Occupations/39-4011.00
Embalmers
Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.
Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.
AI automation risk
15%
More resilient
Human characteristics
85%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
51%
Mixed exposure
A day in this job
- Mostly routine
Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
- Task
Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
- Task
Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
The tasks we can read here lean routine. That sits next to the AI risk rank — it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
- 02Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
- 03Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
- 04Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
- 05Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
- 06Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks3.54
- Degree of automation1.73
- Time sitting2.56
- Originality (ability)2.38
- Conflict situations4.02
- Hands-on objects/tools3.67
- Outdoors / weather3.70
- Disease exposure4.40
- Decision freedom4.49
Top abilities
- Near Vision4.00
- Problem Sensitivity3.62
- Oral Comprehension3.62
- Speech Recognition3.38
- Oral Expression3.38
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.38
- Speech Clarity3.25
- Information Ordering3.25
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.00
- Active Listening3.75
- Writing3.12
- Speaking3.88
- Mathematics2.00
- Science2.62
- Critical Thinking3.12
- Active Learning3.00
- Learning Strategies2.12
- Monitoring3.00
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
3 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miami Dade College Miami, FL · Public | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General 12.0301 | $2,900 | 100% | 41% | 1 yr $36,848 2 yr — Associate · CIP 12.03 |
Ridgewater College Willmar, MN · Public | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General 12.0301 | $6,100 | 100% | 36% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Not reported |
Columbus State Community College Columbus, OH · Public | Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General 12.0301 | $4,800 | 100% | 25% | 1 yr — 2 yr — Not reported |