← All careers

Social Services

Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

Perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.

Median salary (BLS)

$55,010

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$33k – $89k

Job outlook

+3% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $87,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Associate degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$8,200–$23,000

Time to qualify

3 yr

Renewal

$75/yr

  1. 1

    Associate degree (community college)

    Degree

    Two years at in-district rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $4,050/yr, plus ~$1,200/yr books & supplies.

    $8,000–$22,000 · 2 years source

  2. 2

    State license — supervised hours + exam

    License

    Most counseling and social-work roles (LCSW/LPC pattern) require supervised experience hours and a state exam.

    $200–$1,000 · 12 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

    Entry / Junior

    $33,350

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

    Established

    $55,010

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

    Senior

    $71,815

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
  • •Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
  • •Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
  • •Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
  • •Remove deceased remains from place of death.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Social Services

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.