13 Careers Working With Dead Bodies That Aren’t Totally Creepy

Since death is an inevitability of life, careers working with dead bodies that aren’t creepy are more common than you think. The person who works with dead bodies is a trained professional who steps in to take care of the body, evaluate the terms of death, and remember the things they’ve done with their life after a person passes.

There are a lot of jobs that expired humans can become your regular co-workers. Below are the 13 jobs that deal with dead bodies that aren’t totally creepy.

Key Takeaways:

• The top three jobs working with dead bodies are embalming, grief counseling, and forensic analysis.

• Between 2020 and 2030, the funeral services career is expected to grow 8% and produce 5,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

• Between 2020 and 2030, the forensic science technician career is expected to grow 11% and produce 2,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

13 Jobs That Deal With Dead Bodies

1. Gravedigger
   Average Annual Salary: N/A
   Job Outlook: Grounds maintenance jobs are projected to grow 5% and produce 700 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Most people may think of an ominous person who digs up dead bodies and loot their casket when they hear gravedigger, but it’s an important job that works with dead bodies while not being creepy. Gravediggers are a particular type of cemetery caretaker who makes way for graves in the ground by digging a hole.

   They use a bulldozer-like contraption to create a final resting place. In addition to tasks associated with their job title, gravediggers also help with other cemetery tasks, like funeral preparation and grounds maintenance.

   Since it’s primarily a labor job, gravediggers aren’t required to have a formal education past high school. Most of a gravedigger’s duties can be learned through on-the-job training. While they don’t directly handle the dead, gravediggers are forced to know that every time they dig a new plot, there’s a body going in it.

2. Cemetery Worker
   Average Annual Salary: $27,837
   Job Outlook: Funeral services jobs are projected to grow 8% and produce 5,300 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Cemetery workers are similar to gravediggers with dead bodies when it comes time to bury them, but the job isn’t as creepy as it sounds. In this position, your job would revolve around the upkeep of the cemetery over time. This includes usual groundwork maintenance, like mowing the lawn, planting flowers, and trimming any weeds.

   Caretaking tasks differ greatly depending on the time of year, but one task you always do is preparing a burial site. A gravedigger physically pulls the earth up, and the cemetery caretaker dictates where it should be placed.

   Working in cemeteries gives many people the creeps. Some are anxious at the mere idea of spending their days surrounded by buried bodies. However, if you can get past that, the bulk of the position is yard work and gardening activities. Plus the occasional burial plot decision.

   Find Cemetery Worker jobs near me

3. Crime Scene Specialist
   Average Annual Salary: $45,520
   Job Outlook: Forensic science technician jobs are projected to grow 11% and produce 2,000 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Crime scene specialists work with the dead bodies of individuals after a tragic accident, suicide, or murder and they deal with the hazardous remains, like blood and other bodily fluids, left behind at the scene.

   These materials and anything they come in contact with is a biohazard that needs to be removed appropriately.

   Crime scene cleaners are brought in to remove any contamination from a violent scene and restore the area to its normal state. This could involve removing carpets, floor tiles, and sometimes even surrounding walls while wearing protective gear.

   The average person can’t stomach the duties of a crime scene cleaner. They get up close and personal with the disturbing remains of dead bodies, which can be both dangerous and nauseating.

   Find Crime Scene Specialist jobs near me

4. Embalmer
   Average Annual Salary: $38,073
   Job Outlook: Funeral services jobs are projected to grow 8% and produce 5,300 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Embalmer is a non-creepy job that works with dead bodies to prepare them so that body can be viewed by family and friends one last time. Death does a lot of nasty and confusing things to a body, such as rigor mortis and organs decaying.

   To avoid a person looking like a dead body at their funeral, an embalmer takes care of these aspects. This involves tasks like disinfecting the skin, injecting embalming fluid, applying makeup, and putting caulk inside the mouth to make the face more lively. These actions make the body appear as if it’s just a person sleeping.

   Embalmers spend most of their professional life working with the dead, but their actions make an unfortunate situation a lot easier for the living to handle.

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5. Grief Counselor
   Average Annual Salary: $35,111
   Job Outlook: Mental health counselors jobs are projected to grow 22% and produce 77,500 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Working as a grief counselor is a job that works with dead bodies but isn’t creepy because they work with families grieving over someone who has passed. Grief counselors aim to lessen the detrimental impacts of death by providing support and educated guidance to those in need.

   A grief counselor speaks candidly with grieving people to work out all the emotions pumping through their bodies because identifying them is a step closer to understanding. They also teach their patients about healthy coping mechanisms to deal with grief to handle it better in the future.

   Grief counselors are an integral piece of a person’s grieving process. They act as a soundboard for intense emotions of grief and supply worthwhile suggestions for coping. It might sound depressing to deal with grieving people every day, but it’s a job that does a lot of good in the world.

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6. Funeral Director
   Average Annual Salary: $41,000
   Job Outlook: Funeral services jobs are projected to grow 8% and produce 5,300 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   While funeral directors work with dead bodies, they will mostly handle the preparations for a funeral ceremony and focus on grieving families, making this one of the least creepy job that works with dead bodies. They work in a funeral home and organize all aspects of the service.

   This includes meeting with families to discuss their expectations, ordering all the materials needed for the requested services, and managing the preparations on the day of the funeral.

   In addition to supervisory skills, being a funeral director requires an enormous amount of empathy and compassion for the grieving.

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7. Coroner
   Average Annual Salary: $64,193
   Job Outlook: Forensic science technician jobs (which includes coroners) are projected to grow 11% and produce 2,000 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Coroners work with dead bodies in a non-creepy way to determine the cause of death whether that be by natural causes like a heart attack, or more nefarious reasons, like murder. The cause and manner of death are essential information for everyone to know.

