Embalmers
Median $58,780
Occupation · SOC 39-4012
Crematory Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What crematory operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$43,650 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $45,670
- Median hourly wage
- $20.98
- Mean hourly wage
- $21.96
- Employment
- 2,970
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-4012.
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See where your pay falls among crematory operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do crematory operators make?
The median annual wage for crematory operators was $43,650 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,270 and the highest-paid 10% more than $62,460. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.98. About 2,970 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Wisconsin ($64,220), Massachusetts ($56,050) and Washington ($53,580). Wisconsin also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for crematory operators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,270 | $16.00 | $2,773 | $2,409 |
| 25th percentile | $37,020 | $17.80 | $3,085 | $2,660 |
| Median | $43,650 | $20.98 | $3,638 | $3,104 |
| 75th percentile | $50,380 | $24.22 | $4,198 | $3,555 |
| 90th percentile | $62,460 | $30.03 | $5,205 | $4,364 |
Crematory Operators: pay by state
24 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$54,708 take-home in national prices
2
$41,960 take-home in national prices
3
$41,902 take-home in national prices
Where a median crematory operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | Not published | $64,220 | $48,460 | $71,270 | $51,477 | $54,708 |
| Massachusetts | 30 | $56,050 | $43,370 | $59,520 | $44,376 | $41,960 |
| Washington | 70 | $53,580 | $46,740 | $65,650 | $44,488 | $41,573 |
| Colorado | 70 | $52,060 | $37,440 | $72,300 | $42,199 | $40,949 |
| Delaware | 30 | $50,320 | $46,400 | $52,660 | $40,295 | $40,372 |
| Arizona | 40 | $49,970 | $39,410 | $57,770 | $41,475 | $41,196 |
| California | 240 | $49,780 | $44,030 | $67,190 | $40,505 | $36,583 |
| Pennsylvania | 140 | $47,980 | $34,520 | $57,190 | $39,225 | $40,201 |
| Connecticut | 100 | $47,160 | $43,390 | $71,040 | $37,965 | $36,642 |
| Kansas | 50 | $46,490 | $38,500 | $59,170 | $37,740 | $41,902 |
| Nevada | 80 | $46,190 | $36,070 | $56,020 | $39,294 | $39,302 |
| West Virginia | 30 | $43,840 | $41,670 | $59,990 | $36,221 | $40,472 |
| Ohio | 60 | $43,530 | $36,190 | $47,990 | $36,403 | $39,238 |
| Illinois | 190 | $41,740 | $36,520 | $47,120 | $33,797 | $33,811 |
| North Carolina | 150 | $41,350 | $34,020 | $49,710 | $34,264 | $36,325 |
| Michigan | 130 | $40,970 | $30,310 | $53,090 | $33,609 | $34,930 |
| Indiana | 190 | $40,650 | $36,420 | $61,580 | $33,673 | $36,079 |
| Florida | 320 | $38,710 | $36,480 | $47,480 | $33,283 | $32,185 |
| Kentucky | 50 | $37,740 | $32,150 | $50,990 | $31,301 | $34,717 |
| Oregon | 100 | $37,020 | $31,200 | $50,990 | $29,499 | $28,540 |
| Tennessee | Not published | $35,880 | $34,580 | $38,380 | $31,010 | $33,754 |
| Iowa | Not published | $35,120 | $33,610 | $44,330 | $29,716 | $33,860 |
| Alabama | 40 | $33,840 | $32,270 | $49,540 | $28,017 | $31,543 |
| Texas | 270 | $33,270 | $29,790 | $50,690 | $28,912 | $29,789 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-4012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.