Funeral director vs licensed embalmer

The differences between funeral directors and licensed embalmers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a funeral director and a licensed embalmer. Additionally, a licensed embalmer has an average salary of $49,372, which is higher than the $39,048 average annual salary of a funeral director.

Funeral director vs licensed embalmer overview

	Funeral Director	Licensed Embalmer
Yearly salary	$39,048	$49,372
Hourly rate	$18.77	$23.74
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	5,746	10,763
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 48%	Associate Degree, 64%
Average age	49	51
Years of experience	2	2

Funeral director vs licensed embalmer salary

Funeral directors and licensed embalmers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Funeral Director	Licensed Embalmer
Average salary	$39,048	$49,372
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $25,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Belmont, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Precoa	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between funeral director and licensed embalmer education

There are a few differences between a funeral director and a licensed embalmer in terms of educational background:

	Funeral Director	Licensed Embalmer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 48%	Associate Degree, 64%
Most common major	Mortuary Science	Mortuary Science
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Funeral director vs licensed embalmer demographics

Here are the differences between funeral directors' and licensed embalmers' demographics:

	Funeral Director	Licensed Embalmer
Average age	49	51
Gender ratio	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 1.8% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between funeral director and licensed embalmer duties and responsibilities

Funeral director example responsibilities.

Manage subordinates, facilities and MSDS files.
Greet them with empathy and compassion, conveying to family members that their every need will be meet.
Escort families to proper burial locations to include; scheduling with appropriate service component regarding ceremonies that are bestow to veterans.
Provide financial oversight, including budget development, expense management, and financial analysis.
Certify crematory operator; participate on removals; and assist on calling hours and funerals.
Specialize in Asian, Hindu, Buddist, Muslim, etc.

Licensed embalmer example responsibilities.

Participate in meetings with DCF to update the licensing statutes and work on establishing normalcy for children in care.
Participate in meetings with DCF to update the licensing statutes and work on establishing normalcy for children in care.

Funeral director vs licensed embalmer skills

Common funeral director skills

Client Families, 23%
Veterans, 21%
Compassion, 19%
Funeral Homes, 16%
SCI, 14%
Removals, 4%

Common licensed embalmer skills

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Updated January 8, 2025

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