Funeral Home Managers: Salary Overview
Funeral home managers plan, direct, or coordinate services provided by funeral homes.
Their typical job day includes activities such as determining prices for funeral services or related merchandise, consulting with families, directing and supervising embalmers, funeral attendants, and other funeral workers, and scheduling funerals, burials, and cremations.
They may also offer counsel to grieving families, respond to customer complaints, schedule work hours for funeral home workers, evaluating workers’ performance, and conducting market research.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage reported by funeral home managers in the United States was $76,350 as of May 2019.
This number shows us that half of all workers in this profession earned less and half earned more than this amount.
Salaries vary widely based on a wide range of factors, including the worker’s experience and education level, the region, local economy, and the place of employment.
The lowest 10 percent for funeral home managers reportedly earned less than $44,120 annually while the top 10 percent made more than $161,870.
The 25th percentile for this profession was $57,020 which means that 75 percent of all workers in this profession earned more than this amount.
Funeral Home Manager Salary by Industry and Education
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest employer for workers in this profession was the field of death care services- where the average annual wage for funeral home managers was $95,220.
There are many other factors that determine a funeral home manager’s salary, including his/her education and skill level.
An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in funeral service or mortuary science and some experience working in a funeral home is typically required for promotion to a management position.
You will also need a state license and some continuing education credits in most states.
According to the report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, salaries for funeral home managers vary widely depending on the state of employment.
The top-paying state for this profession was, according to a 2019 report, Michigan with an average annual wage calculated at $137,840.
Other states where this profession was remunerated with more than $120,000 per year are Virginia, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Funeral home managers in California (the state with the highest employment level for this profession) reportedly earned $93,980 annually while those in Pennsylvania (the state with the second-highest employment rate) earned $92,070 per year on average.
Funeral home managers who worked in New Mexico reportedly earned $58,910 per year on average- this being the state with the lowest reported average annual wage.
Other states where workers in this occupation reported lower than average salaries are Oklahoma, Idaho, Kansas, Indiana, Maine, Georgia, South Carolina, and Arizona.
Therefore, if you’re willing to relocate and to become licensed in a different state your earning prospects may increase.
However, you should keep in mind the fact that working in multiple states requires multiple licenses.
Your earnings may also increase if you earn a crematory certification designation offered by the Cremation Association of North America, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, and the National Funeral Directors Association.
Job Prospects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment for funeral home managers is projected to decline 6 percent from 2019 to 2029.
This decline is caused in part by the fact that many people increasingly prefer cremation instead of burials- a process that typically costs less and requires fewer workers.
Job opportunities will be especially favorable for those who hold a license as a funeral director and an embalmer and for those who are also certified crematory operators.
Having a few years of experience in the field may also give you an advantage over your competitors on the job market.
* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Funeral Home Managers. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.