ 40.97	$ 85,220
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area	80	0.53	3.31	$ 40.48	$ 84,190
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	40	0.34	2.11	$ 38.33	$ 79,720
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area	70	0.42	2.64	$ 34.57	$ 71,910
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	40	0.66	4.13	$ 32.35	$ 67,290

About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024