Embalmers: Career Overview
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
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What Do Embalmers Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of embalmers span:
- Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
- Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
- Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
- Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
- Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
- Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
- Dress bodies and place them in caskets.
- Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.
Skills and Knowledge
Top embalmers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Anatomical Embalmer
- Arterial Embalmer
- Embalmer
- Funeral Embalmer
- Funeral Services Embalmer
- Licensed Embalmer
- Restorative Art Embalmer
- Trade Embalmer
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 496,805 embalmers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -3.2% over the projection horizon.
Embalmers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $35,965 |
| Hourly median | $17.29 |
| 10th percentile | $21,066 |
| 25th percentile | $28,515 |
| 75th percentile | $43,414 |
| 90th percentile | $50,863 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Embalmers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | $102,300 |
| Ohio | $76,180 |
| New York | $68,200 |
| North Carolina | $65,630 |
| Washington | $64,480 |
| Georgia | $62,840 |
| South Carolina | $60,480 |
| California | $60,040 |
| Tennessee | $60,000 |
| Colorado | $57,890 |
| Kansas | $56,930 |
| Mississippi | $56,490 |
| Virginia | $55,800 |
| Florida | $54,610 |
| Louisiana | $52,830 |
| Texas | $50,420 |
| West Virginia | $49,030 |
| Oregon | $48,090 |
| Kentucky | $47,450 |
| Missouri | $47,240 |
| Iowa | $46,950 |
| Oklahoma | $44,420 |
| Arkansas | $34,660 |
Where Embalmers Earn the Most
Pay for embalmers shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes | $76,180 | 3.0% | 0.73 |
| Middle Atlantic | $68,200 | 1.4% | 0.20 |
| Plains States | $58,886 | 8.4% | 2.87 |
| Far Western US | $58,076 | 16.2% | 1.09 |
| Rocky Mountains | $57,890 | 3.0% | 1.37 |
| Southeast | $53,133 | 48.6% | 3.37 |
| Southwest | $49,788 | 19.3% | 1.67 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Embalmers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $68,330 | 30 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $60,390 | 150 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $60,350 | 50 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $60,250 | 30 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | MO | $60,140 | 50 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | FL | $58,820 | 80 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | FL | $56,700 | 50 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | TX | $55,540 | 130 |
Which Industries Hire Embalmers
Most embalmers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 3,340 | $56,230 |
| Educational Services | 40 | $58,330 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Embalmers Use
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of embalmers reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Time Pressure
- Frequency of Decision Making
How to Become Embalmers
Most embalmers positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Funeral Home Managers (Primary-Short)
- Coroners (Primary-Long)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Supplemental)
- Respiratory Therapists (Supplemental)
- Registered Nurses (Supplemental)
- Acute Care Nurses (Supplemental)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
- Surgical Technologists (Primary-Long)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring embalmers commonly pursue programs in:
Personal and Culinary Services
2 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 39-4011.00 (Embalmers).
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