Printed memorial data

U.S. Printed Memorial Package and Funeral Industry Statistics

Source-backed U.S. data on memorial printed package prices, cremation rates, funeral industry size, and documented gaps in available research.

Every figure traced to a named study
Source values and calculations separated
Open data gaps flagged, not filled with estimates

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Printed funeral program proofs laid out on a print shop counter. — What the printed package actually costs

What the published data actually says

The short answer

NFDA's 2023 General Price List Study reported a $195 median for a basic memorial printed package among responding member funeral homes. The package category can include memorial cards, a register book, and printed programs. This page separates source-reported figures from our calculations and marks questions for which no reliable U.S. dataset exists.

Part	What to include or confirm
Printed package	$195 median basic memorial printed package (NFDA, 2023 data)
Illustrative ratio	2.3% of NFDA's burial total, 3.1% of its cremation total
Program page count	No industry body collects this — see the open data gap below
Cremation share	62.8% actual for 2025 (CANA); 63.4% projected (NFDA)

By the Funeral Program Maker Editorial Team · Published August 16, 2026 · Updated August 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Question by question

What the published sources report.

Each figure below is stated with the study it comes from, the year the data describes, and the sample it was drawn from. Where a number is calculated rather than published, it is labeled as our calculation.

Use the normalized dataset

A normalized table with definitions, source URLs, calculations, caveats, and verification dates.

Download the source-backed statistics as CSV

$195median basic memorial printed package

How much do funeral homes charge for a basic memorial printed package?

The NFDA 2023 General Price List Study reported a $195 median for a basic memorial printed package among responding member funeral homes. This is a bundle category that can include memorial cards, a register book, and printed programs; it is not a per-copy funeral program price.

NFDA includes the category in its national median funeral calculation. Individual funeral homes may describe, price, or bundle memorial stationery differently.

Families who arrange the printing themselves can compare same-day printing cost per copy and print run with the package price reported by NFDA.

NFDA General Price List StudyNational Funeral Directors Association · 2023 data · 809 of 5,219 funeral homes surveyed; ±3.4% at 95% confidence

5.8%two-year rise for a burial funeral

How fast are funeral costs rising?

Between 2021 and 2023, the median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial rose 5.8%, from $7,848 to $8,300, and a funeral with cremation rose 8.1%, from $5,810 to $6,280. General inflation over the same two years ran 13.6%, so funeral prices rose more slowly than the broader cost of living.

NFDA has not published an updated price study since, so figures quoted for later years elsewhere are inflation estimates rather than survey results.

NFDA General Price List StudyNational Funeral Directors Association · 2023 data · 809 of 5,219 funeral homes surveyed; ±3.4% at 95% confidence

3,094,593deaths recorded in 2025

How many deaths occurred in the United States in 2025?

A total of 3,094,593 deaths occurred in the United States in 2025, up from 3,072,666 in 2024, even as the age-adjusted death rate fell 4.6% to a record low of 689.2 per 100,000.

This is a provisional mortality count, not a count of funerals or memorial services.

Vital Statistics Rapid Release, Report No. 44National Center for Health Statistics · 2025 provisional data · Death records processed as of May 10, 2026

15,401U.S. funeral homes reported by NFDA

How large is the U.S. funeral home sector?

NFDA reports 15,401 funeral homes in the United States, about 75% of them family- or privately owned. The sector employs 105,300 people and generates $16.3 billion in annual revenue, with a further $4.3 billion reported for crematories and cemeteries.

These industry figures describe businesses and employment; they should not be used as a count of annual funeral services.

NFDA industry statisticsNational Funeral Directors Association · 2025 data

No dataopen gap

How many pages is a typical funeral program?

No industry body publishes data on funeral program page counts. Neither NFDA nor CANA collects it, and no published survey of U.S. families or funeral homes reports it.

The four-to-eight-page range repeated across the web originates from template vendor guides and funeral home marketing pages, not from survey research. We flag this as an open data gap rather than repeat an unsourced figure as though it were measured.

No primary source exists. Checked August 2026.

