Kansas named the most unaffordable state for funerals. How much could you spend?

While Wichita frequently gets recognition for its relatively affordable cost of living, there’s one thing that may strain your savings account: a funeral.

There’s a long list of expenses funerals can entail, the casket, transportation, use of funeral homes and use of equipment for services, just to name a few. According to a recent study done by life settlements company Beca Life, those expenses tend to be more of a burden in Kansas when looking at the average annual salary.

The April ranking named Kansas the state with the most unaffordable funerals, with the average cost at $12,586,

That’s 53% higher than the average funeral cost nationwide. It takes 18.5% of an average Kansan’s income to pay for a funeral, the analysis found.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the median Kansas household income as of 2023 was $72,639.

Beca Life compiled the state-by-state ranking by looking at the average cost of cremation, burial and other funeral expenses compared to the average annual salary in each state. It used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Funeralocity, Pew Research and Cremation Association of America, among other sources.

“States where funeral expenses take up a higher percentage of personal income tend to have less affordable funerals,” the Beca Life study reads. “For example, in Kansas (18.50%) ... funeral costs are a large financial burden, making them harder to afford compared to states where funerals cost a smaller fraction of earnings.”

Meanwhile, states that are considered more expensive to live were found to have relatively more affordable funeral costs due to higher overall incomes.

“States that have a higher cost of living ... tend to manage funeral expenses more easily,” the study concluded.

Looking at Wichita specifically, Funeralocity, a consumer-focused outlet, found the average cost of a funeral in the city comes to $8,247, with the high end at $10,735 and the low end at $6,400. Statewide, the average cost of a traditional full service burial is $8,640, full service cremation is $6,452, an “affordable burial” is $5,374 and the average direct cremation cost is $2,553.

Nationally, Funeralocity reported the average cost of a traditional full service burial in the U.S. is $8,591, full service cremation average is $6,250, an “affordable burial” average is $5,137 and the average direct cremation average cost is $2,202.

The most affordable US states for funerals

The five most unafforable states for funerals named in the Beca Life ranking are:

1. Kansas
2. Alabama (16.4% of the average person’s income)
3. Pennsylvania (15.4% of the average person’s income)
4. Mississippi (15% of the average person’s income)
5. Louisiana (14.5% of the average person’s income)

The five most affordable states for funerals, via Beca life, are:

1. Wyoming (8.1% of the average person’s income)
2. Connecticut (8.9% of the average person’s income)
3. Oregon (9.1% of the average person’s income)
4. California (9% of the average person’s income)
5. Washington (9.3% of the average person’s income)

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.