Funeral Home Managers
Also called: Funeral Director, Funeral Home Manager, Funeral Service Manager, Location ManagerPlan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 17 of its 22 rated tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.7 hires for every 10 job openings in other services, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,010 | $49,990 to $76,170 | 490 |
| Arizona | $61,420 | $59,060 to $72,640 | 200 |
| Arkansas | $60,260 | $47,470 to $70,980 | 230 |
| California | $82,370 | $74,130 to $100,320 | 760 |
| Colorado | not published | not published | 120 |
| Connecticut | $102,810 | $96,860 to $163,530 | 90 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 60 |
| Florida | $72,180 | $59,660 to $88,410 | 1,050 |
| Georgia | $79,010 | $67,070 to $103,680 | 420 |
| Hawaii | $61,440 | $37,690 to $63,860 | 90 |
| Illinois | not published | not published | 270 |
| Indiana | $77,910 | $60,060 to $92,880 | 300 |
| Iowa | $81,220 | $77,260 to $96,180 | 210 |
| Kansas | $61,890 | $45,280 to $94,160 | 130 |
| Kentucky | $47,040 | $37,670 to $72,750 | 400 |
| Louisiana | $81,930 | $62,300 to $95,190 | 190 |
| Maine | $76,020 | $71,310 to $98,950 | 60 |
| Maryland | $100,670 | $74,960 to $129,370 | 260 |
| Massachusetts | $80,790 | $79,320 to $106,360 | 280 |
| Michigan | $77,140 | $73,250 to $120,650 | 430 |
| Minnesota | $79,900 | $73,610 to $109,170 | 500 |
| Mississippi | $63,390 | $49,510 to $80,180 | 140 |
| Missouri | $66,670 | $60,670 to $76,440 | 560 |
| Montana | $84,900 | $59,020 to $119,220 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $78,590 | $64,480 to $82,560 | 110 |
| Nevada | $60,750 | $57,950 to $83,260 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $83,200 | $77,810 to $114,440 | 60 |
| New Jersey | $101,520 | $77,150 to $129,970 | 420 |
| New Mexico | $82,850 | $62,790 to $105,590 | 60 |
| New York | $103,530 | $77,050 to $158,980 | 820 |
| North Carolina | $80,730 | $74,620 to $126,500 | 460 |
| North Dakota | $68,080 | $50,040 to $78,870 | 40 |
| Ohio | $99,440 | $64,940 to $127,600 | 420 |
| Oklahoma | $64,440 | $51,970 to $97,500 | 200 |
| Oregon | $80,350 | $72,020 to $98,100 | 90 |
| Pennsylvania | $104,400 | $81,640 to $157,050 | 560 |
| Rhode Island | $122,150 | $59,960 to $169,100 | 120 |
| South Carolina | $77,400 | $60,580 to $99,700 | 220 |
| South Dakota | $100,880 | $78,670 to $102,350 | 70 |
| Tennessee | $78,130 | $62,960 to $129,760 | 430 |
| Texas | $67,740 | $52,020 to $91,750 | 1,230 |
| Utah | $82,510 | $66,400 to $103,000 | 160 |
| Virginia | $81,700 | $74,620 to $101,690 | 310 |
| Washington | $102,540 | $87,150 to $117,960 | 80 |
| West Virginia | $71,990 | $58,360 to $81,960 | 150 |
| Wisconsin | $79,560 | $63,990 to $99,270 | 440 |
Nationally: $78,790. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 17 of its 22 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws. | Not published |
| AI + software | Complete and maintain records, such as state-required documents, tracking documents, or product inventories. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and supervise work of embalmers, funeral attendants, death certificate clerks, cosmetologists, or other staff. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| AI alone | Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients. | Not published |
| Not rated | Deliver death certificates to medical facilities or offices to obtain signatures from legally authorized persons. | Not published |
| AI alone | Respond to customer complaints, legal inquiries, payment negotiations, or other post-service matters. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Schedule work hours for funeral home or contract employees. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct or monitor administrative, support, repair, or maintenance services for funeral homes. | Not published |
| AI alone | Identify skill development needs for funeral home staff. | Not published |
| AI alone | Explain goals, policies, or procedures to staff members. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Plan and implement changes to service offerings to meet community needs or increase funeral home revenues. | Not published |
| AI + software | Review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to identify opportunities for cost reductions or service improvements. | 0.02% |
| AI + software | Set prices or credit terms for funeral products or services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Negotiate contracts for prearranged funeral services. | Not published |
| Not much | Interview and hire new employees. | Not published |
| Not much | Evaluate the performance of vendors, contract employees, or other service providers to ensure quality and cost-efficiency. | Not published |
| AI + software | Attend or make presentations at community events to promote funeral home services or build community relationships. | Not published |
| AI alone | Set marketing, sales, or other financial goals for funeral service establishments and monitor progress toward these goals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct market research and analyze industry trends. | 0.04% |
| AI + software | Plan and implement sales promotions or other marketing strategies and activities for funeral home operations. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 23 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 23 tasks fall under 27 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Prepare legal or regulatory documents | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Analyze market or industry conditions | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs |
Show all 27 activities
| Analyze business or financial data | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Develop professional relationships or networks | |||
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Develop organizational or program goals or objectives | |||
| Analyze data to improve operations | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards | |||
| Prepare schedules for services or facilities | |||
| Develop business or marketing plans | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Coordinate regulatory compliance activities | |||
| Assign work to others | |||
| Negotiate contracts or agreements | |||
| Perform recruiting or hiring activities | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report21%
- An analysis or summary15%
- An email or message10%
- A plan or strategy9%
- Data or a spreadsheet8%
How they worked with Claude
75% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for funeral home managers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 5,035 moves out
- 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 2 Sales Managers High +4.5% 6%
- 3 Writers and Authors Very high -0.3% 6%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 6,285 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Billing and Posting Clerks Very high -0.1% 4%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 26% high school
- 15% postsecondary certificate
- 3% some college
- 50% associate's
- 1% bachelor's
- 5% post-bachelor's certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
3 programs: Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General, Funeral Direction/Service and Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (DIRECTOR, FUNERAL). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Funeral Home Managers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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