Price Comparisons

Price Comparison Report

Every two years we request that funeral homes in western Massachusetts send us their General Price Lists (GPLs). We analyze these documents and post updated reports here.


2022 Price Comparison Report

On January 19, 2022, our Price Comparison study committee, led by Joan Pillsbury, met and prepared the letter to all 86 funeral home locations in Western Massachusetts. As usual, we requested copies of the GPLs. We also asked for some additional information. We set a deadline of March 30 for responses. Our committee then followed up, reaching out to non-responders; by June 30 we had GPLs for 60 funeral homes, and some price information for a few more. One funeral home had closed. By mid-August, for the 85 locations, we had GPLs for 64 (75%) and partial price information for five (5) more, bringing the overall response rate to 81%. That is significantly higher than in the past; the response rate was 64.7% two years ago.

We analyzed the data in six price categories, and compiled the results into a sortable table. See  

 2022 Price Comparison Chart

On that page you’ll find links to definitions, our GPL policy, more about our methods, and a guide to using this new chart.  The “Get GPL” column provides links to the actual GPLs we collected, enabling you to see price quotes for many additional categories of services beyond the basic ones that we selected. 

If you wish to compare the prior report, the 2020 Price chart, a Google spreadsheet, is still viewable.

YOU can help!

If YOU obtain a General Price List that would help us fill in data missing from our chart, please let us know. Thanks!

We recommend shopping around and comparing prices. (Shopping for a funeral home when you DON’T need one is much easier than shopping for one when you do!)

Directory of Funeral Homes

For your convenience we provide a DIRECTORY of Funeral Homes in Western Massachusetts based on information gathered during our recent surveys. In August 2022 we improved the format of the Directory; it is now in a sortable table. You can sort by Town or County, for instance. Links to the websites of these businesses are included (if available), and their addresses and phone numbers.

Please inform us of any needed corrections to this directory.
Thank you!

Disclaimer:

Our listing of service providers in no way represents an endorsement by the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Massachusetts for any of the listed providers. The funeral homes are listed solely for the purpose of facilitating consumers’ exploration of options and comparison shopping. Prior to visiting any funeral home we strongly recommend reviewing basic points of the Funeral Rule here or visit the official Funeral Rule website (Federal Trade Commission) for more detailed information on your rights.