When planning for end-of-life arrangements or researching family history, understanding the various types of cemeteries available can be invaluable. The United States is home to an estimated 144,000 cemeteries, ranging from sprawling national cemeteries honoring military veterans to small family plots on rural farmland. Each type serves different needs, traditions, and preferences.
This guide explores the major categories of cemeteries you will encounter across America, helping you understand what distinguishes each type, who they serve, and what to expect when visiting or purchasing burial rights. Whether you are pre-planning your own arrangements, helping a loved one, or conducting genealogical research, this information will help you navigate the landscape of American burial grounds.
Public vs Private Cemeteries
The fundamental distinction in cemetery types is between public and private ownership. This classification affects everything from pricing and availability to rules and regulations governing the burial ground.
Public Cemeteries
Public cemeteries are owned and operated by government entities at the federal, state, county, or municipal level. Municipal cemeteries are managed by city or town governments and typically serve all residents regardless of religious affiliation. These cemeteries often offer the most affordable burial options, though residency requirements may apply.
County cemeteries serve larger geographic areas and may include historical potters fields where indigent individuals were buried at public expense. Many county cemeteries date back to the 19th century and contain valuable historical records.
Private Cemeteries
Private cemeteries are owned by corporations, religious organizations, fraternal groups, or families. Corporate-owned cemeteries, often called memorial parks, are typically for-profit businesses that offer comprehensive services including burial, cremation, memorialization, and sometimes funeral homes on-site.
Religious cemeteries are owned by churches, synagogues, mosques, or dioceses and may have specific requirements for burial. Family cemeteries are private burial grounds on personal property, often found in rural areas and containing generations of family members.
National & Veterans Cemeteries
National cemeteries represent the highest honor the nation can bestow upon those who served in the Armed Forces. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA), part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, maintains 155 national cemeteries across 42 states and Puerto Rico, with more than4 million veterans and their eligible family members interred.
The most famous national cemetery is Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which is operated by the U.S. Army rather than the VA. Arlington is the final resting place for more than 400,000 individuals, including Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft, as well as service members from every American conflict since the Civil War.
Eligibility for National Cemeteries
Eligibility for burial in a national cemetery extends to veterans who served on active duty and received honorable or general discharges, members of the Armed Forces who die on active duty, spouses and dependent children of eligible veterans, and certain Reserve and National Guard members. The VA provides burial benefits at no cost, including a gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone or marker, and a burial flag.
For more information about eligibility and available benefits, visit the official VA Burials and Memorials website.
State Veterans Cemeteries
In addition to national cemeteries, many states operate state veterans cemeteries with VA grants. These cemeteries follow similar guidelines and provide comparable benefits to national cemeteries. State veterans cemeteries may have additional eligibility requirements, such as state residency, but often have more availability than national cemeteries in densely populated areas.
Religious Cemeteries
Religious cemeteries serve specific faith communities and follow the burial traditions and requirements of their respective religions. These sacred grounds provide a final resting place where the deceased can be surrounded by fellow believers and where religious customs can be properly observed.
Jewish Cemeteries
Jewish cemeteries follow halacha (Jewish law) in burial practices. Traditional Jewish burial requires interment as soon as possible after death, simple wooden caskets that allow natural decomposition, and no embalming or cremation in Orthodox communities. Jewish cemeteries are considered sacred ground (beit olam, meaning house of eternity) and graves are never reused.
Many Jewish cemeteries are operated by individual synagogues or Jewish community organizations. Some have sections designated for different denominations (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform) with varying levels of adherence to traditional practices.
Muslim Cemeteries
Muslim cemeteries or Muslim sections within larger cemeteries follow Islamic burial requirements. Bodies are buried facing Mecca (qibla), typically without a casket or in a simple shroud. Islamic tradition requires burial as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of death, and prohibits cremation.
Many communities have established dedicated Muslim cemeteries or worked with existing cemeteries to create sections that accommodate Islamic burial requirements. These sections are oriented so that the deceased face Mecca when lying on their right side.
Catholic Cemeteries
Catholic cemeteries are blessed grounds operated by parishes, dioceses, or Catholic organizations. The Catholic Church views cemeteries as sacred spaces and traditionally required that only Catholics be buried in consecrated ground. While policies have become more flexible in recent decades, many Catholic cemeteries still give priority to parishioners.
The Catholic Church permits cremation as long as the ashes are interred in a cemetery, columbarium, or mausoleum rather than scattered or kept at home. Catholic cemeteries often feature religious imagery, crucifixes, and statuary throughout the grounds.
Other Christian Cemeteries
Various Protestant denominations operate their own cemeteries, including Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal cemeteries. These are typically associated with specific congregations and may be located adjacent to or surrounding the church building. Orthodox Christian cemeteries serve Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and other Eastern Orthodox communities with their distinct burial traditions.
Memorial Parks vs Traditional Cemeteries
Memorial parks emerged in the early 20th century as an alternative to traditional cemeteries with their upright monuments and varied headstones. The memorial park concept was pioneered by Hubert Eaton at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in 1917. His vision was to create a place that celebrated life rather than mourned death.
