A 2018 study of consumer cremation preferences and expected costs by Tulip Cremation shows the majority of people prefer to be cremated but underestimate the cost of cremation. Tulip Cremation polled 1,000 people across America to find out:
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How many are planning to be cremated
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What people expect cremation to cost
The Results
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Cremation Wins! 64% of all respondents choose Cremation as their disposition of choice.
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Millennials Prefer Burial. 54% chose burial as their preference over cremation (46%).
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Baby Boomers Are Planning To Be Cremated - 79% of Boomer respondents to be exact.
There were variances in cremation preferences by region; but despite location in the US, cremation won out in every region as the preferred method of disposition.
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The South has the lowest cremation preference at 51%.
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The West was the highest at 75% of respondents.
Cremation Cost Expectations
68% of all surveyed expected cremation to cost below $1,500. Compare that to NFDA’s average direction cremation price of $2,200 and you’ll see a misalignment of expectations.
That being said, it is totally possible to find direct cremation for less than $1,500 nearly everywhere in the country. The key to not spending more than you need to is to look online for burial and cremation prices (like on Funerals360) or call before making arrangements. Though it’s still a struggle to find funeral prices online outside of California, it’s starting to become more common.
Tulip Cremation, author of this study, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They proudly post their all-in direct cremation price on their website - simple direct cremation package for $650! To find out more about Tulip's pricing, click here.
Below is a table with the full breakdown of their national cremation cost survey. To read the article they published on their site, click here.
