Updated for 2026

Funeral Arranger Salary in 2026

This Funeral Arranger salary guide for 2026 centers on Careerclev's modeled national salary benchmark, built from the latest official BLS wage baseline and extended with wage trend history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available. It covers average salary, hourly pay, experience bands, salary by city, salary by state, industry premiums, in-demand skills, and long-term job outlook so readers can compare what drives higher compensation. Official BLS and O*NET title: "Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers".

Last updated: 202625,700 employment estimateFull salary breakdown12 min read
Average Salary
$74.3K
per year (USA)
Entry Level
$47.0K
starting range
Senior Level
$100K
upper percentile
Top Earners
$144K+
lead / principal
Hourly Rate
$36
avg. equivalent
Salary figures projected to 2026  from May 2024BLS OEWS baseline·  Projections use wage history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available
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What Does a Funeral Arranger Earn?

Careerclev's modeled 2026 benchmark places Funeral Arranger pay at $74,258.0 per year in the United States. On the latest official 2024 BLS wage baseline, the lower end of the Funeral Arranger salary range starts around $31,470.0, while experienced professionals and top earners can reach $85,940.0 or more.

That national figure is only the starting point. In practice, pay for this role changes quickly once location, industry, experience level, and specialization enter the picture. A Funeral Arranger working in Minneapolis, MN or a stronger salary industry like Government Excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service may see a very different salary path than someone in a lower-cost market, especially when skills like role-specific skills and advanced tools define the role.

Key 2026 BenchmarkThe national median Funeral Arranger salary is $74,258.0, with an estimated hourly equivalent of $36.

What Funeral Arranger Professionals Do

Perform various tasks to arrange and direct individual funeral services, such as coordinating transportation of body to mortuary, interviewing family or other authorized person to arrange details, selecting pallbearers, aiding with the selection of officials for religious rites, and providing transportation for mourners.

Typical Responsibilities

Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
Core
Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
Core
Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
Core
Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
Core
Remove deceased remains from place of death.
Core
Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
Core
Related job titlesFuneral Arrangement Director, Funeral Arranger, Funeral Counselor, Funeral Director, Funeral Family Service Assistant, Funeral Location Manager

Funeral Arranger Salary by Experience Level

Experience is one of the strongest salary drivers for Funeral Arranger roles. Entry-level workers usually sit closer to the lower salary band while senior, lead, and principal-level professionals move into higher ranges as they take on ownership, decision-making, mentoring, and more specialized work.

That progression matters because the headline median can hide how wide the real pay ladder is. For some roles, early-career pay stays close to the middle; for others, the gap between first-job pay and senior pay is large enough to change how attractive the path looks over time.

LevelExperienceAvg. Base SalaryEstimated Total PayGrowth vs Previous
Entry Level Funeral Arranger0-2 years$46,970.0$49.3K - $60.3KN/A
Mid Level Funeral Arranger3-5 years$74,258.0$62.6K - $109K+58.1%
Senior Level Funeral Arranger6-10 years$100,054$83.9K - $145K+34.7%
Lead / Principal Funeral Arranger10+ years$128,088$117K - $168K+28.0%
How to read the experience tableThe cards show the quick salary story, while the table gives a more detailed view of how Funeral Arrangerpay can move from entry-level work into senior and lead responsibility.

Funeral Arranger Salary by City

City salary differences matter because Funeral Arranger jobs are tied to local employer demand, cost of living, and industry concentration. Markets like Minneapolis, MN and Delaware can pay very differently even when the job title looks the same on paper.

That is why city pages are often more useful than national averages once you are actively job searching. They show whether a stronger nominal salary comes from a genuinely better market, a more specialized employer mix, or simply a more expensive metro.

United States — City Comparison

CityProjected SalaryVs. National BenchmarkCost of Living Signal
Minneapolis, MN$80,750.0+9%Competitive
Delaware$80,290.0+8%Competitive
North Dakota$76,720.0+3%Competitive
Minnesota$76,490.0+3%Competitive
Duluth, MN$74,180.0-0%Value market
Manchester, NH$67,630.0-9%Value market
Des Moines, IA$66,600.0-10%Value market
Omaha, NE$65,860.0-11%Value market
Cedar Rapids, IA$65,450.0-12%Value market
New York, NY$65,350.0-12%Value market
City salary pictureA higher Funeral Arranger salary in a major metro does not always mean higher take-home value. Housing, taxes, commuting, and remote-work flexibility can change the real outcome.
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Funeral Arranger Salary by Industry

Industry can change a Funeral Arranger salary as much as geography. Employers in Government Excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service may pay more when the role sits close to revenue, regulated operations, complex infrastructure, or scarce technical expertise.

IndustryProjected SalaryBonus PotentialJob SecurityGrowth Pace
Government Excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service$88,520.0HighStrongFast
Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service$87,340.0HighStrongFast
Administrative, Support, Waste Management, and Remediation Services$52,020.0HighStrongFast
Other Services Except Public Administration$49,670.0ModerateStrongFast

The strongest-paying industries for Funeral Arranger roles usually combine higher budgets with urgent business needs. Use this table to compare not only salary, but also the tradeoff between upside, stability, and long-term growth.

Funeral Arranger Salary by Skill Specialization

Skills shape salary because they tell employers what kind of problems a Funeral Arranger can solve. Strong signals around role-specific skills, advanced tools, tools, platforms, analysis, communication, and domain knowledge can help candidates move from average pay into stronger compensation bands.

Common tool stackO*NET maps Funeral Arranger work to tools such as Belmar & Associates Mortware, Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, and Microsoft Excel.
role-specific skills can raise the ceilingThe most valuable Funeral Arranger skills are the ones connected to business-critical work, scarce tools, and hard-to-fill responsibilities. Pairing role-specific skills with advanced tools can make a candidate easier to price at the top of the salary range.

Remote vs Onsite vs Hybrid — Salary Comparison

Remote, onsite, and hybrid pay can shift the salary story for Funeral Arranger jobs. Remote roles often widen the hiring market, while onsite roles may pay more in expensive metros when employers need local availability, team coverage, or specialized workplace access.

Work TypeAvg. BaseExperienceBenefitsFlexibility
Remote Funeral Arranger$74,258.0Market dependentVariableHigh
Hybrid Funeral Arranger$76,485.7Metro dependentStrongMedium
Onsite Funeral Arranger$75,000.6Location dependentStrongLower

Hybrid roles can carry a small premium in high-cost cities, while fully remote roles can be especially powerful for workers outside the most expensive labor markets. The best comparison is total pay after location, taxes, commuting, and lifestyle costs.

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How to Become a Funeral Arranger

The most common path into Funeral Arranger work is to pair the expected baseline education with early hands-on practice and proof that you can handle the core responsibilities of the role. Candidates move faster when they can connect training, projects, internships, or prior adjacent work to the exact kinds of tasks employers hire funeral arranger professionals to do.

If you want the fuller step-by-step version, open the full How to Become a Funeral Arranger guide.

Practical shortcutThe strongest early candidates for Funeral Arranger jobs usually show job-relevant work samples, clear fundamentals, and evidence that they can contribute with limited supervision.
Knowledge areas employers associate with this roleCustomer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, and Administration and Management.

Funeral Arranger Work Environment

Work environment can shape job fit just as much as salary. For Funeral Arranger, the day-to-day experience may vary based on employer type, digital vs on-site workflows, collaboration intensity, schedule predictability, and how much independent judgment the role requires.

Common work-style signalsO*NET highlights Attention to Detail, Dependability, Empathy, and Integrity for Funeral Arranger work.
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
Telephone Conversations
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Entry-Level Funeral Arranger Salary Expectations

Entry-level Funeral Arranger salary expectations should be viewed as a starting range, not a ceiling. New workers in this role often earn around $46,970.0, with pay rising as they build practical experience, stronger judgment, better tools, and a clearer track record of delivering work without close supervision.

Internship / Trainee
$23/hr
$35.2K - $54.0K annualized
Early practical exposure, supervised assignments, portfolio building, and conversion into a first full-time role.
New Grad / Junior
$47.0K
$47.0K - $57.4K base
First full-time Funeral Arranger roles reward candidates who can show useful work, reliable fundamentals, and coachability.

Typical Promotion Timeline

Promotions usually follow the move from supervised work to independent delivery, then to broader ownership. Switching employers can sometimes accelerate salary growth when the current role has a narrow pay band.

StageTypical TimelineSalary JumpKey Milestone
Intern → JuniorInternship → first role$8.5K - $15.0KFirst full-time offer
Junior → Mid18-30 months$8.9K - $16.3KDeliver work independently
Mid → Senior2-4 years$12.0K - $22.0KOwn larger outcomes
Senior → Lead3-6 years$15.4K - $32.0KInfluence teams or strategy

Funeral Arranger Career Progression & Salary Path

This step is useful because experience level and career progression are related, but not identical. The pay path below shows how compensation tends to widen as the work moves from narrower execution into broader ownership and leadership scope.

