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Pay Scale for a Funeral Attendant

There were 34,500 funeral attendants working in the United States in 2009, according to a May 2010 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These workers, who are also called undertaker or funeral assistants, work for funeral homes. They primarily clean funeral parlors and hearses, obtain burial permits, place the caskets in the parlors or chapels and arrange the flowers. They also greet family members and guests as they arrive. Funeral assistants are required to have high school diplomas before entering apprenticeship programs. They typically get paid by the hour.

  1. Wages and Benefits

    • Funeral attendants earned median hourly wages of $11.05, or $22,990 annually, according to the May 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics' report. Median wages appear in the middle of wage lists and can vary somewhat from mean or average wages. The middle 50 percent earned wages between $9.12 and $13.70 per hour, or $18,980 and $28,490 per year. The top 10 percent made more than $16.78 per hour, or $34,910 per year. These workers earned average hourly rates of $11.82, or $24,590 per year. Full-time workers may be eligible for benefits, including health insurance, paid time off and retirement plans.

    Average Wages by State

    • Funeral attendants' salaries can vary somewhat by state. Higher living costs may be one factor contributing to the higher wages. And living costs tend to be higher on the East and West Coasts. For example, funeral attendants earned the highest hourly rates in New Jersey at $18, or $37,440 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They earned their second highest wages of $17.80 per hour, or $37,030 per year, in Washington. These workers also earned relatively high hourly wages in Massachusetts and Connecticut at $15.59 and $14.84, or $32,420 and $30,860 per year, respectively. And they earned close to average wages in Michigan at $11.82 per hour, or $24,590 annually.

    Average Wages by Nonmetropolitan Area

    • Funeral attendants also earn more in certain rural or nonmetropolitan areas than others. They earned the highest hourly wages in the south Illinois area at $14.97, or $31,150 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' information. They also earned relatively high wages of $14.59 per hour, or $30,340 per year, in the eastern Tennessee region. These death-care workers earned slightly above-average wages of $12.89, or $26,820 per year, in the southern Ohio region. And they made considerably less in the western central North Carolina area at $9.14 per hour, or $19,000 per year.

    Employment Outlook

    • Jobs for funeral attendants are expected to grow at a rate "much faster than average" compared to other careers between 2008 and 2018, according to December 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The growing population of older Americans will be one contributing factor to job growth. Experienced workers or those with apprenticeship training stand the best chance of getting jobs.

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