Walk a family through pricing
Explain each separately priced item on the General Price List so the family can match wishes and budget.
Career profile
Funeral Director
Funeral directors help grieving families plan, then pull every part of the service together.
Everything from the obituary to the cemetery's timing starts as a family's wishes and ends as a plan you can carry out.
A day in the life
Gather details for legal records
Collect the information a death certificate or burial permit needs, and double-check every name and date.
Confirm cemetery time and transport
Confirm the cemetery slot and transport, and if times clash, rework the plan before telling the family.
Guide the visitation or service
You lead the visitation, funeral or graveside service, telling participants what comes next while honoring the family's wishes.
Quick facts
Usually an associate’s degree
United States
$55,010 a year
United States · May 2025
3% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Usually an associate’s degreeSupervised training and state licensing requirements also shape entry.
Pay
$55,010 a yearMedian employee pay, equivalent to $26.45 an hour, for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers.
Outlook
3% projected growthAbout 3,000 openings annually across this occupation, including replacement needs.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can listen without rushing someone through a difficult conversation.
- You like checking details that other people might overlook.
- You can stay composed while several people need answers.
Things to weigh
- Evenings, weekends, and on-call duties can interrupt personal plans.
- You discuss practical decisions with grieving people; staying attentive can be emotionally demanding.
Where AI may help
Some funeral software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to draft obituaries from information already entered in a case.
What people still lead
You still check the names, relationships, and wording. A fluent draft can contain altered facts.
What we can’t predict yet
How much obituary writing can safely become automatic remains uncertain when accuracy and a family's preferred tone both matter.
Pay in context
Earnings
The median is a midpoint, not a starting salary.
The national spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned below $33,350; the highest-paid 10% earned above $88,620. These are wage percentiles, not career stages.
Pay in death care services
The industry median was $54,530. When comparing offers, ask about on-call pay and the hours covered by the quoted salary.
Openings beyond new jobs
Employment is projected to grow from 26,700 to 27,500 during 2025–2035. The roughly 3,000 annual openings also include workers leaving the occupation.
Getting started
Complete qualifying college study
- What the route involves
- Choose a funeral service or mortuary science program accepted by the state where you intend to work. The American Board of Funeral Service Education accredits associate's and bachelor's programs.
- What it can lead to
- An accepted program can satisfy the educational part of your licensing route.
- What to check
- Some state-specific certificate programs do not meet other states' requirements. Verify acceptance before paying tuition.
Train in a funeral home
- What the route involves
- Complete an internship or apprenticeship with a licensed funeral director or manager, commonly lasting 1–3 years.
- What it can lead to
- This supplies the practical training needed alongside education and required examinations.
- What to check
- Training may come before, during, or after college; confirm your state's approved sequence.
Education and supervised practice usually work together. Check your state's age, examination, and licensing rules before enrolling.
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
Learn your funeral home's case records and handoffs so each family's arrangements reach the people carrying them out.
Handle more complex services
Build confidence coordinating visitations, ceremonies, and graveside services, including requests that change the usual schedule.
Lead or specialize
With experience, pursue funeral-home management.
- Specialize in advance planning, helping people arrange their own future services.
Where you can work
Full-service funeral homes
Your work moves from arrangement meetings to visitations and graveside services. You coordinate with ceremony participants and colleagues handling cemetery choices.
- Indoors
- Office
- Outdoors
Advance-planning teams
Dedicated roles focus on people planning future funerals. Community outreach and sales goals can be a substantial part of the work.
- Office
- Field work
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Open the sample General Price List in the Federal Trade Commission's [Funeral Rule guide](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-funeral-rule). Explain the basic services fee and one optional service aloud in everyday language. Notice whether you enjoy making a sensitive, complicated choice easier to understand.
Stay safe: Use the published sample; no real family's information is needed.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Funeral Service Workers. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Federal Trade Commission. Complying with the Funeral Rule. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Passare. AI Obituary Writer. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- American Board of Funeral Service Education. Directory of Accredited Programs. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. Information and Instructions for Funeral Director Licensure. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Service Corporation International. Funeral Director/Embalmer — Cleveland. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Service Corporation International. Funeral Director — Advance Planning. Accessed 2026-10-04.