If you’ve searched “how much does a mortician make,” “how much do morticians make,” “mortician salary,” or “mortician funeral director salary,” you’ve probably seen wildly different numbers: $40K on one site, $80K on another. Both can be technically correct. The difference comes down to what each source is measuring.
This guide uses data from six independent sources — including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), PayScale, Glassdoor, and Indeed — to give you the most complete picture of mortician pay for 2025 and 2026 planning.
Bottom line up front: A mortician makes a $55,010 median annual salary and $26.45 median hourly wage in BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The mean salary is $58,160 per year or $27.96 per hour, and the middle half of morticians earn between $42,430 and $72,010 in base wages. For 2026 planning, this is the cleanest official baseline before you adjust for state, experience, benefits, license type, and management responsibility.
| Salary question | Direct 2026 planning answer |
|---|---|
| How much does a mortician make a year? | $55,010 median; $58,160 mean in BLS May 2025 wage data. |
| How much does a mortician make an hour? | $26.45 median hourly wage; $27.96 mean hourly wage. |
| What is the normal mortician salary range? | The middle half earns $42,430-$72,010; the national P10-P90 range is $33,350-$88,620. |
| What changes the number most? | State, experience, license type, on-call expectations, benefits, management duties, and ownership. |
That national number hides a wide state gap: the highest-paying state with publishable 2025 data (Delaware, $81,530 median) pays more than double the lowest state with publishable data (Arkansas, $36,120 median). Where you work can matter more than how long you’ve worked. → See all states ranked
Use this page as the national salary hub for “how much does a mortician make,” “how much do morticians make,” “mortician salary,” “mortician funeral director salary,” “mortician pay,” and “how much do funeral directors make.” If another page answers salary, it should point back here for the national number first.
Owner map (so salary intent does not split):
| Question | Owner page |
|---|---|
| National / broad pay number | This page |
| State comparison | Mortician salary by state |
| Career-stage ladder | Salary by experience |
| Is the pay good after debt/schedule? | Do morticians make good money? |
If you already know where you want to work, compare mortician salary by state. If you are estimating your first job or long-term pay path, review mortician salary by experience and licensed mortician salary before confirming the mortician requirements checklist for that state.
If you are still deciding how to enter the field, use the full mortician career path first, then return here to test whether the salary works in your target state.
| If you searched for… | Use this answer first | Best supporting page |
|---|---|---|
| Mortician salary | The national BLS median is $55,010 and the mean is $58,160. | This page, then Salary by State. |
| How much does a mortician make? | $55,010 median base pay; $42,430-$72,010 is the middle-half range. | This page for the national number; Experience for career stage. |
| Mortician salary per month | $4,584 gross per month at the national median before taxes and deductions. | Mortician Salary Per Month. |
| How much do funeral directors make? | Use $55,010-$58,160 as the conservative licensed funeral-service baseline. | See the funeral director comparison section below. |
| Starting salary for a mortician | Early-career pay is usually closer to P10-P25: $33,350-$42,430 nationally. | Mortician Salary by Experience. |
| Mortician salary by state | State choice can move pay by more than 2x. | Mortician Salary by State. |
| Salary question | Direct answer |
|---|---|
| How much money does a mortician make? | The national median is $55,010; the middle half earns $42,430-$72,010 in BLS May 2025 data. |
| How much do funeral directors make? | Many funeral director roles overlap with the same BLS category; management-track roles show a higher median of $76,830. |
| What is a good salary target for a new licensee? | Start by comparing your state P25, median, and apprenticeship pay, not just the national median. |
| Can morticians make $80,000 or more? | Yes, but it usually requires a high-paying state, senior responsibility, management, or ownership upside. |
Quick Answer: How Much Does a Mortician Make?
A mortician makes a $55,010 median annual salary in the United States according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The mean annual salary is $58,160, and the middle half of workers earn $42,430 to $72,010 in base wages. For 2026 planning, treat those BLS numbers as the official baseline, then adjust for state, license type, experience, benefits, and management responsibility.
