Coroners

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.

Most important skills

Speaking
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Coordination
Writing
Social Perceptiveness
Judgment and Decision Making

Key knowledge

English Language
Medicine and Dentistry
Customer and Personal Service
Law and Government
Administration and Management
Biology
Education and Training
Administrative

What the work involves

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.
Inquire into the cause, manner, and circumstances of human deaths and establish the identities of deceased persons.
Complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death.
Observe and record the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence.
Collect and document any pertinent medical history information.
Observe, record, and preserve any objects or personal property related to deaths, including objects such as medication containers and suicide notes.
Complete reports and forms required to finalize cases.
Remove or supervise removal of bodies from death scenes, using the proper equipment and supplies, and arrange for transportation to morgues.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (35% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (25%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (35%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Coroners is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 13-1041 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very high	Higher on contact with others than 81% of occupations compared	75% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 98% of occupations compared	85% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Lower on teamwork than 53% of occupations compared	55% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 66% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Very high	Higher on time pressure than 89% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 87% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 95% of occupations compared	37% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 75% of occupations compared	30% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very high
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions