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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Crematory Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for Crematory Operators: 12 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
25%
weighted task index
12 of 12 tasks scored
Median Salary
$43,650 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
2,970 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.1%
employment change
500 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 24 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$33,270 – $64,220
Highest medians
Wisconsin $64,220
Massachusetts $56,050
Washington $53,580
Colorado $52,060
Delaware $50,320
Lowest medians
Texas $33,270
Alabama $33,840
Iowa $35,120
Tennessee $35,880
Oregon $37,020
State figures come from the 39-4012 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 25%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 58%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 25%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 8%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Constituent Task Mix
12 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 17%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 8%
1 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 75%
9 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#23180 · Core · 5% automatable
Clean the crematorium, including tables, floors, and equipment.
physical manipulation — Physical cleaning of facilities and work areas
Clean facilities or work areas.
#23181 · Core · 85% automatable
Document divided remains to ensure parts are not misplaced.
data analysis — Maintain files and records in structured systems
Maintain records, documents, or other files.
#23182 · Core · 5% automatable
Embalm, dress, or otherwise prepare the deceased for viewing.
physical manipulation — Applying agents to hair and skin is hands-on care
Apply cleansing or conditioning agents to client hair, scalp, or skin. Apply makeup to alter or enhance appearance. Embalm corpses.
#23183 · Core · 53% automatable
Explain the cremation process to family or friends of the deceased.
interpersonal — AI can script; live explanation and trust are human
Explain use of products or services. Discuss goods or services information with customers or patrons.
#23184 · Core · 25% automatable
Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families or friends.
interpersonal — Comfort and encouragement need live emotional presence
Provide counsel, comfort, or encouragement to individuals or families.
#23185 · Core · 8% automatable
Pick up and handle human or pet remains in a respectful manner.
physical manipulation — Physical transport of biological materials
Transport biological or other medical materials. Handle caskets.
#23186 · Core · 11% automatable
Place corpses into crematory machines to reduce remains to bone fragments using flame, heat, or alkaline hydrolysis.
physical manipulation — Manual temperature control adjustment
Load materials into equipment for processing. Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
#23187 · Core · 12% automatable
Pulverize remaining bone fragments into smaller pieces, using specialized equipment, such as a cremulator or grinder.
physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel
Operate grinding equipment.
#23188 · Core · 80% automatable
Read documentation to confirm the identity of the deceased.
information retrieval — Spec verification against references, human confirms edge cases
Verify information or specifications.
#23189 · Core · 6% automatable
Remove jewelry, watches, or other personal items from the deceased prior to cremation.
physical manipulation — Physical preparation of patients
Prepare patients physically for medical procedures.
#23190 · Core · 5% automatable
Sweep or vacuum the cremation chamber to retrieve remains for storage in an urn or other container.
physical manipulation — Physical cleaning of facilities and equipment
Clean facilities or equipment.
#23191 · Core · 10% automatable
Transport the deceased to a funeral home or crematory using a van, hearse, or other vehicle.
situated mobility — Driving vehicles to transport people/equipment
Drive vehicles to transport individuals or equipment.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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