Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Embalmer is a professional role in the Personal Care and Service job family, focused on Embalmer work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Embalmers do
Typical education: Associate's Degree
Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
Top skills:SpeakingActive ListeningWritingTime ManagementSocial PerceptivenessService Orientation
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Embalmer pay by experience level
Entry level$39,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$49,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$61,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$68,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$80,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+1.3%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
600
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Embalmer salary by industry
Personal and Laundry Services
3,800 workers
$60,500
Death Care Services
3,800 workers
$60,500
Educational Services
40 workers
$60,500
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
40 workers
$60,500
Educational Services, State Government Owned
30 workers
$61,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Embalmer pays 27% above the average across 33 roles in the Personal Care and Service job family (family average $47,500).