If you searched “annual salary for mortician,” use the annual BLS wage table first. If you searched “mortician wages,” compare hourly and annual pay because on-call schedules, overtime, and benefits can change the real value of an offer.
| 2026 salary snapshot | BLS May 2025 baseline |
|---|---|
| Median mortician salary | $55,010 per year |
| Average mortician salary | $58,160 mean annual wage |
| Middle-half pay range | $42,430-$72,010 |
| Higher-end national pay | $88,620 at the 90th percentile |
| What changes the number most | State, license type, experience, benefits, management, and ownership |
| Search question | Short answer | Where to go next |
|---|---|---|
| How much does a mortician make? | $55,010 median; $58,160 mean in BLS May 2025 data. | Compare your state in Salary by State. |
| What is the average mortician salary? | The BLS mean is $58,160; the median is $55,010. | Use median for realistic planning. |
| What is the annual salary for a mortician? | The middle-half annual range is $42,430-$72,010. | Check experience and license status. |
| Do morticians make good money? | Sometimes, but it depends heavily on state, debt, benefits, and management path. | Read Do Morticians Make Good Money?. |
| What does a licensed mortician make? | Newly licensed pay often starts below the median; experienced licensed roles can move toward P75. | Read Licensed Mortician Salary. |
How Much Does a Mortician Make in the United States?
In the United States, morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers earn a $55,010 median annual salary and a $58,160 mean annual salary in BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The BLS employment estimate is 25,100 workers nationally for this occupation.
For searchers comparing 2025 and 2026 numbers, the cleanest reading is this: May 2025 BLS data is the official wage baseline, while 2026 job-posting and self-reported sources help estimate current market offers and total compensation.
| U.S. salary measure | Annual pay | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| P10 | $33,350 | Entry-level or low-wage markets |
| P25 | $42,430 | Lower end of common working pay |
| Median | $55,010 | Typical national base wage |
| Mean | $58,160 | Average, pulled up by higher earners |
| P75 | $72,010 | Experienced or stronger markets |
| P90 | $88,620 | Senior, high-paying state, or management-track roles |
What the Data Actually Shows: 6 Sources Compared
The single biggest source of confusion is that different sites measure different things. Here’s every major source side by side:
| Source | Figure | Sample | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS OEWS (2025) | $55,010 median | 25,100 employed | Employer survey — base wages only |
| BLS OEWS (2025) | $58,160 mean | Same | Mean skewed by high earners |
| PayScale (2025) | $55,670 avg | 111 self-reported | Base pay + some total comp |
| Indeed (2026) | $66,159 avg | 1,100+ job posts | Job postings — uses “Funeral Director” title |
| Glassdoor (2025) | $80,146 median | 37 self-reported | Base + bonus + commission (ML-modeled) |
| Salary.com (2026) | $39,531 avg | Employer model | Recruiter-side pricing, systematically low |
Why the gap? BLS counts base wages from employer payroll records. Glassdoor’s $80K includes bonuses and profit-sharing, and its ML model amplifies high-end outliers from just 37 responses. Indeed uses the broader “Funeral Director” title, which includes managers. Salary.com reflects what employers offer, not what workers earn.
The most reliable number for most people: BLS $55,010 median for base pay. Add bonuses, profit-sharing, or management responsibilities and total compensation may move closer to the $60,000–$80,000 range, but that is not guaranteed in every market.
Full BLS Salary Distribution (P10 to P90)
The BLS publishes the complete wage distribution — not just the median. This tells you where you might land based on your situation:
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Who This Represents |
|---|---|---|---|
| P10 | $16.03 | $33,350 | Entry-level, low-wage states |
| P25 | $20.40 | $42,430 | Early career |
| Median (P50) | $26.45 | $55,010 | Typical working mortician |
| Mean | $27.96 | $58,160 | Average (pulled up by high earners) |
| P75 | $34.62 | $72,010 | Experienced, higher-wage states |
| P90 | $42.61 | $88,620 | Senior, management-track, top states |
The mean ($58,160) is higher than the median ($55,010), which tells you the distribution is right-skewed — a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up. The middle 50% of morticians earn between $42,430 and $72,010.
