What is the current state of cremations in the US?

According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), 56% of Americans who died were cremated in 2020. This is a huge increase from 2000 when just 27% of people chose to be cremated. By 2040, 80% of people who die are expected to choose cremation over a casket burial.

The first crematorium in the US opened in Washington, Pa. in 1876, but Americans were reluctant to embrace it. It took over 100 years for the practice to become accepted and commonplace. Today cremations are much more common than burials, but why?

There are a number of factors responsible for the significant growth in cremation rates.

Fear of death

One of the most common reasons funeral directors report for people choosing cremation is that they want it over and done with as soon as possible. Richard Moylan, the president of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood cemetery, explains that families don’t want to know how the cremation process works. They don’t want a long and drawn-out funeral experience. They want it to be quick and clinical.

Thomas Lynch, a Michigan poet and funeral director, agrees. In his experience, the family wants the body to disappear because it reminds them of what they lost. He claims the current generation is the first of our species that’s attempting to deal with death without dealing with dead bodies.

Personal experience

Not all families feel the same way. Some choose cremation so they can personalize the experience for the loved one they’ve lost. CANA estimates that 20-40% of cremated remains are kept inside an urn in a cemetery — either buried or stored in a columbarium. This means 60-80% of ashes are used for a different purpose — they could be scattered somewhere important, stored at home, or turned into a memorial diamond.

Lynch believes that the increase in cremation numbers is because more families are creating their own unique traditions and experiences. Cremation allows them to make a unique and fitting memorial.

Secularism

In the 1960s, the US cremation rate was lower than 5%. Back then, Jessica Mitford pushed it as an affordable alternative to a casket burial in her expose on the funeral industry, “The American Way of Death.” People were still hesitant to embrace it, even after the Catholic Church lifted the prohibition on cremation in 1963.

It wasn’t until the US became increasingly secular that cremation rates began to skyrocket. In 2021, the number of people who belonged to a house of worship dipped below 50% for the first time since the poll began in 1937.

Affordability

One of the primary reasons people choose cremations over burials is the lower cost. It can be difficult to make direct comparisons between the two because there are so many different options.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the median cost of a funeral with burial and viewing is $7,848. In comparison, the median cost of a funeral with cremation and viewing is $6,970. That’s a difference of $878, which may not sound that different. But most people opt for direct cremation, the median cost of which is a mere $2,550. That’s a substantial difference of $5,298.

Location

For families with members that live in multiple states or countries, there isn’t much point in burying a loved one in a cemetery that no one will be able to visit. It makes more sense to have the body cremated and share the ashes between everyone so they can decide what they want to do with them.

Other factors

The figures show that more people choose cremation over burial in states that vote Democratic, as well as states with large transient populations. States that go through brutal winters where the ground becomes frozen solid are also more likely to choose cremation. One example is Canada, where the cremation rates are notably higher than those throughout the US.

Cremation rates in Maine, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada are already around 80%. In comparison, Utah and many southern states with large religious populations have around 40%.

Cremations around the world

Other countries have been quicker to embrace cremation than the US. For example, Japan has an almost 100% cremation rate, partially due to its high population density and lack of burial grounds.

Cremation is essential to Buddhist and Hindu funeral practices because it’s believed to release the soul from the body. However, Islam, Catholicism, and Judaism chose to resist it over views about the sanctity of spirit and body in death.

The importance of a memorial

Many people choose cremation because they think it’s the easiest option. They don’t have to deal with the many emotions and memories that will be stirred up over a traditional funeral. But while it may seem painful to say goodbye to your loved one in such a drawn-out ceremony now, you may regret being so hasty in the future.

Funeral home vice president in Mesa, Ariz., Elisa Krcilek, says 80% of the families who come into her funeral home request cremation. She believes it’s important for everyone in the business to do a better job of letting grieving families know their options. In her words, “The moment you scatter someone, you’re done. People need a memorial, to be remembered.”

Cremation doesn’t have to be an impersonal, rushed event. You can still gather around your loved one moments before the cremation takes place to say goodbye. And when you receive their ashes, you don’t have to bury them or keep them at home in an urn. There are plenty of things you can do with the remains that will provide you closure as well as give them the tribute they deserve.