What Does it Take to Be an Embalmer?
Job Description & Duties Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
What Do Embalmers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Perform the duties of funeral directors, including coordinating funeral activities.
- Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.
- Arrange for transporting the deceased to another state for interment.
- Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
- Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.
- Wash and dry bodies, using germicidal soap and towels or hot air dryers.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as an Embalmer?
Below is a list of the skills most Embalmers say are important on the job.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Related Job Titles
- Funeral Service Practitioner/Embalmer
- Manager, Embalmer, Funeral Director
- Anatomical Embalmer
- Licensed Embalmer
- Trade Embalmer
Job Demand for Embalmers
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 3,700 jobs in the United States for Embalmer. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Embalmer. There will be an estimated 600 positions for Embalmer per year.

The states with the most job growth for Embalmer are North Carolina, Colorado, and Tennessee. Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Kentucky, or Illinois. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for an Embalmer
The average yearly salary of an Embalmer ranges between $25,260 and $71,920.

Embalmers who work in New York, Oregon, or Ohio, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Embalmers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $40,780 |
Arizona | $46,090 |
Arkansas | $40,270 |
California | $50,280 |
Colorado | $40,180 |
Florida | $47,070 |
Georgia | $36,570 |
Hawaii | $39,320 |
Illinois | $48,750 |
Indiana | $35,880 |
Kansas | $47,180 |
Kentucky | $39,790 |
Louisiana | $47,320 |
Massachusetts | $46,320 |
Michigan | $48,160 |
Mississippi | $38,890 |
Missouri | $52,810 |
Nevada | $33,260 |
New York | $91,760 |
Ohio | $56,010 |
Oklahoma | $48,360 |
Oregon | $51,960 |
South Carolina | $41,720 |
Tennessee | $44,840 |
Texas | $44,450 |
Virginia | $46,710 |
What Tools & Technology do Embalmers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Embalmers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Web browser software
- Corel WordPerfect
- FPA Software MACCS
- HMIS Advantage
- Belmar & Associates Mortware
- Custom Data Systems Sterling Management Software
- Twin Tier Technologies MIMS
How do I Become an Embalmer?
Are there Embalmers education requirements?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where do Embalmers Work?

Below are examples of industries where Embalmers work:

References:
Image Credit: Senior Airman Andrew Lee via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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