• Funeral Service Facts
• Funeral Costs
• Cremation Facts
• Death Rate

All data published on NFDA.org is based on the latest available government, industry, and research reports; data is updated as new information becomes available. The data on this page was last updated on April 12, 2013.

Funeral Service Facts

• Employment: U.S. funeral homes employed 102,877 workers in 2007.¹
  
  • As of 2008, it was estimated that there are 25,680 fuenral directors in the U.S. and 8,200 embalmers. ²
• Funeral home/funeral home combined with crematories revenue: $11.95 billion in 2007, increased from $11.05 billion in 2002.¹
• 2009 national employment estimate for occupation of funeral director: 25,820; embalmers: 8,190.²
• Number of U.S. funeral homes according to the National Directory of Morticians Redbook:
  • 2012: 19,680          2007: 21,080          2002: 21,757
• Approximately, 86% of fuenral homes in the United States are privately owned by families, individuals or closely-held companies. The remaining 14% are owned by publicly traded corporations.
• The average NFDA-member funeral home handles 112 calls per year and has three full-time and three part-time employees.

Sources:

1. U.S. Census Bureau Economic Census
   
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
   

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2009 Funeral Costs

Cost of regular adult funeral including following basic items. Does not include cemetery, monument/marker costs or miscellaneous cash advance charges such as for flowers or obituaries.

Cost of an Adult Funeral: 1960 - Present

Source: NFDA General Price List Survey. (Note: This survey is not conducted annually)

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Cremation Facts

• 2011 U.S. Cremation Rate: 42.0%
  • 2010: 40.6%
  • 2009: 38.15%
  • 2008: 36.22%
  • 2007: 34.60%
  • 2006: 33.87%
  • 2005:32.13%
  • 2000: 26.17%
  • 1995: 21.11%
  • 1990: 17.13
  • 1985: 13.86
  • 1980: 9.72%
  • 1975: 6.55%
  • 1970: 4.59%
  • 1965: 3.87%
  • 1960: 3.56%
• 2011 Top 10 U.S. States by Percentage of Deaths Cremated
  1. Nevada: 73.9%
  2. Rhode Island: 73.4%
  3. Washington: 72.1%
  4. Oregon: 70.6%
  5. Hawaii: 68.9%
  6. Montana: 67.1%
  7. Maine: 65.5%
  8. New Hampshire: 65.1%
  9. Colorado: 64.7%
  10. Arizona: 62.7%
• 2011 Bottom 10 U.S. States by Percentage of Deaths Cremated 
  1. Mississippi: 15.7%
  2. Alabama: 18.6%
  3. Kentucky: 22.0%
  4. Louisiana: 22.5%
  5. West Virginia: 25.2%
  6. Indiana: 27.1%
  7. Arkansas: 28.9%
  8. Utah: 29.5%
  9. South Dakota: 30.2%
  10. Tennessee: 30.7%
• Projected 2016 U.S. Cremation Rate: 49.0%

Source: Cremation Association of North America

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Death Rate

U.S. death rates (annual deaths per 1,000 population)

Source: U.S. National Center for Health Statists-Vital Statistics of the United States; National Vital Statistics Reports; U.S. Census Bureau.

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