U.S. REFERENCE GUIDE
Current figures on funeral choices, changing ceremony preferences, and the U.S. funeral service industry.
Last updated September 24, 2026. Each statistic below is linked to its named source.
AT A GLANCE
Funeral and memorial choices are changing, from the form of disposition to the setting of a ceremony. This page gathers the latest published national figures in one place for families, writers, and anyone looking for a clearer picture of the field.
63.4%
The National Funeral Directors Association projects that 63.4% of dispositions in the United States will be cremations in 2025.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, October 6, 202531.6%
The same report projects a 31.6% burial rate for 2025.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, October 6, 202582.3%
The association expects cremation to account for 82.3% of dispositions by 2045.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, October 6, 202561.4%
In the association's 2025 consumer survey, 61.4% of respondents said they would be interested in exploring green funeral options.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, 2025 Consumer Awareness & Preferences Study, October 23, 202558.3%
The 2025 consumer survey found that 58.3% of respondents had attended a funeral held outside a traditional funeral home or place of worship.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, 2025 Consumer Awareness & Preferences Study, October 23, 202515,401
The National Funeral Directors Association lists 15,401 U.S. funeral homes, with approximately 75% described as family- or privately owned.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, media-center statistics, updated September 29, 2025105,300
U.S. funeral homes employ 105,300 people, according to the association's published industry figures.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, media-center statistics, updated September 29, 2025$16.3B
The association reports $16.3 billion in revenue from funeral homes, with crematories and cemeteries generating an additional $4.274 billion.
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, media-center statistics, updated September 29, 202561,500
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 61,500 funeral service workers in 2025.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, updated August 27, 20264%
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment of funeral service workers to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, updated August 27, 20265,600
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 5,600 annual openings for funeral service workers from 2025 to 2035.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, updated August 27, 2026$78,790
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median annual pay of $78,790 for funeral home managers in May 2025.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, updated August 27, 2026SOURCES AND METHOD
This guide uses the National Funeral Directors Association's 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, its 2025 Consumer Awareness & Preferences Study, and its media-center statistics, last updated September 29, 2025. Workforce, employment, and pay figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, updated August 27, 2026.
National figures show broad changes, but they do not describe every family, community, faith tradition, or region. This page is reviewed when a key source releases newer data.
Read the National Funeral Directors Association's 2025 Cremation & Burial Report
Read the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' funeral service worker outlook
CITE THIS PAGE
Suggested citation: Simply Amazin by Marcie. “U.S. Funeral and Memorial Statistics.” Updated September 24, 2026. https://simplyamazingbymarcie.net/funeral-memorial-statistics