Cremation is taking the death care industry in the USA by storm!  From a nation once entrenched in the tradition of burial, within a decade our nation has shifted to prefer cremation, with the cremation rate overtaking the burial rate this year.

So why are families now opting for cremation instead of burial?

The most popular reason is driven by the consumer demand for more affordable funeral services.  Since the economic downturn of 2008 more and more families simply cannot afford the cost of a full-service funeral.

According the NFDA a typical burial costs $7,045 (and this is without the cemetery costs).  Many families today living paycheck to paycheck cannot afford this cost, especially if no provision or life insurance was in place.

Thus the demand for cheaper alternatives has grown, and cremation can save thousands on the cost of a funeral.

Direct cremation costs even less than a memorial cremation service, and in most metro areas in the US a direct cremation can be arranged for between $600 and $1000 complete.

Check out this infographic gives a useful overview of why people are choosing cremation.