Funeral Home Managers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Management · SOC 11-9171 · O*NET 11-9171.00

Median salary
$76,830
Rank #225 of ~830 BLS occupations
10-year growth
+4.1%
2024–2034, average
Employment
13.1M
BLS 2024
Projected 2034
33K
BLS projection
Official O*NET description

Plan, 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.

Funeral Home Managers fall under the Management category in the U.S. occupational classification. Funeral Home Managers earn a median salary of $76,830 per year, ranking in the top 28% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.1% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, 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 funeral home managers earn?

The median annual wage for funeral home managers is $76,830. That puts funeral home managers at #225 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. 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.

Full salary distribution (national, BLS 2024)
10th percentile (entry-level)$45,820
25th percentile$59,780
50th percentile (median)$76,830
75th percentile$99,330
90th percentile (top earners)$132,470
Median hourly wage$36.94/hr

Is funeral home managers a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for funeral home managers is +4.1%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 32K positions in 2024 to 33K in 2034, a net change of 1K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.

What do funeral home managers do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working funeral home managers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

  1. 1.Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
  2. 2.Deliver death certificates to medical facilities or offices to obtain signatures from legally authorized persons.
  3. 3.Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.
  4. 4.Monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws.
  5. 5.Complete and maintain records, such as state-required documents, tracking documents, or product inventories.
  6. 6.Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients.
  7. 7.Interview and hire new employees.
  8. 8.Identify skill development needs for funeral home staff.

Top skills for funeral home managers

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

Service Orientation
4.0
Active Listening
3.9
Social Perceptiveness
3.9
Reading Comprehension
3.6
Time Management
3.6
Speaking
3.5
Critical Thinking
3.5

What education does my child need to become funeral home manager?

The standard path into funeral home managers begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. 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.

Actual education levels of working funeral home managers

Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.

Associate's degree
49.9%
High school diploma
25.5%
Post-secondary certificate
14.6%
Post-bachelor certificate
5.3%
Some college courses
3.5%
Bachelor's degree
1.2%

Related careers your child might also consider

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 funeral home managers

What is the median salary for funeral home managers?

The median annual salary for funeral home managers is $76,830 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Is funeral home managers a growing career?

BLS projects +4.1% growth for funeral home managers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.

What education does my child need to become funeral home manager?

The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, 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 funeral home managers?

Related occupations within the Management 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.