Personal Care and Service · Holland code RCS
Crematory Operators
Operate crematory equipment to reduce human or animal remains to bone fragments in accordance with state and local regulations. Duties may include preparing the body for cremation and performing general maintenance on crematory equipment. May use traditional flame-based cremation, calcination, or alkaline hydrolysis.
O*NET 39-4012.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $43,650
- Middle half earn $37,020 to $50,380. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment.
- Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced.
- Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing.
- Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased.
- Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
- Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner.
- Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis.
- Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic83
- Investigative18
- Artistic8
- Social29
- Enterprising8
- Conventional56
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- coroner · DE Gerichtsmediziner/Gerichtsmedizinerin · FR médecin légiste
- anatomical pathology technician · DE Pathologieassistent/Pathologieassistentin · FR technicien en anatomopathologie/technicienne en anatomopathologie
- cemetery attendant · DE Friedhofsarbeiter/Friedhofsarbeiterin · FR fossoyeur/fossoyeuse
- embalmer · DE Einbalsamierer/Einbalsamiererin · FR thanatopracteur/thanatopractrice
- funeral attendant · DE Bestattunggehilfe/Bestattungsgehilfin · FR agent de pompes funèbres/agente de pompes funèbres
- funeral services director · DE Bestattungsleiter/Bestattungsleiterin · FR entrepreneur de pompes funèbres/entrepreneuse de pompes funèbres
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs (8213)173,900 employed
- Undertakers, mortuary and crematorium assistants (6138)16,700 employed
- Road transport drivers n.e.c. (8219)27,400 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €32,957 |
| Sweden | €32,596 |
| Netherlands | €29,198 |
| Austria | €29,068 |
| Germany | €27,471 |
| Ireland | €26,978 |
| Italy | €24,995 |
| France | €24,971 |
| Spain | €18,303 |
| Portugal | €10,656 |
| Poland | €7,579 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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