Prevailing Wage for Funeral Attendants
Prevailing wage for Funeral Attendants, the DOL's official title for SOC 39-4021, sets the minimum a U.S. employer must pay when sponsoring a Funeral Assistant, Funeral Associate, or similar role for an H-1B, E-3, or green card. DOL assigns four experience levels to this occupation, and the floor shifts significantly by city.
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Entry-level Funeral Attendants with limited experience performing basic tasks under close supervision, such as directing mourners or arranging floral offerings with minimal independent judgment. Typically no prior industry experience required beyond on-the-job orientation.
Qualified attendants with some independent responsibility for standard funeral service tasks. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Funeral Attendants, reflecting roles where employees handle routine duties with moderate oversight but without supervisory scope.
Experienced Funeral Attendants who perform the full range of service tasks with substantial independence, may mentor newer staff, and regularly coordinate logistics across multiple concurrent services with minimal direct supervision.
Fully competent attendants functioning in a lead or senior capacity, exercising broad independent judgment, overseeing service operations, and potentially holding responsibility for training staff or managing equipment inventories across a facility.
Prevailing Wage for Funeral Attendants by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Funeral Attendants and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm which experience tier your offer matches
Funeral home employers often file at Level 1 for roles that involve supervised casket placement and mourner escort, even when the position also requires coordinating logistics across multiple services. If your duties span both routine and complex tasks, Level 2 may apply.
Watch out for non-cash comp exclusions in funeral services
Some funeral homes offer uniform allowances or on-call premiums that are not counted toward prevailing wage compliance. Only guaranteed base salary satisfies the DOL wage floor; discretionary bonuses and expense reimbursements do not count.
Compare metro wages before accepting a regional offer
Funeral Attendants wages vary sharply by location. The Boston and San Jose markets set floors well above the national median, while Puerto Rico metros sit far below. The LCA must list your actual worksite, so a low-wage metro offer may fall short even at Level 4.
Find employers with Funeral Attendants sponsorship history
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Funeral Attendants and similar roles, filtering by visa type and location. Targeting funeral home groups with prior H-1B or green card filings reduces the risk of approaching employers unfamiliar with sponsorship requirements.
Jobs for Funeral Attendants are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Funeral AttendantsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 39-4021.00 alongside Funeral Attendants, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Funeral Assistant Prevailing Wage
Funeral Assistant Prevailing Wage
Funeral Assistant positions fall under SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Funeral Associate Prevailing Wage
Funeral Associate Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Funeral Associate for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Funeral Director Prevailing Wage
Funeral Director Prevailing Wage
Funeral Director is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Funeral Greeter Prevailing Wage
Funeral Greeter Prevailing Wage
Funeral Greeter positions fall under SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Funeral Home Assistant Prevailing Wage
Funeral Home Assistant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Funeral Home Assistant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Funeral Home Associate Prevailing Wage
Funeral Home Associate Prevailing Wage
Funeral Home Associate is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Funeral Home Attendant Prevailing Wage
Funeral Home Attendant Prevailing Wage
Funeral Home Attendant positions fall under SOC 39-4021.00 (Funeral Attendants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Funeral Attendants?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for Funeral Attendants using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across more than 530 geographic areas. For each area, DOL divides reported wages into four experience-based levels. Employers filing an LCA through OFLC must pay at least the level that matches the offered position's requirements.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 covers entry positions with close supervision and limited independent judgment. Level 2 applies to qualified workers handling standard tasks more independently. Level 3 reflects experienced attendants with broad autonomy, and Level 4 covers lead or senior roles. Match the level to the actual job duties described in your offer letter and the employer's LCA filing, not just the job title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Funeral Attendants role vary so much by city?
DOL calculates wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so local labor market conditions drive each metro's floor. The LCA worksite rule requires employers to list the actual work location, meaning a San Francisco or Boston funeral home must meet that metro's higher floor. Lower-cost metros like those in Puerto Rico have substantially lower survey-based floors for the same occupation.
What happens if an employer's job offer for a sponsored Funeral Attendants position is below the prevailing wage?
OFLC will not certify an LCA where the offered wage falls below the applicable prevailing wage level for the worksite location. Without a certified LCA, the employer cannot file an H-1B petition with USCIS. For green card PERM cases, DOL can deny certification. The employer must either increase the offered wage or refile at the correct level before sponsorship can proceed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific Funeral Attendants location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up the current prevailing wage for SOC 39-4021 in any of the more than 530 covered metros. Enter the occupation code and worksite area to see all four level wages. You can also check O*NET for occupational context. Migrate Mate lists employers with documented sponsorship history for funeral service roles, which can help you identify active sponsors by region.
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