Embalmers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for embalmers in the U.S. is $58,780 ($28.26 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $58,780
- Mean annual wage
- $58,390
- Median hourly wage
- $28.26
- Employment
- 3,890
3,890 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,310 | $18.42 |
| 25th percentile | $48,010 | $23.08 |
| Median (50th) | $58,780 | $28.26 |
| 75th percentile | $66,130 | $31.80 |
| 90th percentile | $77,570 | $37.29 |
Highest-paying states for embalmers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $71,550 | 80 |
| Pennsylvania | $69,950 | 50 |
| North Carolina | $68,550 | 70 |
| Missouri | $66,490 | 160 |
| Virginia | $63,810 | 120 |
| Kansas | $63,160 | 120 |
| Indiana | $62,400 | — |
| South Carolina | $61,820 | 140 |
| Illinois | $61,730 | 60 |
| Rhode Island | $60,310 | 40 |
Lowest-paying states
- Iowa: $39,490 median annual wage
- New Mexico: $45,340 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $49,120 median annual wage
- Kentucky: $49,860 median annual wage
- Washington: $50,610 median annual wage
About this occupation
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
Typical tasks
- Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.
- Assist with placing caskets in hearses and organize cemetery processions.
- Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
- Direct casket and floral display placement and arrange guest seating.
- Assist coroners at death scenes or at autopsies, file police reports, and testify at inquests or in court, if employed by a coroner.
- Attach trocar to pump-tube, start pump, and repeat probing to force embalming fluid into organs.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Associate's degree
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 4.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 26.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 22.5% |
| Associate's degree | 17.5% |
| Bachelor's degree | 21.6% |
| Master's degree | 6.5% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.6% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.