The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) recently released their 2026 Annual Statistics Report that contains some of the latest death care data. CANA is one of the largest funeral industry organizations in the world. That means their annual statistics report is one of the most robust data sources available that is pulled from official death records. It provides a clear picture of cremation trends in the U.S. and throughout North America.
Here’s a closer look at the biggest takeaways we found after reading the 2026 CANA Annual Statistics Report.
The Cremation Rate is Slowing (as Expected)
While this is possibly the biggest piece of news to come out of CANA’s latest report, it’s one that’s expected by funeral industry insiders. A little more than a year ago we discussed how data from 2024 that was gathered by CANA and the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 2025 Cremation and Burial Report showed that the cremation rate was slowing but still rising. This makes sense for a few reasons:
- The cremation rate in previous years rose rapidly at a pace that would be near impossible to sustain.
- In many areas of the U.S. the cremation rate is already very high, which means there’s less growth potential.
- In the states where the cremation rate is the lowest and has the most potential to increase the growth rate has historically been slower.
The national cremation growth rate has dropped to 1.33% annually. Last year the national growth rate was 1.58%. What the latest data tells us is that we are now fully into the deceleration phase.
Canada Still Outpaces America in Cremations – But It’s an Indicator of the Future
One of the unique aspects of CANA’s data is that it includes the U.S. and Canada. Our neighbors to the north are slightly ahead of us in terms of the cremation rate. Canada embraced cremation a little sooner than the U.S. and has served as a barometer for where things are headed here.
The new data shows that the cremation rate in Canada has also continued to slow down since last year even more than the U.S. The annual growth rate in Canada is just 0.77% now.
This makes sense when you consider that the national cremation rate in Canada is already 77.4%. CANA puts the plateau point at 80%. Canada is expected to surpass that point by 2030.
The Number of Plateau Percentage States Has Doubled in 4 Years
The annual cremation rate in the U.S. is still quite a bit below the plateau rate of over 80%. But it is worth noting that the number of individual states to reach that point has doubled in the last four years.
In 2021 only Nevada and Maine had a cremation rate higher than 80%. But by 2025 Washington and New Hampshire had joined that list.
Mississippi is the Only State With a Cremation Rate Below 40%
Another significant data point is that the U.S. is down to just one state with a cremation rate below 40%. Mississippi is the only state that is below this range now. Alabama and Kentucky are both now above that benchmark since the data was measured in 2021.
Big Changes Are Happening in the South
The southern region of the U.S. has always had the lowest cremation rate compared to other parts of the country. But the new data from CANA shows that the rate is increasing significantly across most of the south. Seven of the 11 states that are considered part of the Historic South shifted to the higher cremation rate bracket.
The south still collectively has the lowest cremation rate in the U.S., but it’s the most notable change across the regions.
The Northwest is the Region With the Highest Cremation Rate
In the opposite region of the country the cremation rate is clearly the highest. All five states in the Northwest now have cremation rates of 71% or higher. It’s a combination of progressive death care ideology in Washington and Oregon, and logistical factors of the cold in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming that make cremation much easier than burial for a good part of the year.
The U.S. Cremation Rate Won’t Plateau by 2030
While there has been an obvious increase in the cremation rate in many states, the U.S. still won’t hit a plateau point by 2030 according to CANA’s data. As noted already, the benchmark for a plateau period is 80+%. The current projection is that the U.S. cremation rate is going to go from 62.8% in 2025 to around 70% in 2030. That’s a 6.7% annual increase.
Because the rate is slowing, the five years after that still won’t plateau out. CANA predicts that in 2038 the U.S. cremation rate will be 75%.
We’ll have to see if the projection and upward trajectory continue as expected over the next five years. We wouldn’t be surprised if the cremation rate actually slows a little more than anticipated based on death care preference statistics collected by Wake Forest Law School last year. That consumer survey found that there’s a growing interest in green burial options that could affect the cremation rate. While there’s strong preference in all generations, a surprising 52% of Gen Zers say green burial is what they would choose.
Cremation.Green is a leader in the death care industry that ensures Texas families are fully informed on the latest trends and data. We’re also frontrunners in the latest technology that’s innovating death care services. If you’d like to know more about eco-friendly cremation options and other green funeral services that are available in Texas you can give our team a call, send a text message or leave us an email at any hour.
