August 2017

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Page A27 AUGUST 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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NEWS Association CONTINUED
The U.S. Cremation Rate Exceeds 50%.
Now What?
WHEELING,IL— CANA’s member-ex-
clusive Annual Statistics Report Preview,
published in May, shows that 2016 was
the year the U.S. cremation rate exceed-
ed 50%. The profession has been antici-
pating this milestone for some time—so
what’s next? What do these numbers mean
for crematory owners, funeral homes, in-
dustry suppliers, and the consumer?
CANA’s projections show that, at 50.1%
nationally, the cremation growth rate is
reaching its peak velocity and will begin
to slow, but cremation rates will continue
to grow across most of the country. Some
regions are just now entering a period of
rapid growth, while others may have al-
ready reached saturation. In order to bet-
ter understand what factors affect the dis-
parate growth rate of cremation in North
America, CANA did some additional in-
depth geographic and demographic re-
search.
Our first step was to describe in more
detail the reasons for the disparity in cre-
mation growths in various regions. We
found that states generally demonstrate
a geographic clustering effect, suggesting
that what started as individual preference
became the norm in the community and
heralded a cultural shift to a new tradi-
tion: cremation. Cremation will continue
to be popular because it is “what we do
now.”
CANA’s second step was to look at the
speed at which cremation rates grow.
When the cremation growth rate over
time is measured, an interesting pattern
develops. It can take decades for the cre-
mation rate to hit 5%—in the U.S. it
took nearly 100 years—but when it reach-
es 5%, the growth rate is more predict-
able and steady. There is no evidence that
this trend will change or reverse, barring
the introduction of a new form of dis-
position. We are currently in a period of
rapid growth that will peak around 60%
and then begin to slow until it reaches an
eventual plateau. While Canadian rates
followed a slightly different trajectory, it
is interesting to note that Canada experi-
enced a similar trend.
The last question we tackled was “Why
are people choosing cremation in the first
place?” There are numerous consumer
feedback and business surveys to illustrate
consumers’ stated preferences and buying
patterns. Many business owners have de-
veloped their own theories as to why peo-
ple choose cremation based on their ex-
periences with the families they serve.
But this CANA research is different—it
models demographic traits that correlate
strongly with cremation rates. The mod-
el may be directly applied at the business
level.
Whether compelled by circumstance or
eagerly searching for new opportunity,
more and more of the U.S. population
has chosen to roam across the country
and around the world. Many have loos-
ened their connections to their geograph-
ic origins and increased their exposure to
new traditions. Conversely, there are sig-
nificant portions of the population who
are rooted to their hometowns and re-
main deeply connected to the traditions
they grew up with.
The graphic above tells an interesting
story of demographic factors indicating
a break from tradition in opposition to a
more rooted environment, each side cor-
relating with higher or lower cremation
rates, respectively.
The characteristics of high cremation ar-
eas indicate that consumers’ interest is in
new traditions that meet the needs of a
roaming, non-religious population. Cre-
mation businesses must define their role
in supporting and creating these new tra-
ditions. Cremation rates will continue to
grow in rooted communities and the need
to support memorialization and crema-
tion will only increase.
Many of the findings in this research are
likely not surprising but reinforce or help
explain trends. It’s more important than
ever for business owners to understand
their community demographics and the
segments of the community they current-
ly reach.
The Cremation Association of North
America (CANA) has been tracking na-
tional cremation statistics in the U.S. and
Canada since our founding in 1913. Based
on this data, CANA creates annual statis-
tics reports to document consumer pref-
erences and measure the steady growth
of cremation rates across North America.
CANA Research is often used by the me-
dia to shape their articles and by CANA’s
members to guide their future business
plans. Read the full report in the most re-
cent edition of The Cremationist or log in
to .
CANA publishes Annual Statistics Report