Economic woes increasing cremation numbers

BALTIMORE, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Cremations are gaining in popularity in cities like Baltimore as residents are finding cheaper funerary options during hard economic times, officials say.

Industry officials said with the cost of a traditional coffin burial typically amounting to twice that of a cremation, a growing number of U.S. residents is embracing the funerary offering to cut costs, The Baltimore Sun said Monday.

"It's a situation where families in some cases don't have the resources to bury," said Hari P. Close, the owner of a Baltimore funeral home.

"We are seeing a substantial increase across the state," the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors president added.

The Cremation Association of North America said the popularity of cremations has been increasing for years and the national average reached nearly 34 percent in 2006, compared to 28 percent in Maryland.

National Association of Funeral Directors spokesman David Weber told the Sun that grieving families typically still chose to offer a memorial service and viewing despite their cremation plans.

"They're seeing a chance to have their full service," Weber said, "but yet it costs them two to three thousand dollars less than if they opted for the burial."