Embalmers
Embalmers (SOC 39-4011) earn a median $58,780 a year ($28.26 an hour) in the United States, with 3,890 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Ohio.
What embalmers do
Embalmers get bodies ready for interment in line with legal requirements. They follow health and sanitation law and make sure the legal rules for embalming are met. In the procedure they cut into an arm or thigh to drain blood and pump in embalming fluid, and they open the abdominal wall to draw out blood and waste from the organs with a trocar. Afterward they stitch incisions shut, join the lips with thread or wire, apply cosmetics so the person looks natural, dress the body, and place it in a casket. They also clean and disinfect the rooms where bodies are prepared. Anatomical embalmer, arterial embalmer, funeral embalmer, and licensed embalmer are among the titles used. People who arrange and direct funerals rather than prepare the body are coded with morticians and undertakers.
Typical entry: O*NET respondents most often report an associate degree as the usual education level (about 86 percent).
Also called: Anatomical Embalmer, Arterial Embalmer, Embalmer, Funeral Embalmer, Funeral Services Embalmer.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $18.42 | $23.08 | $28.26 | $31.80 | $37.29 | $28.07 | 3,890 |
| Annual | $38,310 | $48,010 | $58,780 | $66,130 | $77,570 | $58,390 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where embalmers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $24.30 | $25.49 | $34.40 | $36.32 | $40.59 | $32.16 | 80 | 0.02 | 0.60 |
| Annual | $50,550 | $53,020 | $71,550 | $75,540 | $84,420 | $66,900 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $19.83 | $25.96 | $33.63 | $34.18 | $34.65 | $30.44 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.32 |
| Annual | $41,250 | $53,990 | $69,950 | $71,100 | $72,060 | $63,310 | ||||
| North Carolina | Hourly | $20.45 | $21.10 | $32.96 | $34.36 | $42.14 | $30.07 | 70 | 0.02 | 0.58 |
| Annual | $42,540 | $43,890 | $68,550 | $71,480 | $87,650 | $62,550 | ||||
| Missouri | Hourly | $19.20 | $27.14 | $31.97 | $33.78 | $36.85 | $30.04 | 160 | 0.05 | 2.17 |
| Annual | $39,940 | $56,440 | $66,490 | $70,270 | $76,640 | $62,480 | ||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $21.29 | $28.97 | $30.68 | $33.97 | $35.73 | $30.45 | 120 | 0.03 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $44,280 | $60,260 | $63,810 | $70,650 | $74,310 | $63,340 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $18.73 | $23.50 | $27.57 | $29.49 | $32.19 | $26.57 | 680 | 0.05 | 1.92 |
| Annual | $38,960 | $48,880 | $57,350 | $61,330 | $66,960 | $55,260 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $22.74 | $24.39 | $28.87 | $36.47 | $38.75 | $30.07 | 520 | 0.03 | 1.14 |
| Annual | $47,310 | $50,730 | $60,060 | $75,870 | $80,590 | $62,550 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $15.48 | $23.33 | $28.93 | $29.80 | $30.99 | $26.72 | 300 | 0.03 | 1.19 |
| Annual | $32,190 | $48,520 | $60,170 | $61,990 | $64,470 | $55,570 | ||||
| Kentucky | Hourly | $14.63 | $16.78 | $23.97 | $29.37 | $33.73 | $24.84 | 280 | 0.14 | 5.61 |
| Annual | $30,440 | $34,910 | $49,860 | $61,090 | $70,150 | $51,670 | ||||
| Tennessee | Hourly | $19.16 | $23.36 | $26.52 | $28.97 | $37.11 | $26.88 | 180 | 0.05 | 2.18 |
| Annual | $39,840 | $48,600 | $55,170 | $60,260 | $77,180 | $55,910 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Hourly | $26.02 | $30.39 | $35.31 | $39.61 | $40.96 | $34.72 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.50 |
| Annual | $54,110 | $63,210 | $73,450 | $82,380 | $85,190 | $72,220 | ||||
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Hourly | $22.44 | $25.76 | $30.35 | $36.75 | $36.92 | $30.46 | 60 | 0.04 | 1.72 |
| Annual | $46,680 | $53,580 | $63,130 | $76,430 | $76,780 | $63,350 | ||||
| Columbia, SC | Hourly | $23.07 | $29.25 | $29.75 | $30.48 | $37.29 | $30.90 | 30 | 0.08 | 3.30 |
| Annual | $47,980 | $60,850 | $61,880 | $63,390 | $77,570 | $64,270 | ||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | $19.44 | $29.12 | $29.65 | $30.00 | $30.42 | $27.93 | 80 | 0.03 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $40,440 | $60,560 | $61,680 | $62,400 | $63,270 | $58,100 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $22.96 | $24.39 | $29.60 | $36.68 | $38.78 | $30.46 | 210 | 0.03 | 1.36 |
| Annual | $47,760 | $50,730 | $61,570 | $76,300 | $80,660 | $63,350 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $22.96 | $24.39 | $29.60 | $36.68 | $38.78 | $30.46 | 210 | 0.03 | 1.36 |
