Embalmers
Job Zone 3 - Medium preparation needed
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
Median pay: $58,780/yr (U.S. national, May 2025)
Typical range nationwide (10th–90th percentile). This is a population snapshot, not a personal prediction - actual pay varies by location, employer, and experience.
Job outlook: +1.3% projected growth, 2024–2034 — about as fast as average.
About 600 openings per year, on average, over the decade.
Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS and Employment Projections.
• 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.
What's the median pay for Embalmers?
The median pay for Embalmers is $58,780 per year, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What's the job outlook for Embalmers?
Employment for Embalmers is projected to change +1.3% from 2024 to 2034 - about as fast as average.
What education is typically required for Embalmers?
Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
How many job openings are there each year for Embalmers?
About 600 openings per year, on average, over the decade.