Open data
Methodology — model v3
The model at a glance
state_estimate = adjusted_national_median × (state_bea_2024_rpp_all_items ÷ 100), where adjusted_national_median = nfda_2023_median × 1.1016 (BLS funeral-expenses CPI, August 2026 dollars).The formula
# Example — California traditional burial:
$9,140 × (110.72 ÷ 100) = $10,119.81 → $10,120
Data freshness — why 2024 and 2023 are the newest honest vintages
BEA regional price parities: 2024. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released 2024 RPPs on February 19, 2026 — the current release, with the next one scheduled for December 10, 2026. We pulled all 50 states plus D.C. from the BEA’s Interactive Data Application (Table SARPP) on September 23, 2026 and cross-checked the values against the official release. Official statistics always lag by a year or more; 2024 is the newest RPP data that exists.
NFDA price medians: 2023. The NFDA’s 2023 Member General Price List Study remains the latest published NFDA price study. The NFDA said it would field the next GPL study in 2025, but as of September 23, 2026 no price results from a 2025 study had been publicly released — and 2026 press coverage still cites the 2023 medians as current. We would rather show a clearly-dated 2023 median than invent a newer one — so we bring it forward with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ own funeral-expenses price index instead of guessing.
BLS funeral-expenses CPI: August 2026. Adjusting a 2023 price to today’s dollars is standard practice, and the funeral-expenses component of the Consumer Price Index (series CUUR0000SEGD02, not seasonally adjusted, December 1986 = 100) is the closest official index to what funeral homes actually charge. We take the August 2026 index value (417.820), divide by the 2023 annual average (379.301), and multiply every NFDA median by the resulting factor of 1.1016 — so the $8,300 traditional-burial median becomes $9,140 in August 2026 dollars. This refreshes monthly as new BLS releases arrive. One data gap to know about: October 2025 is missing from the BLS series (“data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations”); because the factor uses only the 2023 average and the latest month, the gap has no effect on our numbers. The adjustment assumes funeral prices tracked the national index — it does not capture state-level inflation differences.
Our commitment: anchors re-adjust monthly to the newest BLS funeral-expenses index, and the full dataset rebuilds annually — each spring we pull the newest BEA RPP release and check for a newer published NFDA study, then publish a changelog with the new model version. The vintage line at the top of every page always tells you exactly what you’re looking at.
National anchors (NFDA 2023 medians, in August 2026 dollars)
| Service | National anchor | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral with viewing + burial | $9,140 | NFDA 2023 median × 1.1016 BLS funeral-expenses CPI (Aug 2026 dollars) |
| Funeral with viewing + burial + vault | $11,010 | NFDA 2023 median × 1.1016 BLS funeral-expenses CPI (Aug 2026 dollars) |
| Funeral with viewing + cremation | $6,920 | NFDA 2023 median × 1.1016 BLS funeral-expenses CPI (Aug 2026 dollars) |
| Direct cremation | $3,030 | NFDA 2023 median × 1.1016 BLS funeral-expenses CPI (Aug 2026 dollars) |
| Immediate burial | $4,100 | NFDA 2023 median × 1.1016 BLS funeral-expenses CPI (Aug 2026 dollars) |
| Green burial (assumption-based) | $5,480 | Stated assumption: 0.60 × adjusted traditional burial ($9,140); no published NFDA median exists |
Why our direct-cremation figure differs from some quotes
Our direct-cremation anchor is $3,030 (the NFDA 2023 median of $2,750 in August 2026 dollars). You will see lower numbers advertised — sometimes under $1,500 — and both can be honest. The NFDA median reflects full-service funeral homes and includes the funeral home’s container; the wider market includes discount and direct-only providers advertising “starting at” prices. A median also isn’t an average: it’s the midpoint provider, so half of funeral homes charge more. Treat our figure as the typical full-service price, and treat a much lower quote as real but not typical — then compare what’s included.
Medians, not averages
Every anchor here is a median (the midpoint of surveyed funeral homes), not an average. Averages get pulled up by a few very expensive providers; medians don’t. When a competitor cites an “average” funeral cost, expect it to run higher than our median-based figures for the same market — that’s arithmetic, not disagreement.
Optional calculator features
- Religious traditions (Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist): optional toggles that adjust specific line items — never a blanket multiplier. Each shows what changes (e.g., no embalming, plain casket, ritual washing fees) with sourced typical ranges. These figures are provider and regional examples, not a national survey.
