Salary
Average Salary: $45,060
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,881,165
Being an embalmer can be one of the most rewarding careers one can pursue, which is especially important to remember when you're just starting out and making diddly-squat. Unfortunately, in those first few years while you're still learning and getting certified, you'll be making about $24,000 a year. While it isn't poverty, that amount puts you right around waiter wages (although we wouldn't recommend taking home any leftovers).
The good news is that, unlike death, low income doesn't last forever. Eventually, as you build yourself a career in funeral services, you'll find your work bringing in $45,000 a year on average (source). The top ten percent of embalmers make at least $60,000 a year, and the highest-paid can even hit six figures.
So what accounts for the increase in your bank statement? Well, there's the usual "experience" skill category: the more you know, the more people trust you, and the faster you work. There's also your job title. The embalmers making the top money are usually funeral directors, running all aspects from arranging the pick-up of the deceased to the final service, burial, and wake.
Finally, there is something unique to funeral services that will see an increase in your paycheck: the number of deceased persons you work on and the families who are paying for your services.
The nicer, kinder, more human-like people reading this might feel a little uncomfortable asking for money from those in mourning. That is a nice, kind, more human-like thing to feel, but don't worry―funeral costs are an expected part of life. Everybody dies (even Superman…sort of ) and most of them want to be buried.
Embalming fluids, permits, tools, caskets: all of these things cost money, and so does the labor you provide. You're in a business to provide people with a sense of closure. If you do it carefully, honestly, and with respect, the business will follow. Silent and respectful high-five.