Cremation rate

Definition

The share of cases handled as cremations, which sets average revenue more than case volume does.

Why It Matters

A cremation typically bills a fraction of what a burial does, so a home whose cremation rate is climbing can serve the same number of families each year and earn less every year. The national direction has run one way for two decades, so a valuation built on flat revenue is a valuation built against the trend. Ask for cremation rate and average revenue per case for five years side by side, then ask what the home has done about it: a package that adds a service or a reception to a cremation is the difference between the trend costing everything and costing something.