You may see one funeral director job advertised near $40,000 and another above $80,000 and wonder whether they are really the same career. Often, they are not. Job title, management duties, location, experience, ownership status, and on-call expectations can all change a mortician funeral director salary substantially.
Using the most recent national wage data available, the median salary for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers was $55,010 per year in May 2025. The average, or mean, was $58,160. Funeral home managers earned considerably more, with a median of $78,790 and an average of $92,840. Understanding the difference between these categories is essential when evaluating a job offer or planning a career.
How Much Does a Mortician or Funeral Director Make?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups most funeral directors under “morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers.” For this group, the median annual wage of $55,010 works out to approximately $4,584 per month before taxes or $26.45 per hour.
Pay varies widely across the profession. In May 2025, the lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $33,350 annually, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $88,620. The federal career profile for funeral service workers provides the latest national wage ranges and employment projections.
A median is not the same as an average. The median represents the midpoint: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The mean adds all reported wages and divides them by the number of workers. Higher salaries at the upper end can pull the mean above the median, which is why salary sources sometimes publish different “average” figures.
Why Funeral Home Managers Earn More
A funeral director generally works directly with families and coordinates individual services. A funeral home manager oversees the larger operation. Depending on the business, management responsibilities may include staffing, scheduling, budgeting, regulatory compliance, marketing, inventory, facilities, and community relations.
The median funeral home manager salary was $78,790 in May 2025, equal to about $6,566 per month or $37.88 per hour. The lowest 10 percent earned below $49,700, while the highest 10 percent earned more than $156,400.
Reaching management usually requires several years of funeral directing experience. Business, leadership, and financial skills may be as important as technical funeral-service knowledge. Some managers also own the funeral home, although business-owner income does not fit neatly into standard salary statistics. Owners may receive wages, profits, or both, but they also assume operating costs and financial risk.
Which Work Settings Pay the Most?
Funeral home management
Moving into management is one of the clearest paths to higher earnings. In the death care services industry, funeral home managers had a median annual wage of $78,810 in May 2025, compared with $54,530 for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers in the same broad industry.
Government and educational institutions
A small number of funeral service professionals work in government agencies, medical examiner systems, mortuary science programs, or colleges. Published wage data have often shown relatively strong pay in government and higher-education settings. However, these positions are uncommon and may require specialized experience, teaching credentials, administrative skills, or additional education.
Large or multi-location organizations
Larger funeral service companies may offer clearer promotion paths, specialized departments, and formal benefit packages. A director who becomes a location manager, regional manager, compliance specialist, or operations leader may earn more than someone handling only individual arrangements. Compensation depends on the employer, service volume, and scope of responsibility.
Self-employment and ownership
Ownership can create the highest income potential, but it does not guarantee a high salary. Revenue must cover staff wages, vehicles, property, insurance, preparation-room equipment, merchandise, licensing, and other expenses. Established businesses in strong markets may be profitable, while new or low-volume funeral homes can face considerable financial pressure.
What Else Affects a Mortician Funeral Director Salary?
- Experience: Licensed directors with a strong record of handling services independently often earn more than interns or newly licensed employees.
- Location: Wages vary by state and metropolitan area, but higher pay may be offset by housing, transportation, and other living costs.
- Licenses and qualifications: Employers may value professionals who are licensed as both funeral directors and embalmers or qualified to oversee crematory operations.
- On-call responsibilities: Evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday availability may affect compensation, although employers structure on-call pay differently.
- Business development: Directors who build community relationships, arrange prepaid services, or take on leadership duties may have greater advancement potential.
- Employer size: Small family-owned homes and national organizations may offer different combinations of salary, bonuses, benefits, autonomy, and promotion opportunities.
Education and Licensing Requirements
An associate degree in funeral service or mortuary science is the typical entry-level education. Programs generally cover funeral directing, grief counseling, ethics, business law, embalming, and restorative techniques. Some employers prefer a bachelor’s degree, particularly for management or corporate positions.
Most states and Washington, DC, require funeral service workers to be licensed, while Colorado offers voluntary certification. Common requirements include completing an approved education program, passing state or national examinations, and serving an internship or apprenticeship lasting one to three years. Requirements vary, so prospective students should confirm the rules with the licensing board in the state where they intend to work.
Students comparing this profession with related roles can also review these career opportunities in funeral home jobs to understand how directing, embalming, administration, crematory work, and funeral attendance differ.
Career Outlook Through 2035
Employment of funeral service workers overall is projected to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers is projected to grow 3 percent, while funeral home manager employment is projected to increase 4 percent.
Approximately 5,600 openings for funeral service workers are expected each year on average. Many will result from retirements and workers moving into other careers rather than newly created positions.
Cremation may limit demand for some elements of traditional funeral service because it can require fewer resources. Even so, families still need professionals to coordinate cremations, memorial events, documentation, transportation, and prearranged services. Adaptability across traditional burial, cremation, personalized memorials, and business operations should remain valuable.
Is the Salary Worth the Work?
Salary is only one part of this career decision. Funeral directors often work full time, remain on call, and handle evenings, weekends, holidays, and emotionally demanding situations. They may need to organize several services quickly while communicating calmly with grieving families.
For people with compassion, attention to detail, emotional steadiness, and strong organizational skills, the work can provide a stable and meaningful career. Entry-level earnings may be modest in some markets, but experience, dual licensing, management responsibility, specialization, and ownership can significantly increase long-term earning potential.
