Licensed funeral director vs mortician

The differences between licensed funeral directors and morticians 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 a mortician. Additionally, a mortician has an average salary of $49,430, 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 a mortician are death certificates, funeral services, and funeral homes.

Licensed funeral director vs mortician overview

	Licensed Funeral Director	Mortician
Yearly salary	$38,451	$49,430
Hourly rate	$18.49	$23.76
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	15,667	407
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 52%	Associate Degree, 33%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

Licensed funeral director vs mortician salary

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

	Licensed Funeral Director	Mortician
Average salary	$38,451	$49,430
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $52,000	Between $24,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between licensed funeral director and mortician education

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

	Licensed Funeral Director	Mortician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 52%	Associate Degree, 33%
Most common major	Mortuary Science	Mortuary Science
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Licensed funeral director vs mortician demographics

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

	Licensed Funeral Director	Mortician
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8%
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, 11.6% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between licensed funeral director and mortician 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.

Mortician example responsibilities.

Utilize the HMIS systems to manage and maintain customer records.
Verify eligibility of veterans for burial benefits and contact appropriate cemetery representatives.
Utilize the HMIS systems to manage and maintain customer records.

Licensed funeral director vs mortician 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 mortician skills

Death Certificates, 35%
Funeral Services, 22%
Funeral Homes, 17%
Prep Room, 11%
Insurance Claims, 7%
Vital Statistics, 7%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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