What Are Median Funeral Costs in Different Parts of the U.S.?

As with real estate, automobiles, food and pretty much everything else, where you are in the country impacts funeral costs. A funeral service in Montgomery, Alabama, will cost far less than the same service in Monterey, California. A cremation in New York City will almost certainly cost more than a cremation in New Mexico.

According to a 2021 report by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the national median cost of a traditional funeral with a viewing is $7,848. The national median cost of an adult cremation funeral with a visitation is $5,365. (Median cost means that half the services that took place cost more and half cost less.)

Funeral and cremation services are deeply personal, and there are many factors that figure into the cost. Geography is one of those factors.

Median funeral cost by state

The NFDA figures below are the median costs of a funeral service with a burial, including embalming, casket and viewing. These costs don't include cemetery property or a monument or marker.

Median cremation cost by state

The NFDA figures below are median costs of a cremation with a memorial service, including embalming, cremation casket, viewing and urn. These costs don't include cemetery property or a monument or marker. Many families opt for cremation without a viewing or memorial service, which reduces costs.

Avoid rising funeral costs no matter where you live

The loss of a loved one can be overwhelming, and planning a service in the midst of grief can be a very difficult thing to do. What's more: The cost of a funeral or cremation catches many families off guard, and prices have nearly doubled in the last 30 years.

When you pre-plan and pre-fund your funeral, you save your family from emotional and financial burdens. You also lock in today’s prices on many items and avoid future inflation. A Dignity Memorial^® planner can walk you through the process of planning ahead and explain all your choices, including financing options.

Cost protection even if you move

In addition, when you plan a funeral or cremation ahead of time with a Dignity Memorial provider, your plan is entirely transferable to any one of our more than 1,900 locations in 47 U.S. states, Canada and Puerto Rico if you move more than 75 miles (or 120 kilometers). That means you can plan today at a location near you, and if you move at any point in the future, every detail of your plan moves with you. That's part of The Dignity Difference.