Cemetery Revenue Calculator
Revenue from plots, services, and merchandise.
About this calculator
This calculator projects a cemetery's annual gross and net revenue by summing six independent income streams rather than applying one blended margin. Plot sales, interment (opening/closing) fees, monument sales, and niche sales are each a straightforward volume times average price. Vault/liner revenue is derived rather than entered directly: the calculator assumes 60% of annual in-ground interments require a vault at an average $1,500, so that line moves automatically with your interment count. On top of those five, a flat 5% surcharge on their combined total models miscellaneous income — flower sales, foundation pours, and similar incidental services — so it isn't a separately configurable input.
The perpetual care set-aside is calculated as a percentage of plot revenue only (not total revenue), reflecting how most state endowment-care laws are written around the sale of the grave itself; net operating revenue is total revenue minus that set-aside, since the endowment contribution is a mandated pass-through rather than money the cemetery can spend on operations. Revenue per interment divides total revenue by the sum of ground burials and niche placements, giving a single benchmark figure useful for comparing cemeteries of different sizes. Because every input is an average price and a volume, the projection is only as accurate as those assumptions — a cemetery with unusually high monument attach rates or low vault penetration (green burials, for instance, skip vaults entirely) will see real results diverge from this model.
Inputs
Results
Total annual revenue ($)
$350,700.00
Net operating revenue ($)
$328,200.00
≈ 8 Teslas
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter annual plot sales, average plot price, interments per year, and average interment fee.
- Set monument sales, average monument price, niche sales, and average niche price.
- Enter the perpetual care fund percentage of plot sale revenue.
- Review Total Annual Revenue, Net Operating Revenue, and Monthly Revenue.
How the result changes with Plot sales per year
| Plot sales per year | Total annual revenue ($) | Net operating revenue ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | $271,950.00 | $260,700.00 |
| 38 | $312,900.00 | $295,800.00 |
| 75 | $429,450.00 | $395,700.00 |
| 125 | $586,950.00 | $530,700.00 |
What each input means
- Plot sales per year
- Number of burial plots sold annually.
- Average plot price ($)
- Average selling price per burial plot.
- Interments per year
- Number of in-ground burials performed annually.
- Average interment fee ($)
- Fee charged for opening/closing a grave.
- Monument sales per year
- Number of headstones/monuments sold annually.
- Average monument price ($)
- Average selling price per monument/headstone.
- Niche sales per year
- Number of cremation niches sold annually.
- Average niche price ($)
- Average selling price per columbarium niche.
- Perpetual care fund %
- Percentage of plot sale revenue set aside for perpetual care (10-20% typical, some states mandate minimum).
What each result means
- Total annual revenue ($)
- Gross revenue from all cemetery operations.
- Net operating revenue ($)
- Revenue after perpetual care fund contributions.
- Monthly revenue ($)
- Average monthly gross revenue.
- Plot sales revenue ($)
- Annual revenue from burial plot sales.
- Interment fees ($)
- Annual revenue from opening/closing fees.
- Monument sales ($)
- Annual revenue from headstone/monument sales.
- Niche sales ($)
- Annual revenue from cremation niche sales.
- Vault/liner sales ($)
- Estimated vault/liner revenue (60% of interments at $1,500 avg).
- Perpetual care set-aside ($)
- Annual amount contributed to perpetual care endowment.
- Revenue per interment ($)
- Total revenue divided by all interments (burial + cremation).
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersPlot sales per year = 50, Average plot price ($) = 3000, Interments per year = 40, Average interment fee ($) = 1200 = 9 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total annual revenueTotal annual revenue = coreRevenue + miscRevenue350700 = $350,700
- Calculate Net operating revenueNet operating revenue = totalAnnualRevenue - perpetualCareContributions328200 = $328,200
- Calculate Monthly revenueMonthly revenue = totalAnnualRevenue / 1229225 = $29,225
- Calculate Plot sales revenuePlot sales revenue = plotSalesPerYear * avgPlotPrice150000 = $150,000
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the vault/liner revenue figure come from if I don't enter it directly?
The calculator derives it automatically: it assumes 60% of your annual in-ground interments require a vault or liner at an average $1,500 each, so vault revenue moves with your interments-per-year input rather than being a separate line you configure. This models the fact that most in-ground burials (but not niche placements or green burials) require a vault.
Why is the perpetual care set-aside calculated from plot revenue only, not total revenue?
Most state endowment-care laws are written around the sale of the grave itself, not around interment fees, monument sales, or niche revenue. So the calculator applies your perpetual care percentage only to plot sales revenue, and net operating revenue subtracts that set-aside from total revenue since it's a mandated pass-through the cemetery can't spend on operations.
What counts toward the 'revenue per interment' figure?
It divides total annual revenue (all six streams combined) by the sum of in-ground interments and cremation niche placements — not just plot sales. This gives a single per-service benchmark useful for comparing cemeteries of different sizes, but it isn't the profit margin on any one burial since it spreads revenue from monuments, vaults, and miscellaneous services across every interment.
How is the miscellaneous revenue line calculated?
It's a flat 5% surcharge applied to the combined total of the other five revenue streams (plots, interment fees, monuments, niches, and vaults) — it isn't a number you enter yourself. This models incidental income like flower sales and foundation pours as scaling with the core business rather than being tracked independently.
Related Calculators
The questions that sit next to this one — chosen by subject, including calculators filed under a different category.
Green Cemetery Calculator
Natural burial space and biodegradable options.
CemeteryCemetery Plot Layout Calculator
Plot count from acreage and plot dimensions.
Funeral & Memorial PlanningCemetery Plot Cost Calculator
Estimate total cemetery costs including plot, opening/closing, marker, and endowment fees by region and type.
CemeteryCemetery GIS Mapping Calculator
Digital mapping cost from acreage and density.
VendingATM Revenue Calculator
Calculate monthly surcharge income from an ATM based on transaction volume, fees, and operating costs.
More in Life Events, Faith & Community.