Average Funeral and Cremation Costs
End-of-life planning is often accompanied by a great deal of extra costs and expenses that you never expected. It is our opinion that funeral homes should be transparent with their funeral costs. To help guide you through the process of choosing end-of-life services, we have provided you with some facts and important information about funeral costs.
How Much Does a
Funeral Cost?
This is an often-asked question. Fortunately for Americans, the cost of a funeral has not been rising exponentially over the past half decade. According to a National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) news release, "2019 NFDA General Price List Study Shows Funeral Costs Not Rising as Fast as Rate of Inflation" (2019), the median funeral cost in the US is $7,640. This shows a 6.4% rise over the previous five years.
How much Does
Cremation Cost?
The NFDA article also notes that cremation has not been subjected to much change over the past five years. The increase of median cremation costs over the past five years was 7.3%, bringing the average cost to $5,150.
What Influences Funeral Costs?
Depending on your choice of services, your funeral/cremation may include some of these costs:
- Funeral Director costs
- Use of staff and equipment for services
- Body preparations
- Embalming
- Transportation
- Merchandise
For more information about our costs, see our general price list. Here, you will see an in-depth breakdown of costs as well as more-affordable alternatives such as direct burial and direct cremation.
Funeral Prices: New York vs. Other States
The NFDA has provided information regarding median funeral costs by region.
With an average cost of $7,849, the Middle Atlantic US (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) region is not the most expensive area in which to hold a funeral service. The West North Central region is home to the highest median funeral costs at $8,123. Though New York's region has the third-highest median funeral cost, most states average over $7,000 for traditional funeral services.
Median cremation costs are much closer region-to-region. The average cost of cremation in our region is $5,364.
At Schepp, we are proud to provide fair service pricing to the Syracuse, NY area. Visit our general price list page to compare our prices to the median.
Beyond Costs: What to Expect from a Quality Funeral Home
It is completely acceptable to ensure that you will be receiving the most compassionate care before spending thousands of dollars on funeral or cremation services. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before choosing a funeral home:
- If you have been in touch with the staff, have you received transparent information in a timely manner?
- Do you know anyone who has previously used the funeral home?
- Does the funeral home offer catering options for receptions?
- Are the facilities accessible and well-kept?
- What do their reviews on Google look like?
Sources:
- NFDA, "2019 NFDA General price List Study Shows Funeral Costs Not Rising as Fast as Rate of Inflation" (2019).
