Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

39k

Average Age

48.7

Estimated Job Growth

−1.88%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$57,746

Average Male Salary

$62,693

Average Female Salary

$44,916

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 $57,746 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors by wage are Electricians, Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers, and Interior designers.

Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are part of the Personal Care & Service Occupations, along with Supervisors of personal care and service workers, Animal trainers, Nonfarm animal caretakers, Gaming services workers, Ushers, lobby attendants, & ticket takers, and 15 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are Garland, Hot Spring, Clark & Montgomery Counties PUMA, AR, Robertson, Dickson, Cheatham & Hickman Counties PUMA, TN, and Nueces CountyCorpus Christi City (Outer) PUMA, TX. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are Garland, Hot Spring, Clark & Montgomery Counties PUMA, AR, Nueces CountyCorpus Christi City (Outer) PUMA, TX, and Crawford & Warren Counties PUMA, PA.

Photo by Beth Walsh

Service Occupations Personal Care & Service Occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors and on wages and locations 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 . Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are paid most in West Chester Borough PUMA, PA but are relatively concentrated in Garland, Hot Spring, Clark & Montgomery Counties PUMA, AR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$57,746

AVERAGE SALARY

± $6,168

In 2020, Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors earned an average of $57,746, $1,792 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Electricians make somewhat more than Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors while Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.387

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.387, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors, by number of employees, are Funeral homes, & cemeteries & crematories , Other personal services, and Drycleaning & laundry services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors, by average wage, are Funeral homes, & cemeteries & crematories , Other personal services, and Drycleaning & laundry services.

Industries by Share

39k

2020 Workforce

± 4,847

5.57%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 16.9%

The number of people employed as Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors has been growing at a rate of 5.57%, from 36,927 people in 2019 to 38,984 people in 2020.

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 98%, followed by Other personal services with 0.392% and Drycleaning & laundry services with 0.187%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in the US. The average age of male Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors in the workforce is 50.7 and of female Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors is 43.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

28.1k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,118

10.8k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 2,557

72.2% of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

79.3% of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 11.1% of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors.

Age by Sex

50.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.17

43.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 3.43

The median age of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors is 48.7, and Male employees are generally 6.96 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors hold a major in Personal & Culinary Services.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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, and Service Orientation. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Morticians, undertakers, & funeral directors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Management of Material Resources, and Social Perceptiveness.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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 3.71%, but Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers are expected to see a growth of −1.88% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less 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.

−1.88%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.