Statistics
Employment: U.S. funeral homes employed 102,877 workers in 2007.1
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 per office of National Directory of Morticians Redbook: 2010: 19,902; 2005: 21,495;2000: 22,107.3
The top 4 publicly-traded funeral home operators in the U.S. accounted for approximately 10% of market share in 2009.
In 2008, 71% of deaths were casketed according to the Casket & Funeral Supply Association of America, a 5% decrease since 2003 (76%). In 1998, 79% of deaths were casketed.
Sources
1Latest U.S. Census Bureau Economic Census (2007). Economic Census conducted every 5 years.
2Latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data
32009 IBISWorld Industry Report: "Funeral Homes in the U.S."; Red Book
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.
| Item | Price* |
| Non-declinable basic services fee | $1,817 |
| Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home | $250 |
| Embalming | $628 |
| Other preparation of the body | $200 |
| Use of facilities/staff for viewing | $395 |
| Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony | $450 |
| Use of a hearse | $275 |
| Use of a service car/van | $125 |
| Basic memorial printed package | $125 |
| Subtotal without Casket: | $4,265 |
| Metal Casket | $2,295 |
| AVERAGE COST OF A FUNERAL |
$6,560 |
| Vault | $1,195 |
| Total Cost of a Funeral with Vault |
$7,755 |
Source
2010 NFDA General Price List Survey.
Cost of an Adult Funeral: 1960 - Present
| Year | Cost of an Adult Funeral |
| 1960 | $708 |
| 1965 | $790 |
| 1971 | $983 |
| 1975 | $1285 |
| 1980 | $1809 |
| 1985 | $2737 |
| 1991 | $3742 |
| 1995 | $4626 |
| 2000 | $5180 |
| 2006 | $6195 |
| 2009 | $6,560 |
Source
2010 NFDA General Price List Survey.
2009 U.S. Cremation Rate: 36.86%
1999 U.S. Rate: 25.04%
2009 Canadian Cremation Rate: 68.4%
2009 Top 10 U.S. States by Percentage of Deaths Cremated
- Nevada – 73.93%
- Washington – 69.62%
- Oregon – 69.24%
- Hawaii – 68.82%
- Vermont – 65.67%
- Arizona – 65.60%
- Montana – 64.81%
- Maine – 62.75%
- Colorado – 62.01%
- Wyoming – 61.76%
2009 Bottom 10 U.S. States by Percentage of Deaths Cremated
- Mississippi – 11.87%
- Georgia – 13.61%
- Kentucky – 14.82%
- Alabama – 15.42%
- Louisiana – 19.46%
- West Virginia – 20.76
- Tennessee – 22.85%
- South Dakota – 23.90%
- Indiana – 24.46%
- Arkansas – 25.49%
Projected 2015 U.S. Rate: 46.04%
Projected 2025 U.S. Rate: 58.85%
Source
© Cremation Association of North America, August 2010 Report: "2008 Statistics and Projections to the Year 2025: 2009 Preliminary Data."
U.S. death rates (annual deaths per 1,000 population)
| 2000 | 8.5 | final data 2000-2006 |
| 2005 | 8.3 | |
| 2006 | 8.0 | |
| 2007 | 8.0 | provisional data 2007-2009 |
| 2008 | 8.1 | |
| 2009 | 7.9 | |
| 2010-2016 | 8.3 | projected data 2010-2050 |
| 2017-2020 | 8.4 | |
| 2025 | 8.6 | |
| 2040 | 9.6 | |
| 2045-2050 | 9.7 |
According to the latest projections of the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the U.S. death rate, which has been in decline overall the last 20 years, will hover at an average of 8.3 for the next decade.
Increase in death rate not predicted until approximately 2020, when the progressive aging of the U.S. population will trigger steady growth – rising to 9.7 by 2045-2050.
Source
U.S. National Center for Health Statists-Vital Statistics of the United States; National Vital Statistics Reports; U.S. Census Bureau.