What are some basic funeral service facts?

The following points demonstrate current funeral service facts:

There are more than 22,100 funeral homes in the United States employing approximately 35,000 licensed funeral directors/embalmers and 89,000 additional funeral service and crematory personnel.

There were 2,345,702 deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending December, 1999, or 8.6 deaths per thousand population. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1999)

Of the 2,345,702 deaths in 1999, 75% resulted in earth burial or entombment and 25% resulted in cremation.

The average cost of a funeral from NFDA's 1999 General Price List survey is $5,020.36 for an adult funeral.

What are some of the trends in funeral service?

The following points highlight several of the current trends in funeral service, particularly those which impact the consumer:

An increase in funeral home "aftercare" services, including support groups, remembrance services, community referrals and libraries.

An increase in preplanning and prepayment of funerals.

Increased government regulation, particularly in areas of occupational safety and health, often requiring the hiring of additional personnel in order to comply with the new regulations.

More personalized service to accommodate the differing ideas of what is a traditional funeral and desires for various methods of disposition. Recent immigration trends mean funeral directors now serve people with differing funeral customs from all parts of the globe.

An increase in the number of women and minorities entering the funeral service profession. For example, approximately one-third of current mortuary science enrollees are women.

In many states, an increase in the educational requirements both to enter the profession and to retain a license.