The median pay for Crematory Operators is $43,650 a year ($20.98/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.1% through 2035, with about 500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 39-4012
- Personal Care and Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Crematory Operator in four numbers
- Median pay
- $43,650a year, or $20.98/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $33KTop 10% $62K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.1%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 5003,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20253K
- Projected 20353.1K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 3K Projected 2035 3.1K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Pay
How much do Crematory Operators make?
Every crematory operator in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$43,650
Middle half earn $37,020 to $50,380
- 10th
- $33,270
- 25th
- $37,020
- 75th
- $50,380
- 90th
- $62,460
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $33,270 |
| 25th | $37,020 |
| Median | $43,650 |
| 75th | $50,380 |
| 90th | $62,460 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $43,650
- Median hourly wage
- $20.98/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $45,670
- People employed
- 2,970
Versus all US occupations
At $43,650, Crematory Operators earn 14% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $7,330 a year.
Versus personal care and service occupations
Inside the Personal Care and Service group, where the middle occupation pays $38,120, this is 15% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $62,460 or more while the bottom 10% earn $33,270, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 10% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Wisconsin pays the most at $64,220, and still leads at $68,250 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Crematory Operators the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wisconsin | $64,220 | $68,250 | N/A |
| 2Massachusetts | $56,050 | $52,999 | 30 |
| 3Washington | $53,580 | $50,069 | 70 |
| 4Colorado | $52,060 | $50,518 | 70 |
| 5Delaware | $50,320 | $50,417 | 30 |
| 6Arizona | $49,970 | $49,634 | 40 |
| 7California | $49,780 | $44,960 | 240 |
| 8Pennsylvania | $47,980 | $49,174 | 140 |
| 9Connecticut | $47,160 | $45,517 | 100 |
| 10Kansas | $46,490 | $51,617 | 50 |
Job outlook
Is Crematory Operator a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Crematory Operators | +3.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Crematory Operators to change 3.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 500 openings are projected each year, 16.7% of the 3,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Crematory Operator
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Crematory Operator do?
Operate crematory equipment to reduce human or animal remains to bone fragments in accordance with state and local regulations. Duties may include preparing the body for cremation and performing general maintenance on crematory equipment. May use traditional flame-based cremation, calcination, or alkaline hydrolysis.
Day-to-day tasks
- Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment.
- Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced.
- Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing.
- Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased.
- Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
- Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner.
- Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis.
- Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Crematory Operator?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Crematory Operator |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.0
- Conventional4.4
- Social2.7
- Investigative2.1
- Enterprising1.5
- Artistic1.5
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Crematory Operator
O*NET related occupations
- Personal Care and Service
- Personal Care and Service
Mortician, Undertaker, and Funeral Arranger
$55,010median a year
Most earn $33K to $89K
+3.0%Associate's - Management
- Personal Care and Service
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Business and Financial Operations
More personal care and service careers
Median annual pay, with crematory operators highlighted
- Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor$47,160
- Crematory Operator$43,650
- Concierge$38,950
- Tour Guide and Escort$38,120
- Hairstylist$35,790
- Manicurist and Pedicurist$35,760
- Nanny$34,980
- Childcare Worker$34,980
- Gambling Dealer$34,320
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor | $47,160 |
| Crematory Operator | $43,650 |
| Concierge | $38,950 |
| Tour Guide and Escort | $38,120 |
| Hairstylist | $35,790 |
| Manicurist and Pedicurist | $35,760 |
| Nanny | $34,980 |
| Childcare Worker | $34,980 |
| Gambling Dealer | $34,320 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Crematory Operator appears on
Questions
Crematory Operator: frequently asked questions
How much do Crematory Operators make?
Crematory Operators earn a median of $43,650 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 14% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $20.98/hr. The middle half earn between $37,020 and $50,380. The top 10% earn $62,460 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Crematory Operator?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Crematory Operators. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.
Is Crematory Operator a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.1% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Crematory Operator do?
Operate crematory equipment to reduce human or animal remains to bone fragments in accordance with state and local regulations. A core O*NET task: clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Spreadsheet software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Crematory Operators the most?
The highest state medians for Crematory Operators are Wisconsin ($64,220), Massachusetts ($56,050), Washington ($53,580) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Crematory Operator?
O*NET scores Crematory Operators highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.