Cremations Affecting Cemeteries

As more Americans opt for cremation instead of a traditional burial, many historic cemeteries are struggling. They are the only type of business who forever has to service the product they sell. Oak Grove Cemetery used to bury 150 people a year, but now they only bury 90 people a year. That, combined with other costs and lower investment returns, has led to a $25,000 deficit for that cemetery.

Cremation does not have to mean the end of cemeteries though – those who choose to be cremated still might want a permanent gravesite. Cremated remains do not have to be scattered. A gravesite would provide survivors with a place to visit their loved ones who have departed.

See Allison Manning, Cemeteries in Bind as Cremations Increase, The Columbus Dispatch, May 7, 2012.