How Experience Affects Your Salary
Experience has a significant impact on total compensation — but mostly through bonuses and profit-sharing, not base wages.
PayScale Data (Total Compensation)
| Experience | Estimated Total Pay | vs. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | $48,796 | −12% |
| 1–4 years | $51,456 | −8% |
| 5–9 years | $53,443 | −4% |
| 10–19 years | $62,907 | +13% |
| 20+ years | $71,814 | +29% |
From entry-level to 20+ years, total pay increases by 47%. However, Salary.com’s base wage data shows only a 3% increase in base salary across the same range — meaning the real gains come from bonuses, profit-sharing, and ownership stakes, not salary bumps.
Practical implication: If you’re negotiating, focus on bonus structures and profit-sharing arrangements, not just base salary.
What Makes Up a Mortician’s Total Pay
Understanding the components helps you evaluate job offers accurately.
PayScale Breakdown
| Component | Range |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $40,000 – $77,000 |
| Annual bonus | $502 – $10,000 |
| Profit sharing | $527 – $3,000 |
| Total compensation | $37,000 – $79,000 |
Glassdoor Breakdown
| Component | Range |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $45,000 – $72,000 |
| Additional pay (bonus/commission) | $17,000 – $32,000 |
| Total compensation | $62,395 – $104,545 |
Note: Glassdoor’s additional pay range is unusually high due to its small sample size (37 responses) and ML modeling. Treat it as an upper-bound estimate, not a typical figure.
Mortician vs Funeral Director Salary
Mortician and funeral director salary numbers often look different because the titles overlap in the real job market. BLS groups morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers together under the same wage category, while job sites may label similar licensed roles as “funeral director.” Funeral home managers are a separate higher-paid management category.
| Role or search wording | Best salary signal | Pay figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortician / undertaker / funeral arranger | BLS OEWS 39-4031 median | $55,010 | Best official baseline for typical base wages. |
| Average mortician salary | BLS OEWS 39-4031 mean | $58,160 | Average base wage, pulled upward by higher earners. |
| Funeral director | Posting/self-reported market data | ~$66,159 | Often mixes licensed funeral directors, arrangers, and some senior roles. |
| Funeral home manager | BLS management comparison | $76,830 | Higher-pay path with staffing, operations, and business responsibility. |
If you searched “how much do funeral directors make,” use $55,010-$58,160 as the conservative official baseline for licensed funeral-service work, then compare local funeral director job postings for current offers. If the role includes scheduling, sales, staff supervision, preneed programs, or branch management, it may be closer to the funeral home manager track than the entry-level mortician baseline.
The biggest takeaway: management changes the pay ceiling more than the title alone. A licensed mortician who also handles funeral directing duties may not automatically earn manager-level pay, but moving into funeral home management, location leadership, or ownership is the clearest path to significantly higher income.
State Changes the National Mortician Salary Number
Where you work matters more than almost anything else. The gap between the highest and lowest-paying states is more than 2.2x in the May 2025 state data.
This national salary page explains why state changes the number. The full geography comparison belongs on Mortician Salary by State, where each state can be compared by mean pay, median pay, job count, and location quotient. If you searched for mortician salary by state or average mortician salary by state, use that by-state owner page instead of treating this national overview as the final answer.
