Also called: Obituarist
Writes life stories of people who have died, for newspapers and funeral homes.
An obituary writer interviews grieving families, researches a person's life, and writes a story that captures who they were.
Approximate; often freelance for funeral homes.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Journalism or English degree.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Journalism, English.
Shrinking. Shrinking newspaper staffs.
High risk for 10 years. AI now drafts most obituaries from family notes and templates, so few paid obit writers remain.
Classes: English, Journalism, Creative writing, History.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3023.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.