The Cost Of Dying Is Rising: Report

Funeral expenses are climbing across the U.S., prompting more families to reconsider traditional burials.

Death may be inevitable, but the price tag attached to it is becoming harder for American families to ignore. A traditional funeral can cost thousands of dollars—and that’s before families factor in cemetery expenses, death certificates, flowers, and other services. As a result, the financial pressure is influencing how many Americans approach end-of-life arrangements.

According to NBC News, funeral and burial costs in the U.S. have climbed roughly 77% over the past two decades. Funeralocity reports that a full burial service costs the average American nearly $8,600, while the costs can reach over $20,000 based on location. Funeral costs also extend beyond the service itself. Cemetery plots, transportation, paperwork, and other third-party charges can add thousands of dollars to the final bill.

To offset the cost, more families are opting to cremate their loved ones. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) projected that cremation accounted for 63.4% of U.S. dispositions in 2025, compared with 31.6% for burials. By 2045, cremation is projected to reach 82.3%. According to the NFDA, the median cost for a funeral with viewing and burial is $7,848, while a funeral with viewing and cremation has a median cost of $6,280. For families already navigating rising household expenses, the difference can be significant.

The rising cost of dying is creating both opportunities and challenges for businesses across the deathcare sector. The NFDA says roughly 75% of the nation’s 15,401 funeral homes are family- or privately owned. Together, funeral homes employ about 105,300 people and generate $16.3 billion in revenue, while crematories and cemeteries contribute another $4.274 billion.

Funeral directors are also adapting to consumers with tight budgets. Camelia Clarke, a funeral director at Paradise Memorial Funeral in Milwaukee, said that families facing financial hardship should talk directly with funeral providers to explore different options.

“Most funeral home operators that I’m aware of do an amazing job with everything that they can to ease the emotional and the financial burden on any family,” Clarke told Quartz. “There isn’t one funeral home that I know in my 30 years of existence that [has] ever turned anyone around that I know of because of genuine financial hardship.”

Meanwhile, the industry is investing in new ways to meet changing consumer expectations. The NFDA reports that nearly 36% of member firms already offer online cremation arrangements, with another 25% planning to add them within four years.