Examples of Higher-Paying States in BLS 2025
| Rank | State | Median Salary | Average Salary | Jobs | Job Density (LQ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $81,530 | $84,160 | 80 | 0.99 |
| 2 | Utah | $72,800 | $70,730 | 240 | 0.86 |
| 3 | Illinois | $69,600 | $74,280 | 1,320 | 1.34 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $69,110 | $64,290 | 580 | 0.84 |
| 5 | Nebraska | $64,310 | $63,910 | 210 | 1.26 |
| 6 | Iowa | $63,700 | $66,430 | 640 | 2.54 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $63,580 | $66,810 | 910 | 0.93 |
| 8 | New York | $63,090 | $68,640 | 1,030 | 0.66 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $62,120 | $64,870 | 430 | 0.73 |
| 10 | Indiana | $60,890 | $63,430 | 630 | 1.23 |
For the complete table, use Mortician Salary by State. That page owns the state ranking, local-market shortlist, and salary-by-geography query.
Examples of Lower-Paying States in BLS 2025
| Rank | State | Median Salary | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | $36,120 | 360 |
| 2 | South Carolina | $40,020 | 400 |
| 3 | Arizona | $41,870 | 360 |
| 4 | Missouri | $42,940 | 790 |
| 5 | Kentucky | $43,320 | 470 |
| 6 | Montana | $43,680 | 110 |
| 7 | Nevada | $43,940 | 280 |
| 8 | Alabama | $44,930 | 420 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $46,180 | 550 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $46,310 | 150 |
Key insights from the state data:
- Delaware ($81,530) pays more than double Arkansas ($36,120)
- California has the most jobs (2,240) but pays below the national median ($50,750)
- Illinois is the strongest large-market entry near the top of the pay ranking
- Iowa has both high job density (LQ 2.54) and above-national median pay
- Some high-paying states are small markets, so job count matters alongside salary
→ See the full state salary breakdown with interactive data.
Who Works as a Mortician: Industry Demographics
Understanding who’s in the field helps set realistic expectations.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Female | 70.6% |
| Male | 23.5% |
| Health insurance coverage | 76% |
| Dental insurance | 59% |
| Vision insurance | 41% |
| No benefits | 24% |
Funeral service is a female-majority profession — 70.6% of morticians are women, which is notable for a field that was historically male-dominated. About 1 in 4 workers has no employer-provided benefits, which is worth factoring into total compensation comparisons.
Work environment (BLS): 93% work in funeral service establishments, 5% are self-employed. Most are full-time, with irregular hours including evenings and weekends. On-call availability is standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money does a mortician make?
A mortician makes $55,010 per year at the median and $58,160 per year on average in BLS May 2025 wage data. The national P10-P90 base wage range is $33,350 to $88,620, while the middle half of morticians earn $42,430 to $72,010 before benefits, bonuses, on-call pay, or ownership income.
How much does a mortician make a year?
A mortician makes $55,010 per year at the median and $58,160 per year on average in BLS May 2025 wage data. The middle half of morticians earn $42,430-$72,010 in base wages, before benefits, bonuses, on-call pay, or ownership income.
How much do funeral directors make?
Funeral director pay often overlaps with mortician pay because many licensed roles combine arranging, directing, and body preparation duties. For a conservative national baseline, use the BLS mortician, undertaker, and funeral arranger median of $55,010 and mean of $58,160. Broader posting sources can look higher because they may include senior funeral directors, location managers, sales responsibility, or funeral home management work.
What is the starting salary for a mortician?
A realistic starting salary target is usually closer to the lower wage range than the national median. In BLS data, the 10th percentile is $33,350 and the 25th percentile is $42,430. Apprentice pay may be lower, and newly licensed pay depends heavily on the state, employer, and whether the role includes embalming, arranging, on-call work, or funeral directing duties.
Which states pay morticians the most?
The highest-paying state with publishable BLS May 2025 data is Delaware, with an $81,530 median and $84,160 average salary. Utah, Illinois, New Jersey, Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and Indiana also rank in the top 10 by median salary.
Is $55,010 really what most morticians make?
Yes — the BLS median of $55,010 is the most reliable single number for national base wages. It comes from the May 2025 OEWS employer survey for morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers. The middle 50% earn between $42,430 and $72,010.
