Financial research concept

Deathcare Comparable Cremation Rate

measures the share of comparable funeral services that use cremation under the issuer's stated service population.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 26, 2026

Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date: Sep 26, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context: 17 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Deathcare Funeral & Cemetery Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples: 1 reviewed companyRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.

Cremation rate is a mix measure, not a margin
Mix can move average revenue per service
Keep the denominator comparable
Part of the Deathcare Funeral & Cemetery Economics
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Deathcare comparable cremation rate measures the percentage of comparable funeral services that result in cremation under the issuer's service-mix definition.

SCI reported a 64.4% total comparable cremation rate in 2025.

Cremation rate is a mix measure, not a margin

A higher cremation rate changes the mix of merchandise and services selected by families, but it is a service-mix metric, not a profitability measure.

The same cremation percentage can produce different economics if pricing, merchandise attachment, trust income, or other service choices change.

Mix can move average revenue per service

SCI's Comparable Funeral Average Revenue per Service was $5,823 in 2025.

Cremation mix is one input into that unit-revenue metric, so investors should avoid treating changes in average revenue as pure pricing without checking the service mix.

Keep the denominator comparable

SCI's comparable metrics are defined around a reviewed set of funeral locations and services. The cremation rate should be compared over time on the same scope rather than mixed with company-wide or non-comparable service counts.

Pair it with Comparable Funeral Services Performed.

Primary source: Service Corporation International 2025 Form 10-K.

Part of the Deathcare Funeral & Cemetery Economics

Connects comparable funeral volume, revenue per service, cremation mix and gross profit with preneed funding production, cemetery sales and backlog conversion, and the long-duration preneed revenue base.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →

Where this concept fits

Funeral volume, revenue per service, mix, and gross profitCurrent relationship
Comparable funeral economics connect services performed with average revenue per service, while cremation mix and cost structure shape the resulting gross profit and margin.
Comparable Cremation RateCurrent conceptFuneral Average Revenue per Service Comparable Funeral Gross Profit Comparable Funeral Gross Profit Margin Comparable Funeral Revenue Comparable Funeral Services Performed
Preneed funding production and future funeral demand
Insurance-funded and trust-funded preneed sales production build future funeral obligations through different funding structures. Contract counts separate volume from average contract size, while backlog captures the larger unfulfilled revenue base.
Preneed Backlog Preneed Insurance Contract Count Preneed Insurance Sales Production Preneed Trust Contract Count Preneed Trust Sales Production
Cemetery sales production, deferral, and recognition
Preneed and atneed cemetery production describe current selling activity, while deferred production enters backlog and later becomes recognized revenue as property, merchandise, and services satisfy recognition conditions. Comparable gross profit shows the mature-location economics that result.
Cemetery Atneed Sales Production Cemetery Preneed Sales Production Cemetery Revenue from Backlog Cemetery Sales Deferred to Backlog Comparable Cemetery Gross Profit Comparable Cemetery Gross Profit Margin

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

SCIOpen operating-model research →17 of 17 reviewed concepts in Deathcare Funeral & Cemetery EconomicsFuneral volume, revenue per service, mix, and gross profit6 of 6 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Comparable Funeral Gross Profit Comparable Funeral Gross Profit Margin Comparable Funeral Revenue Comparable Funeral Services Performed Funeral Average Revenue per Service

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Compare public companies

Compare cremation mix with revenue per service and service volume rather than treating mix as profitability.

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