Funeral Attendants
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.
What it pays
Funeral Attendants earn a median of $17.16/hr — about $35,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.50/hr; the top 10% earn $23.30/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Funeral Attendants earn a median of $17.16/hr — about $35,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.50/hr; the top 10% earn $23.30/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 4.8% of funeral attendants are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, people-focused and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a funeral attendant make?
- The median pay is $17.16 per hour — roughly $35,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.50/hr (10th percentile) to $23.30/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a funeral attendant?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a funeral attendant actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.