Death is the one thing no one can escape. But while families grieve, someone is working behind the scenes – handling everything from embalming to funeral arrangements.
I never gave much thought to this industry until I attended a relative’s funeral. I remember standing in silence, watching the funeral home staff move with quiet precision. They adjusted the flowers, comforted the family, and ensured everything went smoothly. It was almost like clockwork – yet the emotional weight of their job was impossible to ignore.
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind: Who are these people, and how much do they make for handling such an emotionally demanding job? That curiosity led me to start searching, talking to industry professionals, and piecing together what it really means to be a mortician.
What Do Morticians Actually Do?
A mortician, also called a funeral director, does far more than just prepare bodies for burial. They guide families through one of the hardest moments of their lives, ensuring every detail is handled with care and dignity.
Their work begins with embalming and dressing the deceased, a delicate process that requires skill and respect to prepare them for a final farewell.
Beyond that, they coordinate funeral services, working closely with families to honor religious customs or personal requests. The job also involves handling complex legal paperwork, from obtaining death certificates to securing burial permits, which can be overwhelming for grieving families.
Perhaps the most overlooked yet vital part of their role is providing emotional support, often acting as both planners and counselors.
One funeral director in Texas explained it this way:
“Most people think this job is about handling the dead. But honestly? We spend more time helping the living. That’s the hard part.”
It’s a job that requires patience, empathy, and a strong stomach – both emotionally and physically.
So, How Much Do Morticians Make?
After digging into salary reports, job postings, and speaking with professionals, I found that mortician salaries vary greatly based on location.
In the U.S., the average salary for a mortician is around $51,030 per year 1. However, earnings depend on experience, location, and whether they work for a funeral home or own their own business.
- Experienced morticians can earn over $75,000 annually.
- Entry-level salaries start at $30,000 to $40,000 per year.
- Highest-paying states include New York, Massachusetts, and Hawaii, where salaries range between $65,000 and $80,000 per year.
The nature of the funeral business is unpredictable; professionals may work on an on-call basis, including evenings and weekends, to respond to client needs promptly.2
In the UK, morticians – often called undertakers or funeral directors – earn an average of £31,595 per year 3. Salaries vary based on experience and location. Those in London and Manchester tend to earn more, while those in smaller towns make less.
Morticians in China earn an average of ¥188,657 per year, plus an additional ¥8,225 in bonuses. This translates to around ¥91 per hour.
One interesting factor in China is that burial space is expensive, so cremation is the norm rather than traditional embalming. This affects the funeral industry, with more demand for crematory operators than embalmers.
In Hong Kong, morticians earn an average of HKD 360,081 per year (or HKD 173 per hour). However, the cost of living in Hong Kong is one of the highest in the world, making salaries feel much lower in real terms.
In Pakistan, there isn’t a highly structured funeral industry like in Western countries. Mortuary workers and forensic morticians exist within hospitals and government institutions, but private funeral services operate differently.
A mortician investigator in Pakistan earns about PKR 2,022,235 per year (~PKR 972 per hour). Many funeral services are managed by religious organizations or local community leaders, rather than professional funeral homes.
In India, morticians earn an average annual salary of INR 1,345,354, with an hourly wage of around INR 647.
However, unlike in the U.S. or Europe, funeral services in India are deeply tied to religious customs. Many funeral service providers aren’t salaried employees but work within family-run businesses or religious institutions.
What Are the Highest-Paying Jobs in the Funeral Industry?
While morticians earn a respectable salary, some roles in the funeral business pay significantly more, depending on experience and responsibilities. Funeral home managers, who oversee daily operations, staff, and finances, earn around $75,660 per year, making them among the highest-paid in the industry.
Those specializing in body preservation, such as embalmers, can expect to earn about $54,000 annually, as their expertise requires advanced training and licensing.
Crematory operators, responsible for handling cremation procedures and ensuring legal compliance, earn roughly $55,000 per year, especially in regions where cremation is more common than traditional burials.
The most lucrative path, however, belongs to self-employed funeral directors, who can make $100,000 or more, particularly if they own multiple funeral homes or operate in high-demand areas.
According to the American Board of Funeral Service Education, funeral service is a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week profession, with workloads distributed among staff. Evening and weekend hours are common, and ‘on-call’ duty is expected of many funeral directors. 4
Becoming a mortician isn’t about getting rich – it’s about commitment, patience, and a willingness to serve others. While the salary varies by country, experienced professionals in the field can earn a good living, especially in high-paying regions or if they own a funeral home.
But what struck me most while researching this industry wasn’t the salary – it was the dedication required. These professionals don’t just handle the dead – they guide the living through some of their hardest moments.
Could you handle the weight of such responsibility?
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/funeral-service-occupations.htm ↩︎
- https://apps.illinoisworknet.com/cis/Clusters/OccupationDetails/100090?parentId=111000§ion=conditions§ionTitle=Working+Conditions ↩︎
- https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/browse/countries/mortician ↩︎
- https://www.abfse.org/html/faq.html ↩︎
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