Embalmers Salary and Pay
How much do Embalmers make?
In May 2024 the middle Embalmers worker earned $56,280 a year, the average was $57,520, and the survey counted 3,420 jobs. The 25th percentile is $46,160 and the 75th is $64,760.
The complete pay picture for Embalmers: 3,420 jobs nationally, a median of $56,280, and the state and metro tables that show where that median is beaten and where it is not.
Updated November 5, 2026
Salary converter for this occupation
Gross pay only, before taxes and benefits. The picker starts at this occupation's median ($56,280); the custom box accepts any annual figure, which is how you price an offer letter against the ladder below.
The national wage ladder (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
| Pay level | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,160 | $16.90 |
| 25th percentile | $46,160 | $22.19 |
| Median (50th) | $56,280 | $27.06 |
| 75th percentile | $64,760 | $31.13 |
| 90th percentile | $78,740 | $37.86 |
The five rows are five different workers in the same occupation, from the 10th percentile ($35,160) to the 90th ($78,740). BLS suppresses cells that fail its reliability rules (n/p here) and caps the highest wages at $239,200+ a year or $115.00+ an hour; in this ladder that top code appears at the very top rows only.
Employment and concentration
The occupation employed 3,420 people in May 2024, 0.00% of every job BLS counted. Texas is the largest employer at 510 jobs, and the leading three states between them hold 34.2% of the workforce. Concentration peaks in Kentucky, whose location quotient of 6.46 says this work is 6.46 times as dense there as it is nationwide.
The spread matters as much as the center. Earners at the 90th percentile make $78,740, which is 2.2 times the $35,160 at the 10th, a difference of $43,580 annually. Because the mean wage ($57,520) sits above the median ($56,280), a typical offer should be judged against the median and the 25th to 75th percentile band, not the mean.
Pay by state
The state spread for Embalmers runs from the $102,300 median in Nebraska down through every other publishing state. Employment concentrates in Texas (510 jobs). The complete table:
| State | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 510 | 0.0 | 1.67 | $53,180 | $50,420 |
| California | 360 | 0.0 | 0.90 | $63,070 | $60,040 |
| Florida | 300 | 0.0 | 1.38 | $54,380 | $54,610 |
| Kentucky | 290 | 0.1 | 6.46 | $43,410 | $47,450 |
| Louisiana | 240 | 0.1 | 5.58 | $58,270 | $52,830 |
| Virginia | 150 | 0.0 | 1.65 | $53,600 | $55,800 |
| Kansas | 130 | 0.1 | 4.23 | $56,240 | $56,930 |
| Tennessee | 110 | 0.0 | 1.57 | $59,040 | $60,000 |
| South Carolina | 100 | 0.0 | 1.96 | $68,750 | $60,480 |
| Colorado | 90 | 0.0 | 1.37 | $57,820 | $57,890 |
| Missouri | 90 | 0.0 | 1.43 | $53,010 | $47,240 |
| Ohio | 90 | 0.0 | 0.73 | $74,240 | $76,180 |
| Oregon | 90 | 0.0 | 2.08 | $49,940 | $48,090 |
| West Virginia | 70 | 0.1 | 4.57 | $53,110 | $49,030 |
| Arkansas | 60 | 0.0 | 2.02 | $39,460 | $34,660 |
| Georgia | 60 | 0.0 | 0.51 | $61,990 | $62,840 |
| Mississippi | 60 | 0.1 | 2.26 | $57,730 | $56,490 |
| Oklahoma | 60 | 0.0 | 1.63 | $45,660 | $44,420 |
| New York | 40 | 0.0 | 0.20 | $71,260 | $68,200 |
| Nebraska | 30 | 0.0 | 1.33 | $81,600 | $102,300 |
| Washington | 30 | 0.0 | 0.41 | $63,780 | $64,480 |
| Iowa | n/p | n/p | n/p | $51,150 | $46,950 |
| North Carolina | n/p | n/p | n/p | $65,660 | $65,630 |
The occupation in context
Ranked against all 826 published occupations, Embalmers stands number 778 by employment and number 457 by median pay. Inside its own major group, Personal Care and Service Occupations, the group median wage is $37,320 across 32 detailed occupations, so this occupation pays 51% more than its group median, and it supplies 0.1% of the group's 3,159,920 jobs. In 12 of the 23 states with a published median, the state median beats the national median of $56,280, which is the single best quick test of whether this occupation's pay is set nationally or locally: a high count means local markets regularly outbid the national figure.
Metropolitan areas: where the jobs and the pay sit
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is the largest metro employer with 150 jobs, 4.4% of the national total. Below, the biggest employers come first; the pay table after it only counts metros with 500 or more jobs in the occupation, so its leader is a real market and not a statistical artifact.
Largest metro employers
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 150 | $64,380 | $60,390 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 140 | $54,270 | $49,970 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 130 | $58,870 | $55,540 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 80 | $57,100 | $58,820 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 60 | $49,030 | $48,810 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 60 | $53,370 | $54,330 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 50 | $60,020 | $60,140 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 50 | $55,040 | $56,700 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 50 | $51,500 | $49,360 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 50 | $62,380 | $60,350 |
What the median pay looks like as a budget
The median annual wage of $56,280 works out to $4,690 a month before taxes, $2,165 per biweekly paycheck, and $1,082 a week. Moving from the 25th percentile ($46,160) to the 75th ($64,760) is worth $18,600 a year, which is the realistic size of the experience and specialization premium inside this occupation. Run the median through the paycheck calculator for a take-home estimate in your state, compare an offer against your current pay with the salary calculator, and check whether a raise actually beats prices with the raise vs inflation calculator.
To place a real offer: a salary of $61,908 would sit between the median ($56,280) and the 75th percentile ($64,760), inside the top half but outside the top quarter of this occupation's ladder. An offer at the 25th percentile, $46,160, is $10,120 under the median, the typical size of the discount attached to entry-level or low-cost-market postings in this field.
Related occupations in Personal Care and Service Occupations
Compare the ladder above with the closest relatives in the survey: Tour and Travel Guides, Concierges, Baggage Porters and Bellhops, Funeral Attendants, Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers, First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers. The Careers hub carries the whole branch, group by group.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Embalmers make?
The median annual wage is $56,280 and the mean is $57,520 in the BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates. The middle half of workers earn between $46,160 and $64,760 a year.
Which state pays Embalmers the most?
By median annual wage, Nebraska leads the state table at $102,300, based on 30 jobs in that state. By mean wage and by headcount the leaders can differ, so the state table on this page shows all three measures side by side.
How many Embalmers are there in the United States?
BLS counted 3,420 wage and salary workers in this occupation in May 2024, 0.00% of all U.S. employment in the survey. The largest state employer is Texas with 510 jobs.
What do the OEWS percentiles mean for Embalmers?
They mark points in this occupation's pay distribution. One worker in ten earns $35,160 or less and one in ten earns $78,740 or more; the median, $56,280, is the wage of the worker exactly in the middle of the 3,420 counted jobs.