Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Also called: Funeral Arranger, Funeral Counselor, Funeral Director, MorticianPerform 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 22 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.0% 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
- In 2024, 1.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.7 hires for every 10 job openings in other services, which employs about 99% 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 | $44,930 | $33,940 to $55,520 | 420 |
| Arizona | $41,870 | $37,470 to $46,200 | 360 |
| Arkansas | $36,120 | $33,450 to $49,200 | 360 |
| California | $50,750 | $44,320 to $61,340 | 2,240 |
| Colorado | $60,850 | $47,080 to $80,670 | 320 |
| Connecticut | $59,710 | $40,390 to $80,960 | 300 |
| Delaware | $81,530 | $76,520 to $93,460 | 80 |
| Florida | $48,510 | $36,220 to $63,860 | 1,510 |
| Georgia | $49,990 | $45,920 to $61,240 | 780 |
| Hawaii | $46,310 | $39,100 to $47,330 | 150 |
| Idaho | $60,250 | $50,690 to $79,450 | 160 |
| Illinois | $69,600 | $48,340 to $100,410 | 1,320 |
| Indiana | $60,890 | $44,640 to $77,480 | 630 |
| Iowa | $63,700 | $54,040 to $78,330 | 640 |
| Kansas | $58,580 | $43,510 to $72,100 | 230 |
| Kentucky | $43,320 | $29,730 to $50,530 | 470 |
| Louisiana | $46,730 | $30,990 to $61,360 | 440 |
| Maine | $60,880 | $43,880 to $88,610 | 80 |
| Maryland | $58,060 | $39,490 to $80,010 | 500 |
| Massachusetts | $62,120 | $47,530 to $82,150 | 430 |
| Michigan | $60,450 | $45,280 to $75,360 | 810 |
| Minnesota | $49,760 | $41,660 to $61,810 | 500 |
| Mississippi | $48,350 | $42,960 to $55,950 | 320 |
| Missouri | $42,940 | $33,510 to $59,670 | 790 |
| Montana | $43,680 | $36,540 to $65,590 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $64,310 | $46,140 to $80,900 | 210 |
| Nevada | $43,940 | $36,330 to $48,470 | 280 |
| New Hampshire | $57,630 | $51,180 to $93,600 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $69,110 | $43,620 to $77,890 | 580 |
| New Mexico | $50,380 | $43,350 to $60,310 | 100 |
| New York | $63,090 | $58,970 to $78,430 | 1,030 |
| North Carolina | $60,730 | $48,520 to $75,390 | 1,000 |
| North Dakota | $59,760 | $54,060 to $81,620 | 110 |
| Ohio | $57,800 | $45,640 to $76,230 | 1,370 |
| Oklahoma | $47,780 | $34,340 to $72,440 | 380 |
| Oregon | $48,630 | $38,330 to $59,510 | 220 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,580 | $52,420 to $77,520 | 910 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,630 | $21,840 to $26,480 | 70 |
| Rhode Island | $55,420 | $54,870 to $139,100 | 40 |
| South Carolina | $40,020 | $32,980 to $62,730 | 400 |
| South Dakota | $47,840 | $46,180 to $61,390 | 200 |
| Tennessee | $46,180 | $41,600 to $50,180 | 550 |
| Texas | $46,630 | $33,030 to $58,000 | 1,500 |
| Utah | $72,800 | $51,440 to $88,610 | 240 |
| Vermont | $48,740 | $45,870 to $59,610 | 40 |
| Washington | $59,700 | $48,170 to $72,160 | 400 |
| West Virginia | $47,960 | $37,080 to $58,020 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $58,250 | $47,430 to $75,870 | 580 |
| Wyoming | $55,570 | $48,690 to $85,270 | 40 |
Nationally: $55,010. 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 4 of its 22 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | 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 |
| Not much | Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died. | Not published |
| AI + software | Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan, schedule, or coordinate funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends. | Not published |
See all 22 tasks
| Not much | Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide information on funeral service options, products, or merchandise, and maintain a casket display area. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove deceased remains from place of death. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide or arrange transportation between sites for the remains, mourners, pallbearers, clergy, or flowers. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct preparations and shipment of bodies for out-of-state burial. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan placement of caskets at funeral sites or place or adjust lights, fixtures, or floral displays. | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange for clergy members to perform needed services. | Not published |
| Not much | Discuss and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean funeral home facilities and grounds. | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange for pallbearers or inform pallbearers or honorary groups of their duties. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain financial records, order merchandise, or prepare accounts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inform survivors of benefits for which they may be eligible. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Receive or usher people to their seats for services. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform embalming duties, as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in community activities for funeral home promotion or other purposes. | Not published |
| Not much | Manage funeral home operations, including the hiring, training, or supervision of embalmers, funeral attendants, or other staff. | 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. 2 of the 22 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 22 tasks fall under 16 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.
- #1 Gather information from physical or electronic sources
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications | |||
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Escort others | |||
| Gather information from physical or electronic sources | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs |
Show all 16 activities
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Prepare schedules for services or facilities | |||
| Perform human resources activities | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Embalm corpses |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer21%
- An email or message19%
- Advice or a recommendation18%
- A document or report13%
- An analysis or summary4%
How they worked with Claude
16% 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 morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers 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 606 moves out
- 1 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers High +3.5% 6%
- 2 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 6%
- 3 Insurance Sales Agents Very high +3.3% 5%
- 4 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 5%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,050 moves in
- 1 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 13%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 7%
- 3 Accountants and Auditors Very high +5.0% 6%
- 4 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 4%
- 5 Insurance Sales Agents Very high +3.3% 4%
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
- 15% high school
- 73% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 8% high school
- 15% some college
- 36% associate's
- 27% bachelor's
- 8% master's
- 3% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 445 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
4 programs, such as Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General, Funeral Direction/Service and Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other.
See all
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General
- Funeral Direction/Service
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other
- Thanatology
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
98.1% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 16.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 5.8% | 2.8% |
| a license | 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
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
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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