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Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.
Other titles employers use
Funeral Arrangement Director · Funeral Arranger · Funeral Counselor · Funeral Director · Funeral Family Service Assistant · Funeral Location Manager · Funeral Prearrangement Counselor · Licensed Funeral Director
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
- Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
- Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
- Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
- Remove deceased remains from place of death.
- Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing, persuading and helping work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Speaking
- Coordination
- Time Management
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
- Problem Sensitivity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.8 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.1 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.0 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for an associate degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A two-year degree 73%
- High school or less 16%
- A four-year degree 11%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Office suite software
- Spreadsheet software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Project management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 2,900
- Job openings each year
- 350
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 11.5%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,900 | 350 | 11.5% |
| New York | 2,330 | 40 | 22.0% |
| Ohio | 1,390 | 160 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 1,320 | 160 | 3.9% |
| Florida | 1,230 | 150 | 12.8% |
| North Carolina | 1,190 | 140 | 10.2% |
| Illinois | 990 | 120 | 1.0% |
| Virginia | 920 | 110 | 5.7% |
| Michigan | 870 | 100 | −1.1% |
| Texas | 800 | 100 | 8.1% |
| Missouri | 770 | 90 | 5.5% |
| Georgia | 760 | 90 | 15.2% |
| Tennessee | 740 | 90 | 17.5% |
| Wisconsin | 710 | 90 | 9.2% |
| New Jersey | 690 | 80 | 9.5% |
| Minnesota | 610 | 70 | 7.0% |
| Indiana | 570 | 70 | 1.8% |
| Alabama | 560 | 70 | 5.7% |
| South Carolina | 540 | 60 | 3.8% |
| Iowa | 490 | 60 | 4.3% |
| Kentucky | 430 | 50 | 2.4% |
| Maryland | 400 | 50 | 11.1% |
| Washington | 370 | 50 | 2.8% |
| Arkansas | 360 | 40 | −2.7% |
| Colorado | 360 | 40 | 9.1% |
| Mississippi | 360 | 40 | — |
| Oregon | 360 | 50 | 20.0% |
| Oklahoma | 350 | 40 | — |
| Louisiana | 340 | 40 | 3.0% |
| Utah | 310 | 40 | 24.0% |
| Connecticut | 270 | 30 | 3.8% |
| Kansas | 260 | 30 | — |
| Arizona | 240 | 30 | 4.3% |
| West Virginia | 240 | 30 | — |
| Massachusetts | 190 | 20 | 5.6% |
| Nebraska | 190 | 20 | 5.6% |
| Idaho | 180 | 20 | 20.0% |
| Nevada | 180 | 20 | 12.5% |
| South Dakota | 140 | 20 | 7.7% |
| New Mexico | 120 | 10 | 9.1% |
| North Dakota | 110 | 10 | — |
| New Hampshire | 100 | 10 | — |
| Montana | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Vermont | 50 | 10 | 25.0% |
| Wyoming | 50 | 10 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Degrees each year
- 35
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Degrees each year
- 23
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of Central Oklahoma
- Degrees each year
- 23
- Admit rate
- 82%
- Annual cost after aid
- $18,000
Wayne State University
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 82%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Point Park University
- Degrees each year
- 8
- Admit rate
- 98%
- Annual cost after aid
- $22,000
Gannon University
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $20,000
Compare every college offering funeral service and mortuary science