   A coroner can work at many different educational levels. Some coroners get a medical degree to become medical examiners and perform autopsies to determine a concrete reason for demise.

   Others work with law enforcement to determine methods of death when foul play is suspected. These coroners don’t need nearly as much schooling and usually operate at the scene of a crime by examining the outer appearance of a deceased body.

   Coroners work with dead bodies to see what they have to tell about the past and provide answers to those who need them, like detectives and the family.

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8. Crime Scene Investigator
   Average Annual Salary: $50,611
   Job Outlook: Crime investigator jobs are projected to shrink 1% and with a loss of 800 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Crime scene investigator is another job that deals with dead bodies in a non-creepy way to gather evidence that was left behind in crimes that resulted in a death.

   It’s the responsibility of a crime scene investigator to collect and analyze all the relevant evidence that’s left behind when a crime occurs.

   This evidence could include:

   • Fingerprints

   • Tire tracks

   • Blood

   • Hair

   • Skin cells

   • Gunshot residue

   The findings of crime scene investigators are a pivotal part of any investigation. While it’s a job that deals with a lot of unsavory circumstances, it’s also essential in solving heinous crimes.

   Find Crime Scene Investigator jobs near me

9. Obituary writer
   Average Annual Salary: N/A
   Job Outlook: N/A for obituary writers. However, General writing career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

   Obituary writer is a job that works with dead bodies but it’s not creepy because you write about a person who has passed in a way to memorialize them and establish a historical marker of their death for future generations.

   An obituary writer is basically a journalist who deals exclusively with pieces about a deceased person’s life. This means that the job requires excellent written communication, research skills, and editing abilities.

   The position demands a compassionate writing style and mindfulness of the loved ones who will read the obituary.

   With an average of 8,000 people dying daily in the United States, there is more obituary writing positions out there than you might think, and they offer great job security.

10. Crematory Operator
    Average Annual Salary: $53,133
    Job Outlook: Crematory operator jobs are projected to grow 9% and produce 200 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

    Since nearly half of all dead people are cremated instead of buried, crematory operators have to work with dead bodies daily.

    While their responsibilities are often associated with performing the actual cremation, they also spend a lot of time interacting with the deceased person’s family.

    Like most professional positions that handle the situations directly following a person’s death, crematorium technicians need to be ultra-sensitive to the feelings of their clients. Even though cremation is their business, technicians need to always keep in mind that their work involves the worst part of a grieving loved one’s life.

    Find Crematory Operator jobs near me

11. Hospice Aide
    Average Annual Salary: $62,344
    Job Outlook: N/A, however home health and personal care aides jobs are projected to grow 25% and produce 924,000 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

    While hospice aides won’t work with dead bodies all the time, this is another job working with dead bodies that isn’t creepy. The role of a hospice caregiver is exceptionally tough on the heartstrings because you will work with individuals who are dying.

    This includes monitoring their health conditions, physically supporting them in daily tasks, and acting as emotional support.

    Since they work with patients nearing their death, a big part of a hospice caregiver’s job is ensuring their comfort every step of the way. Building relationships with people to watch them pass away as a career is not meant for everyone. It requires extraordinary compassion and strength to be the hospice caregiver that a terminally ill patient needs.

    Find Hospice Aide jobs near me

12. Forensic Entomologist
    Average Annual Salary: N/A
    Job Outlook: Zoologist and wildlife biologist jobs (which includes entomologists) will see little to no change, while the forensic science technician career is expected to grow 11% and produce 2,000 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

    If working with dead bodies and bugs isn’t creepy to you, becoming a forensic entomologist is the perfect job for you. A forensic entomologist is a scientist who studies the insects on a corpse to determine answers about their death.

    Surprisingly, there’s a lot of information that can be gathered from insects infesting a dead body.

    For example, estimating the age of insects by evaluating the egg deposits in the remains can give a rough timeline to when the person probably died. Additionally, insects can allude to a geographical location of death and highlight points of trauma in the body.

    It’s a niche career that requires a few years of schooling but being a forensic entomologist can bring in a six-figure salary and help provide crucial information in criminal investigations.

13. Forensic Pathologist
    Average Annual Salary: $74,375
    Job Outlook: Forensic science technician jobs are projected to grow 11% and produce 2,000 job opportunities across the U.S. between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS

    Forensic pathologists, also known as medical examiners, work with dead bodies in a non-creepy way to determine a person’s cause and manner of death by conducting an autopsy.

    The cause of death describes the exact reason they died and details if it was due to homicide, suicide, accident, or natural causes. Post-autopsy, forensic pathologists are required to document all of their findings in official reports.

    Forensic pathologists can work in hospitals or directly with government agencies. It’s a demanding position that involves spending much more time with dead bodies than most people would enjoy.

    However, forensic pathologists contribute valuable details to death investigations through their work and have the potential to receive an impressive salary and benefits.

    Find Forensic Pathologist jobs near me

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Jobs working with dead bodies FAQ

1. How much do you get paid to pick up dead bodies?

   Coroners are the individuals who pick up dead bodies and they can earn an average of $53,000 a year. This is about $25 an hour. These individuals will also determine the cause of death for an individual who died.

2. What job picks up dead bodies?

   A mortuary transporter is an individual who transports someone who has passed from hospitals, nursing homes, or other places where someone has died at. Their job is to transport the individual to their assigned mortuary or funeral home after their death.

3. Who deals with dead bodies in hospitals?

   Forensic pathologists, also known as medical examiners, are often the people who deal with dead bodies in hospitals. These individuals will perform autopsies to help determine the cause and manner of death whether that was an accident, homicide, or from natural causes.

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” Accessed on September 7, 2022.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.