Funeral Home Managers: Career Overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes.
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What Do Funeral Home Managers Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of funeral home managers cover:
- Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
- Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations.
- Deliver death certificates to medical facilities or offices to obtain signatures from legally authorized persons.
- Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.
- Monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws.
- Direct and supervise work of embalmers, funeral attendants, death certificate clerks, cosmetologists, or other staff.
- Complete and maintain records, such as state-required documents, tracking documents, or product inventories.
- Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful funeral home managers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Funeral Home Managers Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Advanced Planning Director
- Arranging Funeral Director
- Funeral Counselor
- Funeral Director
- Funeral Home Director
- Funeral Home GM (Funeral Home General Manager)
- Funeral Home Location Manager
- Funeral Home Manager
Employment and Demand
There are about 214,981 funeral home managers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -0.7% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Funeral Home Managers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $179,553 |
| Hourly median | $86.32 |
| 10th percentile | $113,973 |
| 25th percentile | $146,763 |
| 75th percentile | $212,344 |
| 90th percentile | $245,134 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | $125,660 |
| Minnesota | $103,360 |
| Maryland | $100,420 |
| Rhode Island | $98,540 |
| South Dakota | $96,980 |
| Pennsylvania | $94,000 |
| New Hampshire | $93,920 |
| Virginia | $92,320 |
| Washington | $91,760 |
| Georgia | $90,670 |
| Massachusetts | $90,430 |
| Michigan | $90,330 |
| Utah | $89,060 |
| Illinois | $85,420 |
| New Jersey | $82,830 |
| Wisconsin | $82,440 |
| Oregon | $81,500 |
| South Carolina | $80,410 |
| California | $79,040 |
| Montana | $78,650 |
| Louisiana | $78,220 |
| New York | $78,150 |
| Colorado | $77,860 |
| Iowa | $77,530 |
| Ohio | $76,820 |
| Tennessee | $76,720 |
| North Dakota | $76,600 |
| Florida | $75,860 |
| North Carolina | $75,330 |
| Maine | $72,710 |
| Indiana | $70,210 |
| Mississippi | $66,990 |
| Alabama | $65,020 |
| Oklahoma | $64,710 |
| Nebraska | $63,550 |
| Nevada | $62,510 |
| Texas | $62,180 |
| Missouri | $61,760 |
| Hawaii | $60,800 |
| New Mexico | $60,530 |
| West Virginia | $60,150 |
| Kansas | $59,600 |
| Arkansas | $57,980 |
| Arizona | $52,150 |
| Kentucky | $50,840 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for funeral home managers vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $97,168 | 4.7% | 1.33 |
| Middle Atlantic | $85,090 | 15.5% | 1.10 |
| Rocky Mountains | $83,725 | 2.5% | 0.89 |
| Great Lakes | $80,824 | 14.4% | 1.18 |
| Far Western US | $76,592 | 7.9% | 0.58 |
| Plains States | $74,068 | 9.8% | 1.64 |
| Southeast | $72,975 | 29.8% | 1.44 |
| Southwest | $61,183 | 15.3% | 1.22 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Funeral Home Managers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $132,420 | 30 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $104,740 | 110 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $103,290 | 100 |
| Madison, WI | WI | $101,120 | 40 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $100,580 | 60 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | MD | $100,380 | 150 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | WI | $99,330 | 90 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | MI | $99,040 | 130 |
Industry Breakdown
The bulk of funeral home managers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 13,030 | $76,890 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Funeral Home Managers Use
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The on-the-job environment of funeral home managers reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Education and Training
Typical funeral home managers positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare (Supplemental)
- Medical and Health Services Managers (Supplemental)
- Social and Community Service Managers (Primary-Short)
- Coroners (Supplemental)
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (Supplemental)
- Rehabilitation Counselors (Supplemental)
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers (Supplemental)
- Patient Representatives (Primary-Long)
Degree Programs
Future funeral home managers commonly pursue programs in:
Personal and Culinary Services
3 programs across 1 majors
Sources
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: 11-9171.00 (Funeral Home Managers).
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