Funeral director salary varies considerably from one city to another, across the states in the country and it can also vary in the same city or district depending on the place where one works and how much experience one possesses.
Job Description
A funeral director is a professional who organizes, oversees and conducts a funeral. Right from the time of a person’s demise to the burial and the subsequent formal proceedings, a funeral director is in charge. The profile of a funeral director can be considerably diverse if one is also a licensed embalmer. Most funeral directors are. A funeral director is usually called upon immediately after a person dies and is entrusted with all the tasks that have to be followed. A funeral director will be in charge of transporting the body, for its preservation to the date of the burial, for issuing or facilitating the issuance of death certificates and also in providing assistance to the bereaved family and friends. The assistance to the family will be in form of moral and emotional support, technical guidance on death certificate and also to get insurance payments. A funeral director will organize the entire funeral, from writing obituaries to sending public notices and conducting the entire funeral as is expected or desired by the family.
Salary Of A Funeral director
According to a salary report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary of a funeral director is about $55,000 per year. This number varies greatly as the higher earners among funeral directors make around $97,200 per annum while the least earners make approximately $29,490 per year on an average.
The hourly wage, the monthly salary and the total yearly salary including bonuses and commissions or profits depend on several factors. One dominant factor is where a funeral director works and how experienced one is. If a funeral director is working at midsized companies that have less than fifty employees then one will earn more. Large funeral companies and small companies will pay considerably less.
The median salary of a funeral director in the United States is $54,140.
Salary Based On Experience Of A Funeral director
Like in any profession, more experienced funeral directors will earn more than those with little to no experience. A funeral director who has no or less than one year experience may begin with $24,220 in the first year. This number can go up to $63,278 as one is more experienced and depending on where one works and how efficient one is. As one progresses through the year, the income may increase considerably, especially owing to bonuses and commissions. Funeral directors with five years of experience or more will earn about $59,000 or more. With 10 years of work experience and more, a funeral director may earn more than $63,000. The experience is not just weighed in based on the number of years one has but also on the basis of where one has worked. The hourly rate for an experienced funeral director may be as much as $23.00 in comparison with an inexperienced director who may get only $15.00 per hour. Funeral directors are eligible for a share in profit, bonuses or commissions.
Salaries Vary Across States
Like in most professions, funeral director salary varies from one state to another. Wisconsin pays anywhere between $35,101 and $98,633. The state is the highest payer for funeral directors. The basic starting salary is $35,101 which is higher than any state and the topmost salary is also the highest. California ranks second with an annual salary range that starts at a very conservative $19,609 but the best pays are around $82,701.
Across these states, the actual hourly wage, the yearly salary, bonuses and commissions will depend on where on experience and the terms of employment. Some funeral directors may not be entitled to commissions, especially those who have little to no experience. As a funeral director builds a clientele and develops a reputation of his or her own, the commissions will be integral to the salary. Apart from the experience, the place and type of employment; the quality of training, education and expertise of a funeral director will determine the eventual salary.
Funeral directors in Canada earn anywhere from 31,149 CAD to more than 61,000 CAD. The annual salary in some provinces of Canada and in some companies can be as high as 73,000 CAD. Australia pays about 35,000 AUD to 65,000 AUD. The highest wage down under is about 70,000 AUD. UK pays anywhere from 14,000 GBP to 26,000 GBP. Experienced funeral directors can easily earn considerably more than 20,000 GBP across the United Kingdom.
United States is among the top payers for funeral directors along with Canada. Relatively, UK and Australia pay considerably less. South Africa is another country that pays funeral directors reasonably well.
