Funeral Homes and Funeral Services — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the funeral homes and funeral services industry earns $46,581 per year ($22.39/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Funeral Homes and Funeral Workers Earn?
At $46,581/year (equivalent to $22.39/hour for a full-time worker), funeral homes and funeral services wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical funeral homes and funeral services business employs 8 people. These are mid-sized operations where payroll is a significant but manageable expense.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average funeral homes and funeral services business generating $1.0M/year with 8 employees at $46,581 each, total payroll represents roughly 35.6% of revenue. Labor is a significant cost but leaves room for other expenses and profit.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a funeral homes and funeral servicesbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $60,555/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 8 employees = ~$372,648/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $22.39/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $1.0M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Funeral Homes and Funeral Services revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do funeral homes and funeral services employees make?
- The average funeral homes and funeral services employee earns $46,581 per year, which is equivalent to $22.39/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the funeral homes and funeral services industry?
- The funeral homes and funeral services industry employs 105,300 workers across 13,892 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 8 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).