Embalmers
Median $58,780
Occupation · SOC 39-4021
Funeral Attendants: pay and where the jobs are
What funeral attendants earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$35,680 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $37,190
- Median hourly wage
- $17.16
- Mean hourly wage
- $17.88
- Employment
- 31,090
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-4021.
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See where your pay falls among funeral attendants nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do funeral attendants make?
The median annual wage for funeral attendants was $35,680 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,070 and the highest-paid 10% more than $48,460. As an hourly rate, the median is $17.16. About 31,090 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Hampshire ($55,850), Rhode Island ($53,580) and Nevada ($51,980). New Hampshire also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for funeral attendants 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 | $28,070 | $13.50 | $2,339 | $2,060 |
| 25th percentile | $30,380 | $14.61 | $2,532 | $2,216 |
| Median | $35,680 | $17.16 | $2,973 | $2,571 |
| 75th percentile | $42,870 | $20.61 | $3,573 | $3,052 |
| 90th percentile | $48,460 | $23.30 | $4,038 | $3,426 |
Funeral Attendants: pay by state
49 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
$45,174 take-home in national prices
2
$43,955 take-home in national prices
3
$42,286 take-home in national prices
Where a median funeral attendant paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 120 | $55,850 | $48,050 | $88,200 | $47,055 | $45,174 |
| Rhode Island | 190 | $53,580 | $32,770 | $53,870 | $43,250 | $42,286 |
| Nevada | 100 | $51,980 | $34,850 | $54,170 | $43,946 | $43,955 |
| Delaware | 110 | $46,720 | $42,730 | $55,950 | $37,617 | $37,689 |
| Massachusetts | 1,090 | $46,280 | $31,200 | $69,440 | $37,059 | $35,042 |
| Connecticut | 520 | $45,800 | $35,090 | $58,500 | $36,940 | $35,653 |
| Minnesota | 400 | $43,910 | $35,110 | $47,470 | $35,738 | $36,238 |
| New York | 1,450 | $42,210 | $35,210 | $55,130 | $34,200 | $31,690 |
| Colorado | 160 | $41,710 | $36,150 | $54,760 | $34,384 | $33,365 |
| Washington | 160 | $41,600 | $35,150 | $46,210 | $35,029 | $32,733 |
| Utah | 270 | $41,130 | $31,180 | $52,000 | $34,066 | $34,457 |
| Vermont | 30 | $40,800 | $32,910 | $47,110 | $34,030 | $34,739 |
| Oregon | 70 | $40,350 | $36,630 | $46,320 | $31,898 | $30,861 |
| Iowa | 460 | $40,060 | $36,950 | $47,560 | $33,498 | $38,169 |
| Maine | 220 | $39,330 | $35,140 | $46,490 | $32,522 | $33,510 |
| Missouri | 620 | $39,270 | $30,250 | $52,910 | $32,825 | $36,144 |
| Maryland | 670 | $39,020 | $36,030 | $47,110 | $32,045 | $30,531 |
| California | 1,790 | $38,700 | $35,950 | $53,750 | $32,242 | $29,120 |
| New Jersey | 540 | $37,240 | $32,220 | $74,370 | $31,202 | $28,677 |
| South Dakota | 120 | $37,170 | $30,800 | $47,940 | $32,046 | $36,175 |
| Montana | 110 | $37,080 | $33,510 | $43,880 | $30,988 | $32,741 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,930 | $36,300 | $31,280 | $48,870 | $30,207 | $30,959 |
| Wisconsin | 500 | $36,030 | $28,430 | $46,740 | $30,242 | $32,140 |
| Illinois | 730 | $35,690 | $31,200 | $45,140 | $29,235 | $29,247 |
| Ohio | 1,720 | $35,640 | $28,050 | $49,440 | $30,287 | $32,646 |
| Arizona | 420 | $35,450 | $30,580 | $45,920 | $30,172 | $29,969 |
| Michigan | 1,460 | $35,380 | $28,880 | $46,480 | $29,355 | $30,509 |
| Virginia | 1,450 | $35,010 | $27,910 | $44,720 | $29,112 | $28,794 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $34,980 | $29,130 | $48,630 | $30,286 | $34,045 |
| North Carolina | 1,610 | $34,940 | $24,480 | $47,190 | $29,369 | $31,136 |
| New Mexico | 170 | $34,890 | $31,490 | $46,770 | $29,681 | $32,188 |
| Indiana | 1,080 | $34,420 | $29,770 | $46,730 | $28,851 | $30,913 |
| Idaho | 70 | $33,280 | $29,890 | $48,810 | $28,265 | $29,599 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $32,950 | $25,700 | $43,480 | $28,655 | $30,915 |
| Arkansas | 140 | $31,630 | $24,290 | $62,860 | $26,912 | $30,956 |
| West Virginia | 350 | $31,410 | $27,630 | $45,430 | $26,646 | $29,773 |
| Kansas | 330 | $30,720 | $21,430 | $37,630 | $25,930 | $28,789 |
| Texas | 2,150 | $30,560 | $27,300 | $38,380 | $26,735 | $27,546 |
| Georgia | 1,070 | $30,530 | $24,200 | $43,270 | $25,936 | $26,934 |
| Mississippi | 280 | $30,530 | $22,090 | $43,980 | $26,222 | $30,156 |
| Oklahoma | 510 | $30,530 | $21,940 | $42,760 | $25,883 | $29,465 |
| Louisiana | 560 | $30,370 | $17,590 | $42,470 | $26,057 | $29,541 |
| Alabama | 550 | $30,310 | $22,660 | $44,130 | $25,345 | $28,534 |
| Florida | 1,700 | $30,210 | $28,860 | $40,180 | $26,454 | $25,580 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $30,170 | $28,080 | $35,660 | $25,893 | $28,737 |
| South Carolina | 930 | $29,880 | $21,900 | $45,410 | $25,892 | $27,619 |
| Tennessee | 1,090 | $29,600 | $23,990 | $38,160 | $25,964 | $28,261 |
| Kentucky | 560 | $29,160 | $22,430 | $35,790 | $24,707 | $27,404 |
| Puerto Rico | 280 | $21,840 | $21,840 | $25,220 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-4021. *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.