Governments that run municipal cemeteries are finding they can't afford to expand. The cemeteries are filling up and, in some cases, workers are getting laid off.
At the same time, a significant number of
families are deciding that cremations are a more affordable option.
USA Today reported on the struggling cemetery business:
"Gary Brown, who oversees six cemeteries for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, said they've seen a 17 percent decrease in prepaid plots over the past two years. That leaves the diocese with a lot less money for expansion.
" 'People are at this time reluctant to take their extra funds and spend it on items that are not necessary,' Brown said.
"Cemeteries also haven't been able to rely on investments to bail them out. David Heisterkamp, president of the Pennsylvania Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, said most cemeteries invest part of their income into perpetual care funds for the maintenance of graves. The return on those investments is used to pay for daily operations.
"Heisterkamp said those investments have been clobbered by the recession, forcing cemeteries to cut back on maintenance and lay off workers.
" 'There's a myth that this industry is recession proof,' he said.
"Brad Hansen, president of Hansen Mortuaries and Cemetery in Phoenix, said private cemeteries are getting squeezed from customers looking for deals. He said about 68 percent of Arizonans opted for cremations in the past year, compared with 60 percent the previous year."
Additional resources
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has provided some
information about
trends in funeral services,
funeral costs,
cremation facts and
funeral service facts.
The NFDA lists the 10 states with the highest cremation rate:
- Nevada -- 69.93 percent
- Washington -- 69.21 percent
- Oregon -- 66.62 percent
- Hawaii -- 66.53 percent
- Arizona -- 63.53 percent
- Montana -- 60.78 percent
- District of Columbia -- 59.97 percent
- Vermont -- 59.71 percent
- Colorado -- 59.57 percent
- Maine -- 58.44 percent
The 10 states with the lowest cremation rate, according to the NFDA, are:
- Mississippi -- 10.18 percent
- Texas -- 12.43 percent
- Kentucky -- 13.23 percent
- Alabama -- 14.63 percent
- West Virginia -- 16.56 percent
- Tennessee -- 16.93 percent
- Louisiana -- 17.37 percent
- Arkansas -- 21.22 percent
- South Dakota -- 21.80 percent
- Indiana -- 23.18 percent
The International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association also has some helpful resources on its Web site.