| Annual | $47,760 | $50,730 | $61,570 | $76,300 | $80,660 | $63,350 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $21.81 | $24.87 | $28.11 | $29.67 | $35.75 | $28.06 | 180 | 0.04 | 1.74 |
| Annual | $45,370 | $51,740 | $58,470 | $61,710 | $74,370 | $58,370 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $22.86 | $24.37 | $28.12 | $29.30 | $33.78 | $27.56 | 160 | 0.05 | 1.95 |
| Annual | $47,540 | $50,690 | $58,490 | $60,940 | $70,250 | $57,320 | ||||
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | Hourly | $16.64 | $16.78 | $21.99 | $26.59 | $32.90 | $22.64 | 80 | 0.12 | 4.71 |
| Annual | $34,600 | $34,910 | $45,740 | $55,310 | $68,440 | $47,100 | ||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | $19.44 | $29.12 | $29.65 | $30.00 | $30.42 | $27.93 | 80 | 0.03 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $40,440 | $60,560 | $61,680 | $62,400 | $63,270 | $58,100 | ||||
Top industries employing embalmers
Death Care Services employ 97.7% of embalmers nationally (3,800 jobs) at a median $58,870 a year ($28.30 an hour), followed by Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (1.0%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death Care Services NAICS 812200 | 3,800 | 97.7% | $58,870 | $28.30 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 40 | 1.0% | $52,500 | $25.24 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (3,890). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $47,780 for embalmers in May 2021 and $58,780 in May 2025, with employment of 4,070 and 3,890.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $47,780 | $22.97 | 4,070 |
| May 2022 | $49,910 | $23.99 | 3,950 |
| May 2023 | $54,090 | $26.01 | 3,380 |
| May 2024 | $56,280 | $27.06 | 3,420 |
| May 2025 | $58,780 | $28.26 | 3,890 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
28 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio profile | $34.40 | $71,550 | $50,550 | $84,420 | 80 | 0.02 | 0.60 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania profile | $33.63 | $69,950 | $41,250 | $72,060 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.32 |
| 3 | North Carolina profile | $32.96 | $68,550 | $42,540 | $87,650 | 70 | 0.02 | 0.58 |
| 4 | Missouri profile | $31.97 | $66,490 | $39,940 | $76,640 | 160 | 0.05 | 2.17 |
| 5 | Virginia profile | $30.68 | $63,810 | $44,280 | $74,310 | 120 | 0.03 | 1.13 |
| 6 | Kansas profile | $30.37 | $63,160 | $38,540 | $108,350 | 120 | 0.08 | 3.20 |
| 7 | Indiana profile | $30.00 | $62,400 | $61,270 | $65,440 | ** | ** | ** |
| 8 | South Carolina profile | $29.72 | $61,820 | $47,240 | $76,140 | 140 | 0.06 | 2.50 |
| 9 | Illinois profile | $29.68 | $61,730 | $56,490 | $75,780 | 60 | 0.01 | 0.39 |
| 10 | Rhode Island profile | $28.99 | $60,310 | $53,570 | $66,410 | 40 | 0.07 | 2.89 |
| 11 | Florida profile | $28.93 | $60,170 | $32,190 | $64,470 | 300 | 0.03 | 1.19 |
| 12 | California profile | $28.87 | $60,060 | $47,310 | $80,590 | 520 | 0.03 | 1.14 |
| 13 | Mississippi profile | $28.32 | $58,900 | $50,780 | $76,800 | 40 | 0.04 | 1.40 |
| 14 | Arkansas profile | $28.01 | $58,250 | $27,880 | $88,790 | 90 | 0.07 | 2.66 |
| 15 | Texas profile | $27.57 | $57,350 | $38,960 | $66,960 | 680 | 0.05 | 1.92 |
| 16 | Oregon profile | $27.48 | $57,170 | $45,670 | $73,390 | 70 | 0.04 | 1.51 |
| 17 | Colorado profile | $27.45 | $57,100 | $42,700 | $81,450 | 70 | 0.03 | 1.02 |
| 18 | Tennessee profile | $26.52 | $55,170 | $39,840 | $77,180 | 180 | 0.05 | 2.18 |
| 19 | Georgia profile | $26.44 | $55,000 | $40,310 | $73,640 | 50 | 0.01 | 0.43 |
| 20 | Louisiana profile | $26.39 | $54,890 | $16,940 | $88,610 | 150 | 0.08 | 3.05 |
| 21 | Massachusetts profile | $26.12 | $54,320 | $38,720 | $75,300 | 100 | 0.03 | 1.05 |
| 22 | West Virginia profile | $25.99 | $54,060 | $32,990 | $76,870 | 50 | 0.07 | 2.65 |
| 23 | Alabama profile | $25.52 | $53,080 | $20,800 | $86,900 | 90 | 0.04 | 1.63 |
| 24 | Washington profile | $24.33 | $50,610 | $39,600 | $88,900 | 40 | 0.01 | 0.41 |
| 25 | Kentucky profile | $23.97 | $49,860 | $30,440 | $70,150 | 280 | 0.14 | 5.61 |
| 26 | Oklahoma profile | $23.62 | $49,120 | $37,080 | $55,850 | 90 | 0.06 | 2.20 |
| 27 | New Mexico profile | $21.80 | $45,340 | $38,080 | $47,030 | 30 | 0.04 | 1.39 |
| 28 | Iowa profile | $18.99 | $39,490 | $31,810 | $78,420 | ** | ** | ** |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (39-4010), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Personal Care and Service Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 39-4011 Embalmers.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 39-4011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 39-4011.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.