AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 39-4021.00
Will AI replace Funeral Attendants?
Funeral Attendants: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 24 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 24 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Funeral Attendants, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform a variety of tasks during funerals to assist funeral directors and to ensure that services run smoothly and as planned. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Attend to the needs of the bereaved, such as by offering comfort, counseling, or after-care programs. | Observed | Standard | |
| Perform various administrative tasks, such as typing documents or answering telephone calls. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Embalm, dress, cosmeticize, and casket the deceased. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare obituaries for newspapers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Transport the deceased to the funeral home. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Obtain doctors' signatures on death certificate and complete other paperwork, such as insurance claims forms. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Obtain burial permits and register deaths. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Greet people at the funeral home. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assist with cremations and the processing and packaging of cremated remains. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Close caskets at appropriate point in services. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Direct or escort mourners to parlors or chapels in which wakes or funerals are being held. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Place caskets in parlors or chapels prior to wakes or funerals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Offer assistance to mourners as they enter or exit limousines. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean funeral parlors or chapels. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Arrange floral offerings or lights around caskets. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Act as pallbearers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Supervise funeral processions and assist with cemetery parking. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Deliver floral arrangements or other items to family members of the deceased. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Issue and store funeral equipment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Provide advice to mourners on how to make charitable donations in honor of the deceased. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Perform general maintenance tasks for funeral homes, such as maintaining equipment or caring for funeral grounds. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean and drive funeral vehicles, such as cars or hearses, in funeral processions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Carry flowers to hearses or limousines for transportation to places of interment. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 24 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 22 of 24. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 92% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 92% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 8% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 31,090
- Median annual wage
- $35,680
- Middle half of earners
- $30,380 to $42,870
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +3.1%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers 82% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure33
- Funeral Home Managers 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure37
- Crematory Operators 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure29
- Embalmers 65% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure71
- Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians 58% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure17
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Funeral Attendants and AI
Will AI replace Funeral Attendants?
Not on current evidence. None of the 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 30 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Funeral Attendants?
30 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 24 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 22 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Funeral Attendants tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Perform a variety of tasks during funerals to assist funeral directors and to ensure that services run smoothly and as planned, at 50 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 92% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Funeral Attendants, and what do they earn?
31,090 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $35,680 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.1% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Funeral Attendants. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/funeral-attendants
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