Cheap Cremation…..How Cost and Convenience is Changing our Funeral Plans

The average cost of an adult funeral in 2009 was $6,560, up 17.5% from 2004, but this bill can exceed $10,000 when burial plots, vaults, limousines and obituaries are all added to the bottom line.  According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), the price tag for a simple cremation costs an average of $1,650, this includes a simple memorial service.  If no memorial service is included and a direct cremation performed, the average price is $725.

The cost to inter a cremation urn is also significantly less than the cost for a burial plot for a casket.  Burial plots can range anywhere between $1,650 and $5,000, whereas a cremation burial space averages about $995.

Cremations on the Increase

The cremation rate has steadily been on the increase in the United States since the 1960s.  The ruling by the Vatican in 1963 to allow cremation for catholic funerals marked a shift-change in traditional burials and funerals.  

In 1980 about one in ten people who died in the U.S. were cremated, by 2009 this had reached 37% and by 2018 it is expected that at least half of all deaths will be followed by a cremation.

This is reflected by a decline in the casket industry and casket wholesalers report a slight decrease in their casket sales year-on-year.  Mark Allen, of the Casket and Funeral Supply Association of America, claims that they “theorize that more families chose cremation due to the economic conditions.”  

Certainly here at US Funerals Online we continue to see an increase in our visitors searching with cost in mind.  The volume of visitors searching with the terms “cost” and “affordable” has increased by 18%, and we find an increase in visitors to the web site who are seeking to compare costs online.  We average about 100 searches a day for people who want to compare the costs between a burial and a cremation.  We can only come to the conclusion that cost is now an important concern to many American families as they feel the pinch of the recession.

The convenience of cremation has for some time contributed to its increase in popularity.  The United States is a huge continent, with a huge migrant population, people have moved around and yet many still require returning to their state of origin at death.  In fact California, Arizona and Florida, the warmer states that house the greatest retirement populations, have the highest cremation rates.  Transporting cremated remains back cross the United States is far easier, and less costly, than transporting a body.
The Death of the Traditional Funeral

Anthony Cassieri of Brooklyn Funeral Home, NY said that they deal more and more today with families who are making funeral arrangements with their budgets in mind.  His father, Bob, who has been in the funeral industry in New York since 1957 has witnessed significant changes in how Americans have dealt with their dead over the past half a century.  Both acknowledge how cremation now accounts for over 50% of the funerals they conduct, with direct cremations now accounting for around 33%.

The family still need the funeral ritual, it is an important part of the mourning process, but it seems quite clear that these days many families will attempt to honor the final wishes of their deceased loved one, whilst simultaneously balancing their budget.   A cremation may offer savings to the family that they can spend on other aspects of a funeral service, such as flowers or a permanent memorial tribute.

Gary Heller, of Marker & Heller Funeral Homes in Ohio, says that “people economize on certain things, they may not buy an as-expensive urn, and they may shorten their visitation time or do everything in one day”.   This can either be to reduce costs, or just out of convenience he claims. 

Death is an inevitability that we all face, and the funeral director’s role is to help families deal with the ritual of death, whilst enabling the family to remain firmly in control of their choices.  

If keeping funeral costs to a minimum is essential, then seeking a direct cremation will facilitate this.  Many Cremation Societies offer discounted cremations, and DFS Memorials is a nationwide network of independent, low-cost funeral providers.