The median pay for Embalmers is $58,780 a year ($28.26/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 0.7% through 2035, with about 700 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
- SOC 39-4011
- Personal Care and Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Embalmer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $58,780a year, or $28.26/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $38KTop 10% $78K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +0.7%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+0.7%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +0.7% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 7003,900 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20253.9K
- Projected 20354K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 3.9K Projected 2035 4K - Typical education
- Associate'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Associate's86.4%
- Bachelor's13.6%
Highest education held by embalmers Segment Value Associate's 86.4% Bachelor's 13.6%
Also advertised as: Embalmer, Licensed Embalmer, Trade Embalmer.
Pay
How much do Embalmers make?
Every embalmer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$58,780
Middle half earn $48,010 to $66,130
- 10th
- $38,310
- 25th
- $48,010
- 75th
- $66,130
- 90th
- $77,570
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $38,310 |
| 25th | $48,010 |
| Median | $58,780 |
| 75th | $66,130 |
| 90th | $77,570 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $58,780
- Median hourly wage
- $28.26/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $58,390
- People employed
- 3,890
Versus all US occupations
At $58,780, Embalmers earn 15% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $7,800 a year.
Versus personal care and service occupations
Inside the Personal Care and Service group, where the middle occupation pays $38,120, this is 54% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $77,570 or more while the bottom 10% earn $38,310, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 31% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Ohio pays the most at $71,550, and still leads at $77,123 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Embalmers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ohio | $71,550 | $77,123 | 80 |
| 2Pennsylvania | $69,950 | $71,691 | 50 |
| 3North Carolina | $68,550 | $72,673 | 70 |
| 4Missouri | $66,490 | $73,213 | 160 |
| 5Virginia | $63,810 | $63,113 | 120 |
| 6Kansas | $63,160 | $70,125 | 120 |
| 7Indiana | $62,400 | $66,860 | N/A |
| 8South Carolina | $61,820 | $65,942 | 140 |
| 9Illinois | $61,730 | $61,756 | 60 |
| 10Rhode Island | $60,310 | $58,966 | 40 |
Job outlook
Is Embalmer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +0.7% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Embalmers | +0.7% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Embalmers to change 0.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 0 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 700 openings are projected each year, 17.9% of the 3,900 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Embalmer
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as embalmers.
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree86.4%
- Bachelor's Degree13.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 86.4% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 13.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Embalmer do?
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
Day-to-day tasks
- Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
- Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
- Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
- Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.
- Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.
- Maintain records, such as itemized lists of clothing or valuables delivered with body and names of persons embalmed.
- Wash and dry bodies, using germicidal soap and towels or hot air dryers.
- Perform special procedures necessary for remains that are to be transported to other states or overseas, or where death was caused by infectious disease.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes carry very serious consequences.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Writing3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Science2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Science | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Service Orientation3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
- Operations Monitoring2.8
- Management of Personnel Resources2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.9 |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.8 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser 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 an Embalmer?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Embalmer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| 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.
- Realistic5.8
- Conventional3.9
- Social3.4
- Enterprising2.6
- Investigative2.6
- Artistic1.6
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 Embalmer
O*NET related occupations
- Personal Care and Service
Mortician, Undertaker, and Funeral Arranger
$55,010median a year
Most earn $33K to $89K
+3.0%Associate's - Personal Care and Service
- Management
- Personal Care and Service
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
More personal care and service careers
Median annual pay, with embalmers highlighted
- Embalmer$58,780
- Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor$47,160
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Embalmer | $58,780 |
| Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor | $47,160 |
| 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 Embalmer appears on
Questions
Embalmer: frequently asked questions
How much do Embalmers make?
Embalmers earn a median of $58,780 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 15% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.26/hr. The middle half earn between $48,010 and $66,130. The top 10% earn $77,570 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Embalmer?
Usually a two-year degree rather than a four-year one. BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for Embalmers. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 86.4% hold associate's degree or other 2-year degree.
Is Embalmer a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.7% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Embalmer do?
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements. A core O*NET task: conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Spreadsheet software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Embalmers the most?
The highest state medians for Embalmers are Ohio ($71,550), Pennsylvania ($69,950), North Carolina ($68,550) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Embalmer?
O*NET scores Embalmers highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Social 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.