Funeral Attendants
Human ServicesO*NET 39-4021.00United States
Perform a variety of tasks during funeral, such as placing casket in parlor or chapel prior to service, arranging floral offerings or lights around casket, directing or escorting mourners, closing casket, and issuing and storing funeral equipment.
- Median annual earnings
- $35,693
- Projected change
- +4.1%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 31.81K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
53.9% of the workforce
Growing to 33.12K by 2035
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The work
What funeral attendants do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Greet people at the funeral home.
- Perform a variety of tasks during funerals to assist funeral directors and to ensure that services run smoothly and as planned.
- Close caskets at appropriate point in services.
- Direct or escort mourners to parlors or chapels in which wakes or funerals are being held.
- Place caskets in parlors or chapels prior to wakes or funerals.
- Offer assistance to mourners as they enter or exit limousines.
- Clean funeral parlors or chapels.
- Arrange floral offerings or lights around caskets.
- Clean and drive funeral vehicles, such as cars or hearses, in funeral processions.
- Act as pallbearers.
- Supervise funeral processions and assist with cemetery parking.
- Deliver floral arrangements or other items to family members of the deceased.
- Perform general maintenance tasks for funeral homes, such as maintaining equipment or caring for funeral grounds.
- Carry flowers to hearses or limousines for transportation to places of interment.
- Issue and store funeral equipment.
- Provide advice to mourners on how to make charitable donations in honor of the deceased.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $28,080
- 25th percentile
- $30,389
- 50th percentile
- $35,693
- 75th percentile
- $42,869
- 90th percentile
- $48,464
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $35,693 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.1%average or slower
202531,811 jobs
2035 projected33,121 jobs
1,310 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 53.9%
- Associate degree
- 22.5%
- Some college
- 12.6%
- Bachelor's degree
- 9.3%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 1.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- 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.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Funeral Services Assistants1,129 postings
- 02Funeral Attendants541 postings
- 03Funeral Assistants155 postings
- 04Funeral Home Managers136 postings
- 05Apprentices69 postings
- 06Funeral Directors/Embalmer Apprentices68 postings
- 07Staff Associates68 postings
- 08Transfer Specialists65 postings
- 09Embalmer Apprentices51 postings
- 10Removal Technicians51 postings
- 11Funeral Director Assistants43 postings
- 12Support Staff42 postings
- 13Support Services Specialists40 postings
- 14Support Specialists19 postings
- 15Ambassadors18 postings
- 16Transporters15 postings
- 17Service Assistants14 postings
- 18Field Operations Support Assistants13 postings
- 19Family Care Specialists12 postings
- 20Advanced Planning Directors11 postings
Top employers
- 01Foundation Partners196 postings
- 02Northstar Memorial Group97 postings
- 03Service Corporation International71 postings
- 04Everstory Partners66 postings
- 05Carriage Services48 postings
- 06Park Lawn Corporation41 postings
- 07Dignity Memorial37 postings
- 08Archdiocese Of L.a Education28 postings
- 09Funeraria Del Angel23 postings
- 10Newcomer Funeral Service Group18 postings
- 11Forest Lawn13 postings
- 12Led Faststart12 postings
- 13Treasured Memories11 postings
- 14Banco De Occidente10 postings
- 15California Cemetery & Funeral Services10 postings
- 16Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service10 postings
- 17Legacy Funeral Group9 postings
- 18Sci Texas Funeral Services9 postings
- 19Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home8 postings
- 20Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services8 postings
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