Crematory Operators
Median $43,650
Occupation · SOC 39-4011
Embalmers: pay and where the jobs are
What embalmers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$58,780 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $58,390
- Median hourly wage
- $28.26
- Mean hourly wage
- $28.07
- Employment
- 3,890
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-4011.
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How much do embalmers make?
The median annual wage for embalmers was $58,780 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,310 and the highest-paid 10% more than $77,570. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.26. About 3,890 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Ohio ($71,550), Pennsylvania ($69,950) and North Carolina ($68,550). Ohio also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for embalmers 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 | $38,310 | $18.42 | $3,193 | $2,747 |
| 25th percentile | $48,010 | $23.08 | $4,001 | $3,396 |
| Median | $58,780 | $28.26 | $4,898 | $4,117 |
| 75th percentile | $66,130 | $31.80 | $5,511 | $4,610 |
| 90th percentile | $77,570 | $37.29 | $6,464 | $5,283 |
Embalmers: pay by state
28 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
$62,131 take-home in national prices
2
$58,818 take-home in national prices
3
$58,127 take-home in national prices
Where a median embalmer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 80 | $71,550 | $50,550 | $84,420 | $57,641 | $62,131 |
| Pennsylvania | 50 | $69,950 | $41,250 | $72,060 | $55,843 | $57,233 |
| North Carolina | 70 | $68,550 | $42,540 | $87,650 | $54,829 | $58,127 |
| Missouri | 160 | $66,490 | $39,940 | $76,640 | $53,417 | $58,818 |
| Virginia | 120 | $63,810 | $44,280 | $74,310 | $50,596 | $50,044 |
| Kansas | 120 | $63,160 | $38,540 | $108,350 | $50,204 | $55,741 |
| Indiana | Not published | $62,400 | $61,270 | $65,440 | $50,507 | $54,117 |
| South Carolina | 140 | $61,820 | $47,240 | $76,140 | $50,069 | $53,408 |
| Illinois | 60 | $61,730 | $56,490 | $75,780 | $48,869 | $48,890 |
| Rhode Island | 40 | $60,310 | $53,570 | $66,410 | $48,331 | $47,254 |
| Florida | 300 | $60,170 | $32,190 | $64,470 | $50,527 | $48,859 |
| California | 520 | $60,060 | $47,310 | $80,590 | $48,014 | $43,366 |
| Mississippi | 40 | $58,900 | $50,780 | $76,800 | $47,882 | $55,067 |
| Arkansas | 90 | $58,250 | $27,880 | $88,790 | $47,316 | $54,426 |
| Texas | 680 | $57,350 | $38,960 | $66,960 | $48,261 | $49,724 |
| Oregon | 70 | $57,170 | $45,670 | $73,390 | $44,017 | $42,586 |
| Colorado | 70 | $57,100 | $42,700 | $81,450 | $46,005 | $44,642 |
| Tennessee | 180 | $55,170 | $39,840 | $77,180 | $46,509 | $50,625 |
| Georgia | 50 | $55,000 | $40,310 | $73,640 | $44,377 | $46,085 |
| Louisiana | 150 | $54,890 | $16,940 | $88,610 | $45,024 | $51,043 |
| Massachusetts | 100 | $54,320 | $38,720 | $75,300 | $43,080 | $40,735 |
| West Virginia | 50 | $54,060 | $32,990 | $76,870 | $44,002 | $49,166 |
| Alabama | 90 | $53,080 | $20,800 | $86,900 | $42,625 | $47,989 |
| Washington | 40 | $50,610 | $39,600 | $88,900 | $42,143 | $39,381 |
| Kentucky | 280 | $49,860 | $30,440 | $70,150 | $40,615 | $45,048 |
| Oklahoma | 90 | $49,120 | $37,080 | $55,850 | $39,983 | $45,516 |
| New Mexico | 30 | $45,340 | $38,080 | $47,030 | $37,628 | $40,806 |
| Iowa | Not published | $39,490 | $31,810 | $78,420 | $33,061 | $37,672 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-4011. *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.