How much does a Cemetery / Memorial Park cost to buy?

A typical Cemetery / Memorial Park sells for 3x to 8x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $150K, expect to pay roughly $450K to $1.2M before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Cemetery / Memorial Park?

Startup costs range from $500K to $3.0M depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Physical

Cemetery / Memorial Park

Q: What are the profit margins for a Cemetery / Memorial Park?

The average profit margin for a Cemetery / Memorial Park is around 30%. Costs include grounds maintenance, staff for burials and sales, regulatory compliance, insurance, and perpetual care fund management. Many cemeteries operate with 5-15 employees.

The one business with guaranteed demand

Bottom line

Worth studying, but do not buy without strong local proof.

Cemeteries sell burial plots, headstones, and perpetual care contracts. Pre-need sales (selling plots before death) generate significant upfront cash flow. Perpetual care funds earn investment income. Cemeteries have operated for centuries — the ultimate long-term business.

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Acquisition score

Fair

Avg Revenue

$500K

Profit Margin

30%

Acquisition Multiple

3x - 8x

Startup Cost

$500K - $3.0M

How It Works

Revenue comes from plot sales, headstone/marker installation, opening/closing fees for burials, and perpetual care contracts. Pre-need sales (selling plots to living customers) provide upfront cash. Many cemeteries also offer cremation niches and columbarium spaces as cremation rates rise.

Revenue Range

Low End

$200K

Typical

$500K

High End

$2.0M

BizBite underwriting snapshot

Pass for now

Cemetery / Memorial Park has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

Avoid / 100

Data confidence

medium

52/100

Financing fit

medium

Category-level fit before lender-specific diligence.

Confidence cap

Weak source data caps the final score.

Why it may work

+Attractive 30% estimated margin profile
+SBA dataset shows 3 recent comparable loans

Be careful

!Source link status has not been verified yet
!No last-checked date yet
!No category operating model yet
!No category model yet
!Premium entry multiple

Real Acquisitions in This Category

SBA 7(a) change-of-ownership loans · NAICS 812220 · Cemeteries and Crematories

Deals tracked

3 in last 24 mo

Median loan

$852K

$421K–$1.5M p25/p75

Implied deal size

$1.0M

median · ~85% LTV

Charge-off rate

—

not enough resolved loans

Deal Size Distribution

<$150K

$150K–500K

$500K–1M

$1M–2M

>$2M

Financing Profile

Median rate

9.75%

0% fixed · last 24 mo

Median term

192 mo

real-estate heavy

Collateralized

of loans secured

Median jobs

supported per deal

Top lenders in this space

IncredibleBank4

Live Oak Banking Company3

BancFirst1

Northwest Bank1

Southern Bank1

Where deals happen

TX5

FL5

PA2

MO2

SC2

AZ1

WA1

KS1

Recent Comparable Deals

Closed	State	Loan	Implied deal	Jobs	Franchise
Dec 2024	FL	$1.5M	$1.7M	80	—
Oct 2024	TX	$1.3M	$1.5M	19	—
Jul 2024	WA	$500K	$588K	5	—
Sep 2022	FL	$265K	$312K	2	—
Aug 2022	MO	$2.7M	$3.1M	2	—
Mar 2022	FL	$1.9M	$2.3M	12	—
Nov 2021	TX	$998K	$1.2M	10	—
May 2021	MO	$421K	$495K	6	—
Mar 2021	PA	$162K	$191K	5	—
Mar 2021	FL	$2.7M	$3.1M	85	—

Volume rank #266/544Deal-size rank #207/544p90 loan: $2.4MData as of Mar 2026

Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA dataset, filtered to acquisitions (loans where business age is "Change of Ownership"). Implied deal size assumes an 85% loan-to-purchase ratio, a common SBA change-of-ownership structure. Charge-off rate shown only when 10+ loans have resolved (paid in full or charged off). Interest rates reflect last 24 months only. Actual deal values vary with equity injections, seller financing, and working capital terms.

Pros

+Demand is literally guaranteed — mortality rate is 100%
+Pre-need sales generate cash flow years before service delivery
+Perpetual care funds provide investment income in perpetuity
+Very high barriers to entry — zoning for new cemeteries is nearly impossible

Cons

-Heavy regulation at state and local level
-Cremation trend is reducing plot demand in some markets
-Large upfront capital requirement for land and development

Best For

Patient, long-term investors comfortable with a unique business model

Operating Costs

Costs include grounds maintenance, staff for burials and sales, regulatory compliance, insurance, and perpetual care fund management. Many cemeteries operate with 5-15 employees.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

+$2K/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $1.3M

Range: $1.3M (3×) to $4.5M (8×+)

Down payment — 15% ($188K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 9.75%

SBA median for this category: 9.8%

Loan term — 16 years (192 mo)

SBA median for this category: 192 months

Down payment

$188K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$1.1M

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$11K/mo

$1.0M total interest

Monthly profit

$12K/mo

at 30% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

+$2K/mo

Down payment paid back in ~121 months — long horizon

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.