Service & RetailCompare

Funeral Director

O*NET: Funeral Home Managers·39-4031.00

The Verdict:Funeral direction involves hands-on remains preparation and real-time emotional support for grieving families in sensitive, variable conditions. Robotics can't handle body care or unstructured sites effectively. Legal licensure and trust barriers persist. AI aids paperwork and scheduling, but human roles in rituals and comfort endure next decade.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$50k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+3.1%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 1 of 22 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
12 of 22 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 41% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

1exposed

9AI leverage

12human-essential

View all 22 tasks

AI Can Handle This1 task

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

Maintain financial records, order merchandise, or prepare accounts.

AI Leverage9 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Obtain information needed to complete legal documents, such as death certificates or burial permits.

Contact cemeteries to schedule the opening and closing of graves.

Plan, schedule, or coordinate funerals, burials, or cremations, arranging details such as floral delivery or the time and place of services.

Provide information on funeral service options, products, or merchandise, and maintain a casket display area.

Direct preparations and shipment of bodies for out-of-state burial.

Arrange for clergy members to perform needed services.

Manage funeral home operations, including the hiring, training, or supervision of embalmers, funeral attendants, or other staff.

Inform survivors of benefits for which they may be eligible.

Arrange for pallbearers or inform pallbearers or honorary groups of their duties.

Human Advantage12 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Oversee the preparation and care of the remains of people who have died.

Perform embalming duties, as necessary.

Consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.

Remove deceased remains from place of death.

Close caskets and lead funeral corteges to churches or burial sites.

Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.

Discuss and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients.

Provide or arrange transportation between sites for the remains, mourners, pallbearers, clergy, or flowers.

Plan placement of caskets at funeral sites or place or adjust lights, fixtures, or floral displays.

Clean funeral home facilities and grounds.

Receive or usher people to their seats for services.

Participate in community activities for funeral home promotion or other purposes.

Resilience Landscape

Funeral Director lands in Stable, Lower Pay

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