Coroners Career, Salary and Skills
Coroners have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $80,730 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 417,070. Wage data is published for 445 locations.
Occupation description
Direct activities such as autopsies, pathological and toxicological analyses, and inquests relating to the investigation of deaths occurring within a legal jurisdiction to determine cause of death or to fix responsibility for accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths.
O*NET code
13-1041.06
Job zone
3
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$80,730
Hourly median
$38.81
Employment
417,070
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Coordination | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Writing | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.50 | 3.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | 3.38 | 3.88 |
Typical tasks
- Complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death.
- Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death.
- Interview persons present at death scenes to obtain information useful in determining the manner of death.
- Observe and record the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence.
- Provide information concerning the circumstances of death to relatives of the deceased.
- Remove or supervise removal of bodies from death scenes, using the proper equipment and supplies, and arrange for transportation to morgues.
- Inquire into the cause, manner, and circumstances of human deaths and establish the identities of deceased persons.
- Testify at inquests, hearings, and court trials.
Technology
- Zoom
- 3D graphics software
- Alcestis
- Autopsy information databases
- Bite analysis software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Douglas Associates Forensic Filer
- Email software
- EMC Documentum
- Fingerprint databases
- Genetic database software
- Git
- Google Android
- Graphics software
Coroners salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Coroners Salary in CAMedian $96,980 · Employment 49,880
- Coroners Salary in TXMedian $75,370 · Employment 42,900
- Coroners Salary in FLMedian $74,920 · Employment 29,680
- Coroners Salary in NYMedian $90,080 · Employment 23,500
- Coroners Salary in New York, NYMedian $101,050 · Employment 23,380
- Coroners Salary in PAMedian $85,580 · Employment 19,810
- Coroners Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $94,810 · Employment 17,700
- Coroners Salary in VAMedian $80,380 · Employment 15,190
- Coroners Salary in GAMedian $70,200 · Employment 14,390
- Coroners Salary in Washington, DCMedian $100,200 · Employment 13,820
- Coroners Salary in NJMedian $100,000 · Employment 13,310
- Coroners Salary in MAMedian $102,060 · Employment 13,190
Related careers
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- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and InvestigatorsNational median $78,000
- Clinical Nurse SpecialistsNational median $97,550
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsNational median $45,930
- Emergency Medicine PhysiciansNational median $335,550
- Preventive Medicine PhysiciansNational median $265,930
- Patient RepresentativesNational median $50,290
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing OfficersNational median $117,860
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.