- VA burial benefits: optional deductions using current VA.gov amounts (up to $2,000 service-connected; $1,002 + $1,002 non-service-connected; $441 headstone). Benefits must be claimed — they are not automatic — and amounts reset every October 1.
- Upkeep: an explainer that “perpetual care” is usually baked into the plot price and covers common grounds only — plus an optional marker-upkeep range from a 2025 NY state-approved price list.
- Cash-advance items: clergy/celebrant honoraria and death certificates join flowers and obituaries as optional add-ons. All are industry-published typical ranges, not surveyed prices.
- Body donation to science: an optional path noting that programs typically cover cremation, transport, and the death certificate free — with strong disclaimers that acceptance is decided at the time of death and never guaranteed.
What the NFDA medians include — and exclude
Included
- Non-declinable basic services fee
- Removal/transfer of remains to the funeral home
- Embalming and other preparation of the body
- Use of facilities and staff for viewing
- Use of facilities and staff for the funeral ceremony
- Hearse
- Service car or van / utility vehicle
- Basic memorial printed package
- Casket (burial medians) / cremation casket and urn (cremation-with-service median)
Excluded
- Cemetery plot / interment rights
- Cemetery opening and closing fees
- Monument, headstone, or grave marker
- Burial vault (except the burial-with-vault estimate)
- Flowers
- Obituary / newspaper notices
- Cash-advance items (clergy honoraria, death certificates, etc.)
Source ledger
https://content.nfda.org/Portals/0/2024_NFDA_Cremation%20and%20Burial%20Report.pdf
National medians: $8,300 funeral with viewing and burial (vault not included); $6,280 funeral with viewing and cremation; $3,720 immediate burial; $2,750 direct cremation (funeral-home container); $2,500 metal casket; $295 urn. The $9,995 burial-with-vault median is widely reported from the 2023 GPL Study press release.
Retrieved 2026-09-23
https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area
2024 state all-items, goods, and services-component (housing/utilities/other) RPP indexes, pulled from the BEA Interactive Data Application (Table SARPP) and cross-checked against the official February 19, 2026 news release. Next BEA release: December 10, 2026.
Retrieved 2026-09-23
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t02.htm
Monthly index values (Jan 2023–Aug 2026, via the BLS public API) used to bring 2023 NFDA medians into August 2026 dollars: factor = 417.820 ÷ 379.301 = 1.1016. August 2026 release Table 2: +3.0% unadjusted 12-month change. October 2025 is missing from the series (2025 lapse in appropriations); the factor uses only the 2023 average and the latest month, so the gap has no effect.
Retrieved 2026-09-23
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ftc-funeral-rule
Official consumer rights used in our Funeral Rule rights guide.
Retrieved 2026-09-23
https://mdfunerals.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Comparative-Costs-7.15.26.pdf
Cemetery plot ($1,000–$5,000+), opening/closing ($1,500–$3,000), and marker ($1,000–$3,000) typical ranges used as calculator add-ons.
Retrieved 2026-09-23
https://funerals.org/find-an-affiliate/
Independent, volunteer-run surveys of funeral home prices published by local FCA chapters (e.g., the Finger Lakes chapter’s 2025 survey, linked from our New York state page). FCA has granted permission to link these surveys; we treat them as independent real-world price checks alongside our modeled estimates, not as inputs to the model. This is a resource link, not a partnership.
Retrieved 2026-09-23
Limitations
- State values are modeled from national medians; actual local prices vary widely.
- NFDA medians come from member funeral homes and exclude cemetery and cash-advance costs.
- RPP vintage is 2024 (BEA February 2026 release); the dataset refreshes annually as new releases arrive.
- NFDA price medians are 2023 vintage because no newer official GPL study results have been published; they are adjusted to August 2026 dollars with the BLS CPI for funeral expenses (×1.1016).
- The CPI adjustment assumes funeral-price inflation tracked the national funeral-expenses index; it does not capture state-level inflation differences.
- Green burial has no published NFDA median; it is a stated assumption (0.60× traditional burial), labeled as such everywhere it appears.
- Calculator add-on ranges (flowers, obituary) are typical market ranges, not surveyed prices.
- This site is educational content, not financial, legal, or funeral-planning advice.
NFDA 2023 medians adjusted to August 2026 dollars via BLS CPI for funeral expenses; 2024 BEA regional price parities · Built 2026-09-23 · Model v3 · Refresh cadence: monthly CPI, annual BEA.