Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers
SOC Code: 39-4031
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers carries a 32% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $49,800 and +3.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 27,500 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 32% AI exposure, Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers sits 5 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 38% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
51/100
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $49,800
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C +3.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C+ 32% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Associate / award entry with a named growth shelf
Entry credential Associate / award covers 99 of 832 occupations; BLS places this one in Average (378/832). Mid-credential standing - thicker than graduate shelves, thinner than HS-dominated mass.
Where Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
32% Lower than most lower than 62% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 39-4031) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.
- 2. Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.
- 3. Perform embalming duties, as necessary.
- 4. Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.
- 5. Remove deceased remains from place of death.
- 6. Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.
- 7. Plan, schedule, or coordinate funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services.
- 8. Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.
- 9. Provide information on funeral service options, products, or merchandise, and maintain a casket display area.
- 10. Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Speaking
- Coordination
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Persuasion
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics
- Sales and Marketing
- Biology
- Philosophy and Theology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers has an AI exposure score of 32%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers is projected to grow by 3.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 27,500 workers.
What skills are needed for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
Key skills for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers include Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, and others. Typical entry-level education is Associate's degree.
How much do Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers earn?
The median annual wage for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers is $49,800, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
The typical entry-level education for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers is Associate's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Long-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers?
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (32% here).
- Avionics technicians · AI exposure 32%
- Biological science teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Business teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare · AI exposure 32%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.1% here).
- Financial specialists, all other · growth +3.1%
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers · growth +3.1%
- Funeral attendants · growth +3.1%
- Parts salespersons · growth +3.1%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 23 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).