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America’s death-care industry is getting squeezed as cremations rise at an ‘astronomical rate’
More Americans have opted for cremation over burial since 2015, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, with that proportion becoming a majority in 2016. And as more families choose cremation, the country’s “death care” industry, reliant on more expensive caskets and burials, is seeing revenues shrink at a dramatic pace — with the coronavirus pandemic accelerating the trend.
Typical cremations cost significantly less than a funeral with a burial. Cremation accounts for only a tenth of the industry’s revenue, and any shift away from expensive burial rituals is bound to put a significant financial squeeze on the traditional death care businesses.
A no-frills “simple cremation” — without a service — costs between $800 and $2,000. A traditional funeral with a memorial service, casket, and burial can cost between $10,000 and $12,000.
Pennsylvania is the nation’s birthplace of cremation. The LeMoyne Crematory, the first in the U.S., was established in 1876 near Pittsburgh in Washington, Pa. The country’s second crematory opened in Lancaster, at the Greenwood Cemetery in 1884.
Even now, Pennsylvania is second only to California in the number of crematories, with 220.
More Americans have opted for cremation over burial since 2015, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, with that proportion becoming a majority in 2016. And as more families choose cremation, the country’s “death care” industry, reliant on more expensive caskets and burials, is seeing revenues shrink at a dramatic pace — with the coronavirus pandemic accelerating the trend.
Typical cremations cost significantly less than a funeral with a burial. Cremation accounts for only a tenth of the industry’s revenue, and any shift away from expensive burial rituals is bound to put a significant financial squeeze on the traditional death care businesses.
A no-frills “simple cremation” — without a service — costs between $800 and $2,000. A traditional funeral with a memorial service, casket, and burial can cost between $10,000 and $12,000.
Pennsylvania is the nation’s birthplace of cremation. The LeMoyne Crematory, the first in the U.S., was established in 1876 near Pittsburgh in Washington, Pa. The country’s second crematory opened in Lancaster, at the Greenwood Cemetery in 1884.
Even now, Pennsylvania is second only to California in the number of crematories, with 220.
