Where is it easiest to open: Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 39-4031” (soc) for Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers. A blank gate means NO RECORD MATCHED, which is not the same as no licence.
| State | Operators | Avg staff | Pay / employee | Gate | Licence titles matched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 1,024 | 5.0 | $50,828 | licence | Funeral Director |
| PA | 948 | 5.1 | $41,762 | licence | Funeral Director |
| TX | 841 | 9.1 | $41,738 | exam | FUNERAL DIRECTOR |
| CA | 773 | 9.7 | $62,563 | licence | Funeral Director |
| OH | 767 | 6.4 | $39,228 | licence | Funeral Director |
| IL | 682 | 5.6 | $50,604 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTOR AND EMBALMER |
| FL | 625 | 8.8 | $41,817 | not matched | — |
| MI | 494 | 8.5 | $37,208 | licence | Funeral Director (Mortuary Science); Funeral Director (Mortuary Science) Re |
| NC | 466 | 8.3 | $38,482 | exam | Courtesy Card (Funeral); Funeral Director |
| NJ | 447 | 5.4 | $55,230 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTOR; MORTICIAN |
| IN | 439 | 7.0 | $38,174 | exam | Funeral Director; Funeral Director Intern |
| TN | 383 | 7.9 | $41,552 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTOR |
| WI | 379 | 5.4 | $48,884 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTOR |
| MA | 369 | 6.1 | $50,227 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTOR |
| GA | 340 | 8.3 | $39,658 | exam | Cemetery/Funeral Service Dealer; Funeral Director |
| MO | 320 | 7.5 | $37,964 | licence | Funeral Directors |
| VA | 287 | 10.3 | $38,825 | exam | Funeral Director |
| KY | 260 | 6.7 | $37,503 | exam | Funeral Director and Embalmer |
| IA | 257 | 5.6 | $39,975 | licence | Funeral Director |
| AL | 254 | 7.3 | $39,145 | licence | Licensed Funeral Director |
| SC | 251 | 9.5 | $36,986 | licence | Funeral Director; Funeral Director and Embalmer Apprenti |
| MN | 246 | 5.3 | $50,614 | licence | Mortuary Science (Mortician) License |
| MD | 210 | 9.3 | $47,507 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTOR; MORTICIAN |
| LA | 209 | 8.1 | $41,425 | not matched | — |
| CT | 193 | 6.0 | $51,372 | licence | Funeral Director |
| OK | 178 | 9.5 | $32,329 | licence | Funeral Director |
| WV | 168 | 6.6 | $35,660 | not matched | — |
| AR | 146 | 6.9 | $36,028 | exam | Funeral Director; Funeral Director Apprentice |
| KS | 142 | 6.1 | $39,306 | exam | Assistant Funeral Director; Funeral Director |
| MS | 142 | 7.1 | $38,838 | exam | Funeral Directors |
| WA | 139 | 8.0 | $53,515 | exam | Funeral Director; Mortician |
| AZ | 132 | 9.0 | $42,950 | not matched | — |
| OR | 110 | 7.8 | $42,271 | licence | Death Care Consultant; Funeral Service Practitioner |
| CO | 89 | 8.8 | $50,102 | exam | Funeral Home |
| UT | 85 | 9.1 | $48,462 | licence | FUNERAL SERVICE DIRECTOR |
| NE | 77 | 6.9 | $42,714 | licence | Funeral Director & Embalmer |
| ME | 74 | 8.3 | $41,497 | exam | Funeral Director and Practitioner (Ina; Funeral "Home" Establishment |
| RI | 65 | 6.6 | $49,799 | exam | Funeral Director/Embalmer |
| NV | 57 | 10.2 | $54,322 | not matched | — |
| DE | 55 | 10.3 | $43,152 | exam | Funeral Director; Funeral Director Limited License |
| NH | 45 | 5.6 | $54,268 | exam | Funeral Director |
| NM | 42 | 9.7 | $43,375 | exam | Arranger; Funeral Service Intern License |
| ID | 35 | 6.1 | $45,643 | exam | Funeral Directors; Morticians |
| VT | 32 | 4.5 | $45,614 | licence | Embalmer; Funeral Director |
| MT | 26 | 8.4 | $34,995 | exam | Funeral - Mortician; Funeral - Mortician Intern |
| SD | 25 | 7.8 | $44,222 | licence | Funeral Director |
| DC | 18 | 6.5 | $49,949 | licence | FUNERAL DIRECTORS |
| HI | 15 | 15.9 | $42,160 | not matched | — |
| AK | 14 | 5.3 | $58,581 | licence | Mortician |
| WY | 9 | 6.2 | $34,375 | exam | FUNERAL SERVICE PROVIDERS |
| ND | 4 | 12.8 | $45,412 | licence | Funeral Service Practitioners |
Axes are shown side by side and deliberately NOT collapsed into a ranking. A composite would be a score with no measured interval, and an unmeasured score is the thing this product exists to argue against. A high licence gate is a cost to enter and a moat once cleared — which of those matters more is the operator's call, not ours.
Licence data courtesy of CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Free to read, no account, always — a condition of the data licence as well as our own position.