• According to the National Directory of Morticians Redbook, the number of funeral homes in the U.S. is:
  • 2019: 19,136
  • 2018: 19,177
  • 2017: 19,322
  • 2016: 19,352
  • 2015: 19,391
  • 2014: 19,486
  • 2013: 19,624
  • 2012: 19,680
  • 2011: 19,841
  • 2010: 19,902
  • 2009: 20,557
• Approximately 89.2% of funeral homes in the United States are privately owned by families or individuals. The remaining 10.8% are owned by publicly-traded corporations. (Service Corporation International (SCI) owns approximately 10.8% and Carriage Services Inc. and StoneMor Partners own approximately 1% each).²
• 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): 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.3

   

  	1997	2002	2007	2012
  Revenue ($ Millions) 1
  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 Services	105,365	106,263	102,978	108,385
  TOTAL	164,823	148,195	138,013	141,002

Funeral Professionals: Contact our member services department (800-228-6332) to purchase a copy of the report from the 2017 General Price List Survey; the report can also be purchased online.

Members of the Media: Please contact NFDA for a regional breakdown of the cost of a funeral with burial and funeral with cremation and further information about the 2017 General Price List Survey.

Median Cost of a Funeral With Viewing and Burial⁴

Since the 1960s, NFDA has calculated the median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial by totaling the costs of the following items: basic services fee, removal/transfer of remains to funeral home, embalming, other preparation of the body (casketing, cosmetology, dressing and grooming), a metal casket, use of facilities for a viewing, use of facilities for 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 with viewing and burial for calendar year 2019 was $7,640. If a vault is included, something that is typically required by a cemetery, the median cost is $9,135. The cost does not take into account cemetery, monument or marker costs or miscellaneous cash-advance charges, such as for flowers or an obituary.

Many factors contribute to the final determination of how an individual firm prices its goods and services, including the firm's business philosophy and the market in which it operates. 

National Median Cost of a Funeral With Viewing and Cremation⁴

The national median cost of a funeral with viewing and cremation in 2019 was $5150.

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, other preparation of the body, use of facilities for viewing, use of facilities for a funeral ceremony, use of a service car/van, basic memorial printed package, cremation fee. The cost does not take into account the cost of a cremation casket, rental casket or cremation container; urn; miscellaneous cash advance charges; or cemetery costs for families that chose to bury or inter their loved one's cremated remains.

According to the 2020 NFDA Cremation & Burial Report, in 2020, the projected burial rate is 37.5% (down 7.7% from 2015) and projected cremation rate is 56.0% (up 8.1% from 2015). ⁵

News Release: The Future of Funerals: COVID-19 Restrictions Force Funeral Directors to Adapt, Propelling the Profession Forward (July 15, 2019)

Funeral professionals may order a digital copy of the 2020 Cremation & Burial Report through NFDA’s online store (www.nfda.org/store). The report is a free to members and $175 for nonmembers. Funeral professionals who have questions about the report or placing an order can call NFDA at 800-228-6332. 

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 latest NFDA Cremation and Burial Report.

Historic Rates of Cremation and Burial and Future Projections⁵: