Average Cost of Cremation by State
Plain-English breakdowns of what cremation costs in all 50 states. Each guide documents direct-cremation pricing, full-service cremation ranges, the state's statutory waiting period and authorization rules, and the scattering rules — each cited to the state code.
The national picture, briefly
According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 2023 General Price List Survey, the US median for cremation with a viewing is about $6,280, and direct cremation runs $2,000 to $2,500 nationally. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) reports the national cremation rate at about 60.5% of dispositions in 2023 — and rising every year.
State pricing varies substantially around those medians. The Northeast and West Coast tend to sit at the high end; the Midwest and South tend to sit lower; competitive metro markets in any state run lower than rural areas. The pages below break it down state by state.
| State | Direct cremation | With a service | Cremation rate | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $895 – $3,000 | $5,500 – $9,500 | ~68% | California Department of Consumer Affairs, Cemetery and Funeral Bureau (CFB) |
| Texas | $695 – $2,500 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~58% | Texas Funeral Service Commission (TFSC) |
| Florida | $750 – $2,800 | $4,500 – $7,800 | ~76% | Florida Board of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services (Department of Financial Services) |
| New York | $1,200 – $4,000 | $6,500 – $11,000 | ~52% | New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Funeral Directing |
| Pennsylvania | $895 – $2,800 | $5,000 – $8,500 | ~57% | Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors (Department of State) |
| Illinois | $895 – $3,200 | $5,500 – $9,000 | ~56% | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) |
| Ohio | $695 – $2,500 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~62% | Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors |
| Georgia | $895 – $2,800 | $4,500 – $7,800 | ~53% | Georgia State Board of Funeral Service |
| North Carolina | $895 – $2,800 | $4,500 – $7,800 | ~64% | North Carolina Board of Funeral Service |
| Michigan | $695 – $2,500 | $4,500 – $8,000 | ~68% | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Board of Examiners in Mortuary Science |
| Alabama | $895 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $6,500 | ~40% | Alabama Board of Funeral Service |
| Alaska | $1,200 – $3,000 | $4,000 – $6,500 | ~75% | Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing |
| Arizona | $950 – $2,200 | $3,500 – $7,800 | ~75% | Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers |
| Arkansas | $795 – $2,500 | $3,000 – $5,500 | ~50% | Arkansas State Board of Embalmers, Funeral Directors, Cemeteries and Burial Services |
| Colorado | $795 – $2,000 | $3,500 – $6,500 | ~75% | Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations — Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services. |
| Connecticut | $1,200 – $3,100 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~57% | Connecticut Department of Public Health (Funeral Directors and Embalmers licensing), with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner issuing cremation certificates. |
| Delaware | $995 – $2,700 | $3,500 – $6,500 | ~50% | Delaware Division of Professional Regulation — Delaware Board of Funeral Services (with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner issuing cremation permits). |
| Hawaii | $1,000 – $3,300 | $2,800 – $6,500 | ~77% | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Professional & Vocational Licensing, with the Department of Health handling death registration and disposition permits. |
| Idaho | $895 – $2,500 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~70% | Idaho State Board of Morticians (Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses) |
| Indiana | $895 – $2,500 | $3,800 – $7,000 | ~55% | Indiana State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) |
| Iowa | $895 – $2,500 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~60% | Iowa Board of Mortuary Science (Iowa Department of Health and Human Services) |
| Kansas | $845 – $2,400 | $3,800 – $7,000 | ~48% | Kansas State Board of Mortuary Arts |
| Kentucky | $995 – $3,000 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~50% | Kentucky Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors |
| Louisiana | $1,000 – $3,000 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~44% | Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors |
| Maine | $1,200 – $3,000 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~78% | Maine State Board of Funeral Service (Department of Professional and Financial Regulation) |
| Maryland | $1,200 – $3,500 | $4,500 – $8,000 | ~55% | Maryland State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors (with the Office of Cemetery Oversight) |
| Massachusetts | $1,200 – $3,800 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~58% | Massachusetts Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing (Division of Occupational Licensure) |
| Minnesota | $1,200 – $2,800 | $3,500 – $6,500 | ~65% | Minnesota Department of Health, Mortuary Science Section |
| Mississippi | $1,200 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $6,000 | ~29% | Mississippi State Board of Funeral Service |
| Missouri | $900 – $2,500 | $3,000 – $6,500 | ~52% | Missouri State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors (Division of Professional Registration) |
| Montana | $1,100 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $6,000 | ~78% | Montana Board of Funeral Service, Department of Labor & Industry |
| Nebraska | $1,070 – $2,300 | $3,500 – $6,000 | ~63% | Nebraska Board of Funeral Directing and Embalming, Department of Health and Human Services |
| Nevada | $895 – $2,500 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~82% | Nevada State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services |
| New Hampshire | $1,195 – $3,500 | $4,000 – $6,500 | ~74% | New Hampshire Board of Registration of Funeral Directors and Embalmers |
| New Jersey | $995 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $7,200 | ~52% | New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science (and the New Jersey Cemetery Board for crematories) |
| New Mexico | $895 – $2,500 | $3,000 – $6,500 | ~76% | New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Board of Thanatopractice (with cremation permits via the Office of the Medical Investigator) |
| North Dakota | $1,200 – $3,500 | $4,000 – $7,500 | ~48% | North Dakota State Board of Funeral Service |
| Oklahoma | $795 – $2,800 | $3,000 – $6,500 | ~53% | Oklahoma Funeral Board (with cremation permits via the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner) |
| Oregon | $995 – $2,100 | $3,000 – $6,500 | ~78% | Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board (OMCB) |
| Rhode Island | $1,320 – $2,880 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~50% | Rhode Island Department of Health (funeral director and embalmer licensing) and the Office of State Medical Examiners |
| South Carolina | $950 – $2,500 | $3,500 – $6,500 | ~57% | South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR), State Board of Funeral Service |
| South Dakota | $1,200 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $6,500 | ~60% | South Dakota State Board of Funeral Service |
| Tennessee | $950 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $7,000 | ~50% | Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, within the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. |
| Utah | $695 – $3,000 | $3,500 – $7,000 | ~60% | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Funeral Service program, within the Utah Department of Commerce. |
| Vermont | $1,200 – $3,500 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~72% | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Board of Funeral Service (Secretary of State); the Vermont Department of Health issues cremation permits. |
| Virginia | $1,200 – $3,500 | $4,000 – $7,000 | ~57% | Virginia Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, within the Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP) |
| Washington | $795 – $3,000 | $5,000 – $9,000 | ~78% | Washington State Department of Licensing, Funeral and Cemetery Board |
| West Virginia | $1,100 – $2,600 | $4,500 – $7,500 | ~46% | West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners |
| Wisconsin | $900 – $2,600 | $4,500 – $8,000 | ~64% | Wisconsin Funeral Directors Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) |
| Wyoming | $1,200 – $2,700 | $5,000 – $8,500 | ~72% | Wyoming Board of Funeral Service Practitioners |
All 50 states are listed above. Cremation pricing varies within a state as well as between states — the FTC Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453) entitles you to a written General Price List from any funeral home on request, in person or by phone.
Notes on how these figures were compiled
- Get a written General Price List. The FTC Funeral Rule requires every funeral home to provide one on request, by phone or in person, before you commit to anything. Cremation pricing within the same metro routinely varies by $1,000 to $3,000 for the same disposition.
- Direct cremation is a real, dignified option. It’s the cheapest path in every state on this list, and the family can hold any memorial they want separately, in any setting, on their own schedule.
- Cemetery costs are optional for cremation. Scattering, home retention, and inurnment in a columbarium niche all cost a small fraction of a traditional cemetery plot.
- State waiting periods are short. Most states require 24 to 48 hours between death and cremation — far less than the cost-driving factor in most families’ bills, which is the optional service.
Want to understand the bigger picture first?
If you’re weighing cremation against burial generally, start with our national-level explainers:
- Cremation vs. Burial Cost by State — these cremation figures set against the national burial median, state by state.
- Cremation vs. Burial Cost (2026): Which Is Cheaper?
- How Much Does a Funeral Cost?
- Do You Need Final Expense Insurance? What the Policies Say — what the policies cover and what they cost, for pre-funding a cremation.
Educational information only — not financial, legal, or funeral planning advice. Prices and regulations change. Always get itemized written quotes from at least three licensed providers in your state before making decisions. Sources: National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 2023 General Price List Survey; Cremation Association of North America (CANA) 2023 Annual Statistics Report; Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule; state funeral and crematory regulators.