Personal Finance

Dissecting the 'Wildly Happy' Undertaker Making $87,000 in Rural America

Austin Smith

Published: November 8, 2024 9:14 am

Key Points

• A 33-year-old undertaker makes a healthy salary doing work he loves.
• He earns 36% more than the average American.
• A low-cost area makes that money go even further.
• Living below his means, this undertaker could likely retire early with the help of a financial advisor. You can do the same, click here to learn more.

Victor Sweeney, a 33-year-old undertaker living in small-town Minnesota makes nearly $90,000 per year, and is “wildly happy.”

Victor’s official job title is Funeral Director/Pre-Need Specialist for the DuBore Funeral Home in Warren, MN. He has also been identified as a mortician, by MPR News, and as an undertaker by CNBC. Warren is a small town, with a population of only 1,605 (as of the 2020 census). The average death rate in the United States is .0075 per year. Applied to Warren’s small population that would mean only 12 deaths per year, on average. Though the funeral home likely deals with deaths from the broader surrounding community instead of just Warren itself.

How can a small town afford to pay a director a relatively large sum? Let’s see what his work entails, and what we can learn from his unique situation.

The Work Itself

Victor has been around death since a relatively young age. In high school, he read ‘The Undertaking’ by Thomas Lynch, a book about a rural undertaker. At only eighteen he was working as an assistant in a funeral home. During that same time, he recounts observing his first embalming and says the combined experience showed him:

“I was in a position…where I could actually do something that would help the family grieve — that’s what got me through the tough part.” 

Sweeney has been at his current role for a decade, first accepting the role of funeral director in 2014. He says the home must respond to inquiries 24/7 and help prepare bodies for funerals or cremation. That work includes embalming, stitching, dressing, and presenting the deceased for funerals. There is also transportation and arranging of materials for service.

The Lessons

The 33-year-old has plenty of flooring statements, including:

“I’m wildly happy,” he says, “My wife likes me, my kids look forward to my return every day and I love my boss. I don’t think I’ve ever felt I should have done something else, and that’s all a man can ask for.

and

“I don’t think I’ve gone home sad a single day since I’ve been up here.”

First, we’re happy to hear Mr Sweeney finds his work fulfilling. He seems to have found meaning, which puts his work head and shoulders above other more lucrative opportunities. Second, we believe that people who enjoy their work will do better and make their own success. Beyond that, let’s see what else we can learn.

He’s Doing Well Compared to the Average American

Sweeney is already doing much better than the Average American, who earns $63,795 per year.

His income is 36% higher, which can make a huge difference in budgeting, spending, and daily peace of mind. It is a pretax difference of $23,205 more per year. That can directly fund retirement savings, food, travel, and vehicles. The subject could max out a Roth IRA, with a 2024 contribution limit of $7,000, comfortably make the payments on a new vehicle (average 2024 payments of $522 a month), and have money left over.

And Doing So Where Money Goes Far

Even great salaries can be squandered in expensive zip codes. But in this case, it’s the opposite. The subject reveals they bought a house in 2015 for only $85,000. Even today, there are many nice homes for sale in Warren for under $150,000 that are big enough to raise a family. Rural Minnesota is not an expensive place to live. In 2022 it was ranked 26th in the country for cost of living, and that will be even more favorable in small communities far removed from the capital of St. Paul.

All in all, Sweeney seems to be doing very well. They’ve found work that brings them joy, pays well above average, and goes far in a remote community. We hope that everyone is so lucky.

But with a little planning, luck doesn’t need to enter in the picture. People who want to live richly and retire early make the smart move of meeting with an expert first. A financial advisor can help people like Victory Sweeney put away their extra money into the right investments. You can do the same. Meet with an advisor today to learn more.