Crematory Operators
O*NET task statements lead this Crematory Operators card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance, Tour and Travel Guides, Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other, Skincare Specialists.
Same-major-group titles next to Crematory Operators: Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance ($97K) , Tour and Travel Guides ($38K) , Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other ($42K) , Skincare Specialists ($45K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.
What Crematory Operators publish as work
O*NET task statements for SOC 39-4012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.
- 1. Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment
- 2. Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced
- 3. Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing
- 4. Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased
- 5. Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends
- 6. Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner
- 7. Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis
- 8. Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder
- 9. Read documentation to confirm the identity of the deceased
- 10. Remove jewelry, watches, or other personal items from the deceased prior to cremation
- 11. Sweep or vacuum the cremation chamber to retrieve remains for storage in an urn or other container
- 12. Transport the deceased to a funeral home or crematory using a van, hearse, or other vehicle
Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments
Top Paying States for Crematory Operators
Other Personal Care and Service Occupations titles
- 1. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other $41,600
- 2. Tour and Travel Guides $38,120
- 3. Skincare Specialists $45,330
- 4. First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers $48,590
- 5. Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance $97,150
- 6. Concierges $38,950
O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Crematory Operators (SOC 39-4012). The national OEWS median is $43,650 inside Personal Care and Service Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance, Tour and Travel Guides, Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other, Skincare Specialists. Lead published task: Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment.
Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.
Highest published state median in this ranking: Arizona at $49,970. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance at $97,150. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.
Crematory Operators pay-rank #10 in Personal Care and Service Occupations
Among 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations with a published OEWS median, Crematory Operators is pay-rank #10, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.
Other upper-third titles · closest medians
Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.
Crematory Operators: the tasks, then the state map and peers
SOC 39-4012 · national median $43,650 · upper third of Personal Care and Service Occupations (#10/32). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.
Crematory Operators salary map
State, metro, and percentile for SOC 39-4012
Arizona · top state for Crematory Operators
$50K published median
Pennsylvania · #2 state pay
$48K · behind Arizona
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance
Highest-pay peer vs Crematory Operators · $97K
Tour and Travel Guides
Lower-pay peer beside Crematory Operators · $38K
Compare Crematory Operators
Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Personal Care and Service Occupations titles sit near Crematory Operators at the top of the pay table? ▼
What do crematory operators do day to day? ▼
What is the OEWS national median for Crematory Operators? ▼
What employment change does BLS publish for Crematory Operators? ▼
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Crematory Operators? ▼
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Crematory Operators? ▼
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025
Federal sources on this Crematory Operators card
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 39-4012. bls.gov/oes
- O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Crematory Operators. onetcenter.org
- BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
- IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics