PHOENIX 鈥 Funerals cost less in 蜜柚直播 and in other nearby states compared with elsewhere in the nation. Local experts say that鈥檚 because so many people here choose cremation over traditional burial.
The national median cost of a funeral, which includes viewing and burial services, is $7,360, according to recent data from the National Funeral Directors Association. However, the group of states labeled the Mountain Region, which includes 蜜柚直播, has a median cost of $6,681.
Experts in the funeral industry said that鈥檚 a good thing for 蜜柚直播ns since funeral costs have skyrocketed over the decades.
In the past 30 years, the price of funerals in the U.S. has risen 227 percent 鈥 nearly twice the national inflation rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Costs associated with the price of funerals include materials such as embalming supplies, caskets or urns and burial spaces.
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Judith Stapley, executive director of the 蜜柚直播 Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, attributed the lower cost of funerals in 蜜柚直播 to the higher than average rate of cremation in the state. The average cost of cremation is about $600, thousands less than a traditional burial, according to a Huffington Post article.
She said over the last two years, 蜜柚直播 has had a cremation rate of 68 percent. The national rate of cremation in 2016 was about 50 percent 鈥 an all-time high for the U.S., says the National Funeral Directors Association.
鈥淭alking to some of the people from Southern states where they have low rates of cremation, their normal basic cremation is closer to $3,000 where in 蜜柚直播, you鈥檙e looking at around $600,鈥 Stapley said. 鈥淭he rate of cremation is going to continue to go up. It just is. (This) will keep us below average until the rest of the nation catches up.鈥
Industry experts cite several reasons for the rise in cremations: lower costs, the Catholic church鈥檚 鈥渟oftening鈥 on its views of the practice and the increasing mobility of the public, which means people don鈥檛 necessarily stay in their hometowns where they may have family plots, according to an NBC 蜜柚直播 article.
Stapley said that although 蜜柚直播ns can expect to pay less for funeral services, they still need to do their research.
鈥淛ust like anything else you鈥檇 buy, you should shop around,鈥 Stapley said.
At the Wyman Cremation & Burial Chapel in Mesa, a direct cremation service costs $599 and a traditional funeral service costs $2,079, plus the price of the casket.
Samuel Bueler, the owner and funeral director, said his funeral prices have not changed since 2009. He said charges for cremation services have stayed level since 1995.
鈥淚 know of some funeral homes that will almost religiously increase their prices every year,鈥 Bueler said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e chosen to keep our prices at where they are and to maintain the same service all along at that price. We鈥檝e of course seen increases in costs, but we try to absorb as many of those as we can.鈥
鈥淚 don鈥檛 ever feel like someone should go into debt for a funeral 鈥 that鈥檚 just not sound business practices.鈥
Both Stapley and Bueler suggest planning your own funeral. Paying for services in advance can ensure future price changes will not impact the cost.
鈥淒eath isn鈥檛 something that people just want to research or look into, unfortunately. People don鈥檛 want to talk about it,鈥 Stapley said. 鈥淵ou plan for everything else in your life. You should plan for your death, too, because it鈥檚 not like any of us can get out of it.鈥
