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Embalmers in Virginia

Want to work as an Embalmers in Virginia? Here’s what the data says. Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.

$55,800 Median Annual Wage (Virginia)

$35,965 National Median Annual Wage

150 Virginia Employment

Medium Preparation Needed Typical Preparation

What do Embalmers Make in Virginia?

For embalmers working in Virginia, wages run about $55,800 per year (or roughly $26.83/hour).Pay can range from $35,980 at the 10th percentile to $66,130 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$35,980	$17.30
25th percentile	$49,780	$23.94
Median (50th)	$55,800	$26.83
75th percentile	$60,340	$29.01
90th percentile	$66,130	$31.80

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Virginia nationwide is 1.65, meaning that embalmers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, embalmers earn a median of $35,965 per year ($17.29/hour), exceeding the Virginia median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 496,805 embalmers in the U.S.. In Virginia alone, about 150 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 90 embalmers.

Top Virginia Metros for Embalmers

The largest metro-area employers of embalmers in Virginia.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	30	$51,650
Richmond, VA	30	$53,320

Top States for Embalmers Employment

These states have the highest employment of embalmers work.

State	Number Employed
Texas	510
California	360
Florida	300
Kentucky	290
Louisiana	240
Virginia	150
Kansas	130
Tennessee	110
South Carolina	100
Oregon	90
Ohio	90
Colorado	90
Missouri	90
West Virginia	70
Arkansas	60
Georgia	60
Mississippi	60
Oklahoma	60
New York	40
Washington	30

Highest-Paying States for Embalmers

Where embalmers earn the most: embalmers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Nebraska	$102,300
Ohio	$76,180
New York	$68,200
North Carolina	$65,630
Washington	$64,480
Georgia	$62,840
South Carolina	$60,480
California	$60,040
Tennessee	$60,000
Colorado	$57,890

Skills

Key embalmers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking 3.9 / 5

Active Listening 3.8 / 5

Time Management 3.1 / 5

Service Orientation 3.1 / 5

Writing 3.1 / 5

Critical Thinking 3.1 / 5

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Customer and Personal Service 4.7 / 5

Chemistry 3.6 / 5

Psychology 3.6 / 5

English Language 3.5 / 5

Law and Government 3.4 / 5

Biology 3.2 / 5

Abilities

Top abilities for embalmers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Near Vision 4.0 / 5

Problem Sensitivity 3.6 / 5

Oral Comprehension 3.6 / 5

Speech Recognition 3.4 / 5

Oral Expression 3.4 / 5

Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.4 / 5

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
Dress bodies and place them in caskets.
Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.
Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.
Perform the duties of funeral directors, including coordinating funeral activities.
Attach trocar to pump-tube, start pump, and repeat probing to force embalming fluid into organs.
Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.

Work Activities

Assisting and Caring for Others
Documenting/Recording Information
Handling and Moving Objects
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Getting Information
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Processing Information
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Communicating with People Outside the Organization
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

Funeral & Mortuary Science

Careers similar to embalmers include:

Also Known As

Anatomical Embalmer, Arterial Embalmer, Embalmer, Funeral Embalmer, Funeral Services Embalmer, Licensed Embalmer, Restorative Art Embalmer, Trade Embalmer.

References

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
O*NET-SOC code: 39-4011.00

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