Embalmers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Personal Care and Service · SOC 39-4011 · O*NET 39-4011.00
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
Embalmers fall under the Personal Care and Service category in the U.S. occupational classification. Embalmers earn a median salary of $56,280 per year, ranking in the top 54% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +1.3% job growth through 2034, projected to grow slower than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do embalmers earn?
The median annual wage for embalmers is $56,280. That puts embalmers at #440 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $35,160 |
| 25th percentile | $46,160 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $56,280 |
| 75th percentile | $64,760 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $78,740 |
| Median hourly wage | $27.06/hr |
Is embalmers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for embalmers is +1.3%, projected to grow slower than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 3K positions in 2024 to 3K in 2034, a net change of 0K. Flat growth typically reflects a mature, stable field. Most openings will come from retirements rather than new positions, which can favor candidates with strong networks and willingness to relocate.
What do embalmers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working embalmers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
- 2.Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
- 3.Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
- 4.Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
- 5.Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
- 6.Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
- 7.Dress bodies and place them in caskets.
- 8.Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.
Top skills for embalmers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become embalmer?
Many embalmers enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
- First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers$61,590 median
- Costume Attendants$54,810 median
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance$50,280 median
- Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers$49,800 median
- First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers$47,080 median
- First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services$46,900 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about embalmers
What is the median salary for embalmers?
The median annual salary for embalmers is $56,280 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is embalmers a growing career?
BLS projects +1.3% growth for embalmers from 2024 through 2034, which is flat growth projected to grow slower than the US average.
What education does my child need to become embalmer?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to embalmers?
Related occupations within the Personal Care and Service category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.