Q: What are some facts about baby boomers?

A: According to Prudential in February 2013, baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10,000 a day.

Q: What are some statistics about our profession?

A: CNBC's news special "Death: It's a Living," which originally aired on Janaury 31, 2013, pulled a variety of facts from around the industry, including:

• Our profession is a $17 billion a year industry
  
• Metal caskets outsell wood 4 to 1
  
• Wooden caskets sell more in the Southern U.S.
  
• Caskets are marked by 2x their cost to make
  
• Aurora Caskets employs 200 employees, sells 160,000 caskets a year with the Dakota being the best-selling model. Their annual revenue is $200 million.
  
• There are 1.5 million caskets sold a year
  
• Wholesale caskets sell for $300 to 8,000
  
• 90 percent of casket doors are cut in half
  
• The northeastern U.S. tends to purchase caskets with full doors
  
• The top three casket manufacturers are, in order, Batesville Casket Co., Matthews Intl. and Aurora Caskets
  
• Cremation usually costs between $1,500-1,700 vs. the average burial that costs $6,500-8,000
  
• Profits in the industry are usually 6 percent
  
• Service Croporation Intl., Carriage Services and StoneMor Partners LP account for 14 percent of the funeral home locations in North America
  
• The industry will increase by 30 percent by 2030, the date at which the average baby boomer will reach age 85

Q: How do I start a cemetery?

A: Here is a list of some considerations involved with establishing a cemetery.

Q: How do I find a cemetery, funeral home, cemetery-funeral home combo, crematory, pet loss service provider or allied/related business professional in my area?

A: Here is a listing of ICCFA members. You may search by type of business, city and state. You may also search for a particular property name to find out if they are an ICCFA member.

Q: What was the worst cemetery disaster in United States history?

A: The Great Midwestern Flood of 1993 that washed out the Hardin Cemetery in Hardin, Missouri. Nearly 800 headstones, vaults and caskets were unearthed, sending them through streets and fields. It took a massive effort to help recover, identify and return the remains to their rightful resting ground.

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