Funeral home managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes.
Funeral home managers plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes. The role reports a median annual salary of $76,830 in the US and is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Associate's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.34 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Time Management.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £43,365 a year for Property, housing and estate managers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £33,185 to £59,643 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 1251). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Funeral home managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Administrative
- Economics and Accounting
- Sales and Marketing
- Psychology
- Personnel and Human Resources
A day in the life
You arrive at the funeral home early to check the schedule and make sure the chapel, vehicles and staff are ready for the day's services. Mid-morning you meet a grieving family to plan a funeral, gently discussing the type of service, the wording of the death notice, flowers and music. You listen patiently and offer comfort, careful never to rush them. Later you visit the hospital to collect a signed death certificate and file the required paperwork with the authorities. After lunch you oversee a service, making sure every detail runs smoothly and discreetly. In the afternoon you guide your team of embalmers, attendants and staff, and update records and stock. The emotional weight of seeing so much grief can be draining. But helping a family say a meaningful goodbye to someone they love gives the work a deep sense of purpose.
In India: In India most families arrange last rites through community customs, family priests and cremation grounds or burial grounds; formal funeral homes are mostly found in large cities and among some communities, so the role is far less common.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
- Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations.
- Deliver death certificates to medical facilities or offices to obtain signatures from legally authorized persons.
- Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.
- Monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws.
- Direct and supervise work of embalmers, funeral attendants, death certificate clerks, cosmetologists, or other staff.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Funeral home managers do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes.
What does a typical day look like in Funeral home managers?
You arrive at the funeral home early to check the schedule and make sure the chapel, vehicles and staff are ready for the day's services. Mid-morning you meet a grieving family to plan a funeral, gently discussing the type of service, the wording of the death notice, flowers and music. You listen patiently and offer comfort, careful never to rush them. Later you visit the hospital to collect a signed death certificate and file the required paperwork with the authorities.
How much does Funeral home managers earn?
The median annual salary for Funeral home managers in the US is $76,830.
What is the job outlook for Funeral home managers?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 32,100 workers.
How do I become funeral home managers?
The typical entry education is a Associate's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Funeral home managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Speaking. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Funeral home managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Funeral home managers a score of 0.34 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Funeral home managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.