Itemized

Where the printed package sits on the price list

Itemized median charges that make up a median funeral with viewing and burial, as published in the NFDA General Price List Study for 2023.

Swipe horizontally to view all columns →

Line item	Median charge	Note
Non-declinable basic services fee	$2,495	Basic professional services fee charged regardless of the services selected.
Removal or transfer of remains	$395	Declinable only by choosing another provider.
Embalming	$845	Not required by law in most circumstances.
Other preparation of the body	$295	Casketing, cosmetology, dressing, and grooming.
Facilities and staff for viewing	$475	Declinable if the family holds no viewing.
Facilities and staff for the ceremony	$550	Declinable if the service is held elsewhere.
Hearse	$375	Burial services only.
Service car or van	$175	Declinable.
Basic memorial printed package	$195	Survey line item for memorial stationery; availability and GPL presentation vary by provider.
Metal burial casket	$2,500	A family may buy a casket elsewhere without a surcharge.

The listed NFDA national median line items total $8,300. Adding the $1,695 median burial vault yields $9,995; cemetery, monument, marker, and cash-advance charges are excluded.

Methodology

How this page handles its numbers

Statistics about death and money are quoted constantly and checked rarely. This page states where each figure came from so a reader can go and verify it, and says so plainly when no source exists.

Every figure names the study behind it, the year the data describes, and the sample it was drawn from.
Figures we calculated rather than found published are labeled as our calculation, with the inputs shown.
Ratios of national medians are illustrative comparisons, not measured shares of individual family bills.
Figures are not adjusted for inflation. The most recent NFDA price study reflects 2023 pricing.
Where two bodies publish different numbers, both are given with their methods, rather than averaged into one.
Where no primary source exists, the question is listed as an open data gap instead of being answered with an estimate.

Next review when NFDA publishes its next General Price List Study.

Sources

Every study cited on this page.

NFDA General Price List StudyNational Funeral Directors Association · 2023 data · 809 of 5,219 funeral homes surveyed; ±3.4% at 95% confidenceThe most recent NFDA price study as of August 2026. Figures describe 2023 pricing and are not inflation-adjusted.
CANA Annual Statistics ReportCremation Association of North America · 2025 actual dataReports observed cremation rates rather than projections.
NFDA Cremation & Burial ReportNational Funeral Directors Association · 2025 projected dataUses a projection model, so its rate differs from CANA's observed rate.
NFDA industry statisticsNational Funeral Directors Association · 2025 data
Vital Statistics Rapid Release, Report No. 44National Center for Health Statistics · 2025 provisional data · Death records processed as of May 10, 2026Provisional data. Totals shift slightly as remaining records are processed.

FAQ

Common questions

Do I have to buy printed programs from the funeral home?

The FTC Funeral Rule generally allows consumers to select funeral goods and services individually. A funeral home may list additional goods such as memorial stationery, but the exact presentation and availability can vary by provider and state. Ask for the General Price List and confirm which printed items are optional before making arrangements.

Why is the funeral cost data from 2023 rather than this year?

The NFDA General Price List Study is the only survey of actual funeral home price lists, and its most recent edition reports 2023 pricing. No newer edition had been published as of August 2026. Figures quoted elsewhere for later years are generally inflation estimates applied to these same numbers rather than new survey data.

Why do NFDA and CANA report different cremation rates?

They measure different things. CANA reports the observed cremation rate for a completed year, which was 62.8% for 2025. NFDA publishes a projection from its own model, which puts 2025 at 63.4%. Neither is wrong; they should not be averaged or used interchangeably.

How many pages should a funeral program be?

There is no measured answer. No industry body collects page-count data, and the commonly quoted four-to-eight-page range comes from template vendors rather than research. In practice the count follows the content: the order of service, the obituary, the photos, and the acknowledgements the family wants included.

Can I cite these figures?

For source-reported figures, cite the original NFDA, CANA, or CDC publication. For our cross-source comparison, calculations, normalized dataset, and documented data gaps, cite this page and include the data year.