How much does a mortician make in 2026?
For 2026 planning, use the BLS May 2025 median of $55,010 as the official baseline, then compare current job postings and local market data. Posting-based sources may show higher figures because they often use “funeral director” titles, include management roles, or reflect total compensation rather than base wages.
What is the average mortician salary?
The average mortician salary is $58,160 as a mean annual wage in BLS May 2025 data. For personal planning, compare that with the $55,010 median, because the mean can be pulled upward by senior workers, managers, owners, and high-paying states.
Why does Glassdoor show $80,000?
Glassdoor’s figure ($80,146) includes base pay plus bonuses and commissions, and uses a machine learning model to estimate total compensation. It’s based on only 37 self-reported responses, which makes it statistically unreliable. The model tends to amplify high-end outliers.
Do morticians make more with experience?
Yes, significantly. PayScale data shows total compensation rises 47% from entry-level to 20+ years of experience ($48,796 → $71,814). Most of that gain comes from bonuses and profit-sharing rather than base salary increases.
What’s the difference between a mortician and a funeral director?
The titles are often used interchangeably, but technically a mortician focuses on body preparation (embalming, restoration), while a funeral director manages the overall service and family coordination. Many professionals do both. The BLS tracks them under the same SOC code (39-4031). Indeed’s $66,159 figure uses “Funeral Director” which may include some managers.
For a different comparison, see Mortician vs Coroner Salary. Coroner, death investigator, and medical examiner pay follows a different public-sector or medical path, so it should not be blended into ordinary mortician salary data.
Can morticians earn six figures?
Yes, but it’s not common. The P90 nationally is $88,620. In top states, the upper range can exceed $100,000, especially where senior responsibility, management, or ownership is part of the role. Funeral Home Managers — the next career step — have a median of $76,830 in the comparison data used here.
Is mortician a good career financially?
The pay is moderate rather than high. The job outlook is stable (3% growth through 2034, about 5,800 openings per year across funeral service occupations). The financial case is strongest if you’re in a high-paying state, pursue management, negotiate total compensation, or eventually own a funeral home. For a focused decision view, read Do Morticians Make Good Money?.
Take the Next Step
Now you know the national picture. The Mortician Salary Toolkit gives you the state-level data and negotiation tools to act on it.
What’s included:
- Complete 50-state BLS data — every percentile (P10–P90), COL-adjusted real purchasing power, sortable Excel + CSV
- 6 word-for-word negotiation scripts and 3 email templates
- State comparison report for relocation decisions
One-time download, $24.99. See what’s included →
Next Step: Compare Your Options
Use the free Salary Calculator to check pay in your target state, then compare programs in the School Finder and run the Career ROI Calculator before you commit to a school or relocation plan.
If you want a more guided path, compare Free vs Pro or request a personalized deep report during the launch period.
Method and Limits
This page compares public compensation sources by what each source measures. BLS wage tables are treated as the baseline for official wage and employment context; self-reported or posting-based sources are used only when the article labels the source and explains the likely gap. Actual pay can differ because benefits, on-call schedules, bonuses, location, ownership, and license type are not fully captured in public wage tables.
Data Sources
All salary figures in this article come from primary sources:
- BLS OEWS (May 2025) — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 39-4031. The most reliable source for base wages. bls.gov/oes
- BLS OOH (2024–2034) — Occupational Outlook Handbook, job growth projections. bls.gov/ooh
- O*NET — Occupational skills, education requirements, and work context data.
- PayScale — Self-reported total compensation data (111 responses, accessed 2025).
- Indeed — Aggregated job posting salary data (1,100+ listings, accessed Feb 2026).
- Glassdoor — Self-reported + ML-modeled total compensation (37 responses, accessed 2025).
- Salary.com — Employer-side compensation modeling (accessed Feb 2026).
Data last reviewed: June 2026. BLS figures are from the May 2025 OEWS release.