Funeral Attendants Salary
Funeral Attendants in Virginia make a median of $35,010 a year, or about $16.83 an hour. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $36,934 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 68.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $35K get you in Virginia?
About funeral attendants
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What this looks like in Virginia
Funeral attendants pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $36K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 68.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level funeral attendants (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $17K spread from bottom to top.
Funeral Attendants salary by metro in Virginia
5 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $36K | +2% | 40 |
| Richmond | $35K | +0% | 230 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $31K | -11% | 290 |
| Roanoke | $28K | -19% | 180 |
| Lynchburg | $28K | -19% | 100 |
Compare to other states
Track funeral attendants salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a funeral attendant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 68.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for funeral attendants in Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new funeral attendants typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,675/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 98% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is funeral attendant a high-paying job in Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $36K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for funeral attendants?
Virginia pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do funeral attendants make in Virginia?
The median is $35,010 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,910, and experienced funeral attendants can clear $44,720. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,389/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 68.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a funeral attendants salary go in Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median funeral attendants salary is worth about $36,934 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do funeral attendants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.