Licensed funeral director vs embalmer

The differences between licensed funeral directors and 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 licensed funeral director and an embalmer. Additionally, an embalmer has an average salary of $44,575, which is higher than the $38,451 average annual salary of a licensed funeral director.

The top three skills for a licensed funeral director include funeral arrangements, life insurance and client families. The most important skills for an embalmer are SCI, OSHA, and memorial services.

Licensed funeral director vs embalmer overview

	Licensed Funeral Director	Embalmer
Yearly salary	$38,451	$44,575
Hourly rate	$18.49	$21.43
Growth rate	8%	-
Number of jobs	15,667	814
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 52%	Associate Degree, 68%
Average age	49	51
Years of experience	2	2

Licensed funeral director vs embalmer salary

Licensed funeral directors and embalmers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Licensed Funeral Director	Embalmer
Average salary	$38,451	$44,575
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $52,000	Between $26,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between licensed funeral director and embalmer education

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

	Licensed Funeral Director	Embalmer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 52%	Associate Degree, 68%
Most common major	Mortuary Science	Mortuary Science
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Licensed funeral director vs embalmer demographics

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

	Licensed Funeral Director	Embalmer
Average age	49	51
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 77.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 3.6% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between licensed funeral director and embalmer duties and responsibilities

Licensed funeral director example responsibilities.

Manage subordinates, facilities and MSDS files.
Certify crematory operator; participate on removals; and assist on calling hours and funerals.
Initiate utilizing cutting edge technology at locations providing families with remembrance DVD's and the option of web casting.

Embalmer example responsibilities.

Review all accounts payable imports prepare by license coordinators.
Direct maintenance of 60K database, overseeing development, design changes and compliance.
Comply with OSHA standards to embalm human remains for funeral homes throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
Secure NRC acceptance of shutdown plan for meeting requirements to maintain the option of a nuclear facility completion.
Secure timely NRC acceptance of site stabilization plan and subsequent termination of the construction permit and nuclear licenses.
Participate in meetings with DCF to update the licensing statutes and work on establishing normalcy for children in care.

Licensed funeral director vs embalmer skills

Common licensed funeral director skills

Funeral Arrangements, 15%
Life Insurance, 14%
Client Families, 12%
Social Security, 10%
Insurance Claims, 8%
Funeral Homes, 8%

Common embalmer skills

SCI, 82%
OSHA, 13%
Memorial Services, 2%
Death Certificates, 2%
Prep Room, 1%

Licensed Funeral Director vs. similar jobs

Licensed Funeral Director related careers

Licensed Funeral Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Funeral Director responsibilities

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs