Confirm identity and embalming permission
Confirm who the person is and that embalming permission exists before any prep work starts.
Career profile
Embalmer
Embalmers preserve, restore and carefully present bodies for viewing by mourners and for burial.
In one preparation room, you might run an embalming pump, then mold wax to rebuild part of a face. It joins anatomy with fine handwork.
A day in the life
Pump in preserving fluid
You operate the embalming pump to push preserving fluid into the body, handling the deceased directly.
Restore a damaged appearance
When damage changes how the person looks, mold restorative wax and apply makeup for mourners to see.
Dress and casket the person
Dress the person, style their hair, and lay them in the casket.
Clean tools and count supplies
Clean your tools and check remaining chemicals and supplies, so the room is ready for another case.
Quick facts
Associate's degree
United States
$58,780/year
United States · May 2025
0.7% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Associate's degreeA typical educational starting point is a funeral-service or mortuary-science program.
Pay
$58,780/yearNational median for embalmers, equivalent to $28.26 an hour.
Outlook
0.7% growthEmployment is projected to change little, with about 700 openings annually.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy precise handwork and noticing small differences in shape or color.
- You check names and paperwork carefully, even during familiar routines.
- You can handle deceased people respectfully while concentrating on a practical task.
Things to weigh
- Preservative chemicals can expose you to formaldehyde. Ventilation, exposure monitoring and protective equipment are part of the workplace.
- Moving bodies is physically demanding; lifting equipment and safe handling practices matter.
- Working closely with death can be emotionally difficult, even when you find the work worthwhile.
Where AI may help
Some embalming pumps automatically shut off when their fluid runs out, taking over a narrow equipment check.
What people still lead
You still handle the body and judge the result of restoration and cosmetic work.
What we can’t predict yet
How much future equipment can adapt preparation to an individual body's condition remains uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is $58,780 a year, or $28.26 an hour. It is a midpoint across employed embalmers, not a starting offer.
See the national spread
The 10th-percentile annual wage is $38,310 and the 90th-percentile wage is $77,570. These describe lower and upper portions of the wage distribution, not career stages.
Read an offer in hours as well as dollars
The annual and hourly medians describe the occupation nationally. Your actual annual earnings depend on the rate and hours in your job.
Look beyond growth alone
Employment is projected to grow 0.7% over 2025–2035, with about 700 openings per year on average. Openings include replacing workers who leave the occupation.
Getting started
Complete qualifying mortuary-science study
- What the route involves
- Choose a program accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE). Study anatomy, chemistry, embalming, restorative art and funeral-service law.
- What it can lead to
- Graduation from an accredited program provides a route to eligibility for the National Board Examination (NBE).
- What to check
- Confirm that the specific program meets the licensing requirements of the state where you want to work.
Enter a registered apprenticeship
- What the route involves
- In California, apply for apprentice registration with an approved funeral establishment and a qualified licensed supervisor. The application requires high-school completion, age eligibility and a background review.
- What it can lead to
- The work builds qualifying experience: California requires at least two years of apprenticeship and assistance with at least 100 embalmings.
- What to check
- This is a California example. Time attending mortuary college counts toward California's apprenticeship only if you are also a full-time funeral-establishment employee.
School and supervised experience are connected parts of entry. Check your intended state's embalmer rules before choosing a program or apprenticeship.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
Make identity checks, room upkeep and preparation routines dependable.
Build restorative skill
Develop your ability to restore damaged features and judge cosmetic results across different cases.
Specialize in anatomical embalming
An experienced embalmer can pursue work preparing donated bodies for medical study, learning the preservation, storage and laboratory routines that setting requires.
Where you can work
Funeral-home preparation room
Your work prepares someone for viewing and casketing. Some roles also include transporting the deceased and receiving funeral-home supplies, so the day extends beyond the preparation table.
- Indoors
- Vehicle
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Medical-school anatomy program
You preserve and store donated bodies for teaching laboratories. Donor records, tracking remains and preparing lab materials become central parts of the work.
- Indoors
- Lab
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Using ordinary modeling clay and a non-graphic reference photo, shape an ear or nose, then compare its contours with the photo. Notice whether you enjoy slow, precise corrections—one small part of restorative work.
Stay safe: Use craft materials only. This explores visual patience, not readiness to handle human remains.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Embalmers — 39-4011.00. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — national estimates, SOC 39-4011. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2 — 2025–2035, SOC 39-4011. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. Information and Instructions for Embalmer Licensure. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. Application for Certificate of Registration as an Apprentice Embalmer. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- American Board of Funeral Service Education. Directory of Accredited Programs. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- American Board of Funeral Service Education. Frequently Asked Questions — Funeral Service Curriculum. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Service Corporation International. Embalmer Apprentice — Smith & Williams Funeral Home/Kempsville. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Formaldehyde Exposure and Ergonomic Hazards in the Embalming/Funeral Home Industry. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Mopec. Porti-Boy Embalming Machines. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- University of Washington. Embalmer — Job Classification. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- McGovern Medical School. Human Structure Facility. Accessed 2026-10-10.