1
Intern / Trainee
$28.9K$38.8K
Funeral Arranger compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
2
Junior
$35.9K$47.3K
Funeral Arranger compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
3
Mid Level
$44.8K$55.8K
Funeral Arranger compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
4
Senior
$53.8K$69.7K
Funeral Arranger compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
5
Lead
$63.7K$80.7K
Funeral Arranger compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.
6
Principal / Architect
$74.7K$102K
Funeral Arranger compensation at this stage usually reflects broader responsibility, stronger judgment, and more independent ownership of outcomes.

Factors That Affect a Funeral Arranger's Salary

A Funeral Arranger salary is rarely determined by job title alone. Employers also price the role based on education, certifications, tools used, industry setting, workplace responsibility, and how difficult it is to find qualified candidates with the same mix of skills.

Years of Experience
Salary usually rises as the role moves from entry-level execution to independent ownership, mentoring, and broader decision-making.
Location and Cost of Living
Local salary ranges vary by labor market, employer density, and household-income context.
Industry
Industry pay can vary when employers in higher-margin or harder-to-staff sectors compete for the same occupation.
Specialized Skills
O*NET marks high-demand role-specific skills as relevant skills for this role, making them useful anchors for specialization and salary-growth content.

Funeral Arranger Job Demand & Market Outlook

The Funeral Arranger job outlook matters because demand affects hiring, salary growth, and how much leverage qualified workers have. The current projection points to 3.1% employment change from 2024 to 2034, which helps explain whether employers are likely to keep competing for qualified talent.

Salary is easier to interpret when it sits next to a demand signal. Strong wages in a shrinking field can tell a very different story from strong wages in a role where openings, replacement demand, and market expansion are all still active.

BLS Employment ProjectionEmployment is projected to change by 3.1% from 2024 to 2034.
About averageAnnual openings: 3.2 thousand.
Metric2026 Status
Projected employment27.5k → 28.4k
Typical educationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related experiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Remote job availabilityMeaningful for roles with portable work and digital workflows
Salary market signalMedian pay of $74,258.0 suggests a solid compensation track.

How to Increase Your Funeral Arranger Salary

The most reliable way to increase a Funeral Arranger salary is to make your value easier for employers to measure. That usually means building stronger evidence around outcomes, expanding into higher-value skills, moving toward better-paying industries, and negotiating with current market salary data in hand.

StrategyAvg. Salary ImpactTimelineEffort Level
Benchmark against stronger markets+15-30%1-3 monthsHigh ROI
Build a visible specialization$8.9K - $20.8K3-9 monthsMedium
Target higher-paying industries$5.9K - $13.4K2-6 monthsMedium
The fastest salary liftFor many Funeral Arranger professionals, the fastest path is a focused mix of stronger proof, higher-value skills, and better market selection. Salary gains usually come faster when candidates combine a clear portfolio with targeted applications and negotiation.

Funeral Arranger vs Similar Career Salaries

Comparing Funeral Arranger salary with Gambling Service Supervisor and other nearby careers helps show whether this job title is underpaid, fairly priced, or part of a stronger salary path. These comparisons are useful when choosing between roles, planning a career move, or deciding which skills to build next.

Gambling Service Supervisor
$61.6K
Related role
Below baseline
Embalmer
$56.3K
Related role
Below baseline
Costume Attendant
$54.8K
Related role
Below baseline
Makeup Artist
$50.3K
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Below baseline
Personal Service Supervisor
$47.1K
Related role
Below baseline
Entertainment and Recreation Supervisor
$46.9K
Related role
Below baseline
Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor
$46.2K
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Crematory Operator
$42.9K
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Below baseline
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Frequently Asked Questions

These questions usually come up after readers compare the national salary, experience bands, and city differences. Together they clarify how to read the salary data and what to pay attention to when you compare this role with nearby careers.

What is the average Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers salary?
The latest national baseline for Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers is about $49,800 per year, based on the current BLS-derived salary facts in CareerClev.
What is the entry-level Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers salary?
Entry-level estimates for Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers are modeled around the lower BLS percentile range, currently about $31,500 per year nationally.
How much can senior Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers professionals earn?
Senior Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers estimates are modeled from upper percentile wage bands and currently sit around $67,100 per year nationally.
Does location affect Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers salary?
Yes. CareerClev stores salary facts by national, state, and metro locations, so location-specific pages should use the closest available geography instead of a single national number.
Which skills matter for Morticians, Undertakers, & Funeral Arrangers salary growth?
CareerClev uses O*NET skill importance and level scores to identify role-relevant skills. These are useful for recommendations, but should not be presented as measured salary premiums unless enriched compensation data exists.
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Data Sources & Methodology
Updated using 2024 BLS OEWS salary facts, O*NET occupation-skill data, Census location context where available, ILOSTAT country benchmarks where mapped, BLS Employment Projections where imported, and Stack Overflow Developer Survey enrichment for mapped tech roles.
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