Honor the person. Understand the choices and costs.
A meaningful goodbye can take many forms. Knowing prices and assistance options lets a family plan around its wishes, traditions, and resources.
National funeral-cost benchmarks
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) reported these national medians in its 2023 Member General Price List Study. A median is the midpoint, not an arithmetic average, a local quote, or a 2026 price estimate.
| Arrangement studied | 2023 national median |
|---|---|
| Adult funeral with viewing and burial | $8,300 |
| Adult funeral with viewing and cremation | $6,280 |
The study excludes cemetery interment, monument or marker costs, and cash-advance items such as flowers or an obituary. The cremation figure includes a viewing and ceremony; it is not a direct-cremation price. Cemetery requirements and other selected services can increase the total.
Cremation can cost substantially less—but the services matter.
Cremation is a method of disposition, not the opposite of a funeral. A family can choose a funeral with viewing followed by cremation, a later memorial, or direct cremation without a viewing or formal ceremony.
Direct cremation generally avoids many costs associated with a full-service viewing and burial. Adding a ceremony, flowers, travel, an urn, or cemetery placement changes the total. Compare itemized local prices for the same services rather than a headline package price.
Under the FTC Funeral Rule, covered funeral providers must give required price information and allow choices subject to permitted requirements. A casket is not required for direct cremation; ask about alternative containers. A lower-cost arrangement can still be thoughtful and respectful.
FTC: funeral-shopping rights ↗Medicaid and funeral assistance are different questions.
Medicaid medical coverage is not a nationwide funeral-insurance benefit. However, separate state or local programs may help with burial or cremation, sometimes using Medicaid or other public-assistance eligibility as part of their rules. It would be inaccurate to say that public assistance never helps pay funeral costs.
For example, Illinois DHS has a Funeral and Burial Benefits program for qualifying circumstances when available resources are insufficient. Other states and counties have different rules, limits, deadlines, and application procedures. Ask before signing or paying for arrangements, since advance approval or a participating provider may be required.
Illinois DHS: funeral and burial assistance example ↗
What if there is no life insurance and little money?
No life insurance does not automatically mean a public burial. Savings, family or community help, qualifying assistance, and affordable burial or cremation arrangements may be available.
If resources are unavailable and local requirements are met, a public authority may arrange burial or cremation. Terms and available choices vary. “Potter’s field” is a historical term for some public burial grounds; this website uses “public burial” because people deserve dignity regardless of income.
New York City’s Hart Island is one public-burial example, not a nationwide outcome. Its official information explains family-requested burials, records, visitation, and assistance options.
Tradition, faith, and budget belong in the same conversation.
For some Black families, a homegoing service carries deep spiritual, cultural, and community meaning. Other families choose a quiet memorial, cremation, or different traditions. No race or community has a single set of wishes, and dignity is not measured by the amount spent.
Discuss what matters most—faith observances, gathering loved ones, viewing, burial, music, or another personal element—and what the family can sustain. Recording those priorities early can help loved ones make decisions with less uncertainty.
Remembering A Life: African American funeral traditions ↗Two different funeral-service associations
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) publishes the cost study above. The separate National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association (NFDMA) has deep historical roots in African American funeral service.
These organizations should not be confused or their research attributed interchangeably. The figures on this page come from NFDA; they are not a separate estimate of Black families’ spending.
NFDMA: its history and mission ↗
Start with wishes, then consider funding.
Write down preferred arrangements, gather itemized quotes, identify existing resources, and tell a trusted person where the records are kept. Final expense insurance is one possible funding tool—not a requirement for a respectful goodbye.
Understand final expense life insurance → · Understand guaranteed-issue limitations →
General planning information. Assistance is not guaranteed, and local prices and rules change. Costs are explicitly labeled by study year. Reviewed October 2026.
Learn here. Ask questions when you’re ready.
You do not need to buy anything to use these guides. If a personal conversation would help, send Eric a brief questionnaire or call (708) 620-6560.