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Statistics
Median Cost of an Adult Funeral
Members of the Media: If you have questions about the statistics below, would like additional information or data, or would like to interview an expert, please contact NFDA’s Public Relations team.
General Funeral Service Facts
According to the National Directory of Morticians Redbook, the number of funeral homes in the U.S. is:
- 2015: 19,391
- 2014: 19,486
- 2013: 19,624
- 2012: 19,680
- 2011: 19,841
- 2010: 19,902
- 2009: 20,557
- 2008: 20,915
- 2007: 21,080
- 2006: 21,088
- 2005: 21,495
- 2004: 21,528
Approximately 86% of funeral homes in the United States are privately owned by families or individuals. The remaining 14% are owned by publicly-traded corporations. (Service Corporation International (SCI) owns approximately 12% and Carriage Services Inc. and StoneMor Partners own approximately 1% each.)2
- 98% of NFDA-member funeral homes are owned by individuals, families, or closely held private corporations.
The average NFDA-member funeral home handles 113 calls per year and has three full-time and four part-time employees.3
NFDA-member Firm Caseload (i.e., number of decedents cared for)3
- 58.4% of NFDA members handled 150 cases or less; 24.5% reported 151-350 cases; 8.6% reported 351-500 cases; 5.2% reported 501-1000; 3.3% reported 1001 or more.
1997 | 2002 | 2007 | 2012 | |
Revenue1 ($ Millions) | ||||
Cemeteries and Crematories | $2,988 | $3,231 | $3,350 | $3,319 |
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services | $9,633 | $11,049 | $11,943 | $13,004 |
TOTAL | $12,621 | $14,280 | $15,293 | $16,323 |
Employment1 | ||||
Cemeteries and Crematories | 59,458 | 41,932 | 35,035 | 32,617 |
Funeral Homes and Funeral Servcies | 105,365 | 106,263 | 102,978 | 108,385 |
TOTAL | 164,823 | 148,195 | 138,013 | 141,002 |
Median Cost of an Adult Funeral4
Median Cost of a Funeral With Burial
Since the 1960s, NFDA has calculated the median cost of a funeral with burial by totaling the costs of the following items: basic services fee, removal/transfer of remains to funeral home, embalming and other preparation of the body (casketing, cosmetology, dressing and grooming), a metal casket, use of facilities and staff for viewing and a funeral ceremony, use of a hearse, use of a service car/van, and a basic memorial printed package (e.g., memorial cards, register book, etc.).
The national median cost of a funeral for calendar year 2014 was $7,181. If a vault is included, something that is typically required by a cemetery, the median cost is $8,508. The cost does not take into account cemetery, monument or marker costs or miscellaneous cash-advance charges, such as for flowers or an obituary.
Over the past decade, the median cost of an adult funeral in the United States has increased 28.6 percent. This is similar to the 2000-2009 period when the median cost of a funeral increased by 26.6 percent. The percent increase during the 1980s (1980-1989) was significantly higher (87 percent), reflecting the significantly higher inflation rates during that decade.
National Median Cost of an Adult Funeral with Viewing and Burial: 2004 vs. 2014 | |||
Item | 2014* | 2004* | % Change |
Nondeclinable basic services fee | $2,000 | $1,460 | 37.0% |
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home | $310 | $195 | 59.0% |
Embalming | $695 | $498 | 39.6% |
Other preparation of the body | $250 | $174 | 42.9% |
Use of facilities/staff for viewing | $420 | $339 | 23.9% |
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony | $495 | $395 | 25.3% |
Hearse | $318 | $225 | 41.1% |
Service car/van | $143 | $100 | 42.5% |
Basic memorial printed package | $155 | $95 | 63.2% |
Metal casket | $2,395 | $2,100 | 14.0% |
Median Cost of a Funeral With Viewing and Burial | $7,181 | $5,582 | 28.6% |
Vault | $1,327 | $998 | 33.0% |
Total with vault | $8,508 | $6,580 | 29.3% |
2004 prices have not been adjusted for inflation.
* Median Price ā The amount at which half of the figures fall below and half are above. |
National Median Cost of a Funeral With Cremation
The national median cost of a cremation in 2014 was $6,078. NFDA calculated the median cost of a cost of an adult funeral with cremation by totaling the costs of the following items: basic services fee, removal/transfer of remains to funeral home, embalming and other preparation of the body, use of facilities and staff for viewing and a funeral ceremony, use of a service car/van, basic memorial printed package, cremation fee, cremation casket and urn. The cost does not take into account vault, cemetery monument/marker costs or other miscellaneous cash advance charges.
National Median Cost of an Adult Funeral with Viewing and Cremation | |
Item | 2014* |
Nondeclinable basic services fee | $2,000 |
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home | $310 |
Embalming | $695 |
Other preparation of the body | $250 |
Use of facilities/staff for viewing | $420 |
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony | $495 |
Service car/van | $143 |
Basic memorial printed package | $155 |
Cremation fee (if firm uses a third-party)** | $330 |
Cremation casket | $1,000 |
Urn | $280 |
Median Cost of a Funeral with Viewing and Cremation | $6,078 |
* Median Price ā The amount at which half of the figures fall below and half are above.
**65% of respondents use a third-party crematory (i.e., the funeral home does not own a crematory) |
Rates of Cremation and Burial5
Cremation was the method of disposition for 45.4 in 2013; 48.7% of people were buried in 2013.
- NFDA Members: You may download a copy of the 2015 Cremation and Burial Report at no cost (login required).
- Members of the Media: Please contact NFDA for a state-by-state breakdown of the rates of cremation and burial and further information about the 2015 NFDA Cremation
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