Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

40.2k

Average Age

48.6

Estimated Job Growth

3.27%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$66,280

Average Male Salary

$74,326

Average Female Salary

$51,676

About

Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are most often employed by the Funeral homes, & cemeteries & crematories industry. The average yearly wage for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors was $66,280 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are Coordinating & Development Corporation 3--Bossier & Webster Parishes PUMA, LA, Robertson & Sumner Counties--Springfield & Portland cities PUMA, TN, and West Central Arkansas PUMA, AR. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are Coordinating & Development Corporation 3--Bossier & Webster Parishes PUMA, LA, Lauderdale, Colbert & Franklin Counties PUMA, AL, and Jackson County (North Central) PUMA, MO.

Photo by Beth Walsh

Service Occupations Personal Care & Service Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workforce. Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workforce in 2024 was 40,240 people, of which 35.5% were women and 64.5% were men.

Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are paid most in Monmouth County (Southeast)--Long Branch, Asbury Park & Eatontown PUMA, NJ but are relatively concentrated in Coordinating & Development Corporation 3--Bossier & Webster Parishes PUMA, LA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

25,946

Male Workforce

± 3.95k

14,294

Female Workforce

± 2.94k

The Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workforce in 2024 was 40,240 people (35.5% women and 64.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 12.6% between 2014 (35,748) and 2024 (40,240).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were New York ($86,735), Rhode Island ($83,040), and Missouri ($81,241).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$66,280

AVERAGE WAGE

#177 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors earned an average of $66,280, $3,597 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.356

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.356, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors and on wages for those in the field. Funeral homes, & cemeteries & crematories is the industry that employs the most Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors, by average wage, is Funeral homes, & cemeteries & crematories ($66,500).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

40.2k

2024 Workforce

± 4,924

−0.26%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 17.3%

This graphic shows the share of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors employed by various industries. Funeral homes, & cemeteries & crematories employs the largest share of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors at 99.6%, followed by Other personal services with 0.443%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in the US. The workforce of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in 2024 was 40,240 people, with 35.5% woman, and 64.5% men. The average age of male Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in the workforce is 51.6 and of female Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors is 43.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in 2024 was 40,240 people, with 35.5% woman, and 64.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 50 to 54 years (4,763 people), 60 to 64 years (4,096 people), and 55 to 59 years (4,072 people). Among them they concentrated 32.3% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 7.42% of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workers were Hispanic and 92.6% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (70%), Puerto Rican (25.7)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (4.24)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 79.5% of the Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workforce were White, of which 34.6% were women and 65.4% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (7.02%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Personal & Culinary Services.

Among the necessary skills for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors, Social Perceptiveness stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (3,556 people), Personal & Culinary Services (2,686 people), and Education (994 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workers were Associates Degree (14,123 people), Bachelors Degree (10,959 people), and Some college (8,195 people).

The graphic shows the Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Service Orientation.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers are expected to see a growth of 3.27% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers.

3.27%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.