The defining characteristic of memorial parks is the use of flat bronze or granite markers set flush with the ground. This creates a lawn-like appearance and makes maintenance easier, as groundskeepers can mow directly over the markers. Memorial parks typically prohibit traditional upright headstones, maintaining a uniform aesthetic throughout the grounds.
Traditional cemeteries, by contrast, allow and often encourage upright monuments, elaborate headstones, family mausoleums, and other personalized memorials. Many people prefer this variety and the ability to create a distinctive marker for their loved ones. Traditional cemeteries also tend to have more historical character, with monuments dating back centuries in some cases.
Garden cemeteries represent a middle ground, featuring the landscaped beauty of memorial parks while allowing varied monument styles. The garden cemetery movement began in the 1830s with Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was designed as a scenic landscape for the living as much as a burial ground for the dead.
Natural and Green Burial Grounds
Natural burial grounds and green cemeteries represent a growing movement toward environmentally conscious burial practices. These sites prioritize sustainability and the natural decomposition of the body, returning it to the earth with minimal environmental impact.
Green burial typically involves no embalming (or only with non-toxic, biodegradable fluids), biodegradable caskets made from materials like willow, bamboo, or untreated wood, or simple shrouds. Concrete burial vaults, which are required in many traditional cemeteries to prevent ground settling, are not used. Instead, the earth is allowed to settle naturally over time.
Many natural burial grounds double as conservation areas, using burial fees to fund land preservation and ecological restoration. The Green Burial Council certifies cemeteries based on their environmental practices, with three levels of certification: Hybrid (which allows some conventional burial options), Natural (which requires fully natural burial), and Conservation (which must protect an area in perpetuity).
Grave markers in natural burial grounds are typically natural elements such as native plants, trees, or fieldstones rather than traditional headstones. Some sites use GPS coordinates to locate graves while maintaining an undisturbed natural appearance. The cost of green burial is often lower than conventional burial due to the elimination of embalming, caskets, and vaults.
Historic and Pioneer Cemeteries
Historic cemeteries serve as windows into America past, preserving not only the remains of previous generations but also the artistic, cultural, and social values of their times. Many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contain the graves of notable historical figures, from presidents and pioneers to artists and inventors.
Pioneer cemeteries date to the earliest European settlement of various regions and often contain the remains of a communitys founding families. These sites are invaluable for genealogical research, as they may be the only record of early settlers who lived before comprehensive vital records were kept.
Civil War cemeteries hold particular significance in American history. Both Union and Confederate cemeteries exist throughout the country, particularly in states where major battles were fought. These sites memorialize the more than 600,000 soldiers who died in the nations bloodiest conflict.
Preservation of historic cemeteries faces ongoing challenges, including vandalism, neglect, and development pressure. Many communities have formed cemetery preservation societies to maintain these irreplaceable cultural resources. Volunteers document headstones, restore monuments, and research the histories of those buried within.
Cultural and Heritage Cemeteries
African American cemeteries preserve the burial traditions and histories of Black communities, from the era of slavery through the present day. Many historic African American cemeteries fell into neglect during the 20th century but are now being restored and recognized for their cultural significance.
Native American burial grounds are protected under federal law, including the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). These sacred sites reflect diverse tribal traditions and are often maintained by tribal governments or cultural preservation organizations.
Chinese cemeteries emerged in the 19th century to serve immigrant communities, particularly in California and other Western states. These cemeteries often feature traditional Chinese elements such as altars, incense burners, and feng shui-influenced layouts.
Pet Cemeteries
Pet cemeteries provide dedicated burial grounds for beloved companion animals. The first known pet cemetery in the United States, the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York, was established in 1896 and now contains over 80,000 interments. Today, there are approximately 600 pet cemeteries operating nationwide.
Pet cemeteries offer various memorialization options, including individual graves with headstones, cremation with niche interment, and communal burial areas. Many also offer services such as grief counseling, memorial ceremonies, and sympathy support for pet owners dealing with the loss of a companion animal.
Some states have begun allowing the burial of cremated pet remains with their owners in human cemeteries. New York was the first state to legalize this practice in 2016. However, policies vary widely, and many traditional cemeteries do not permit pet burials even with cremated remains.
Crematoriums and Columbariums
With cremation rates in the United States exceeding 57% as of 2023, crematoriums and columbariums have become increasingly important facilities. A crematorium is a facility where cremation takes place, while a columbarium is a structure containing niches for the storage of cremated remains.
Mausoleums are above-ground structures containing crypts for whole-body entombment. While traditionally associated with wealthy families who built private mausoleums, community mausoleums now offer this option to anyone. Some mausoleums include both crypts for caskets and niches for cremated remains, providing multiple memorialization options in one structure.
Cremation gardens are outdoor spaces designed specifically for the interment of cremated remains. These may include columbarium walls, ground burial sections for urns, scattering gardens, and memorial features such as benches, fountains, or statuary. Many cemeteries have added cremation gardens to accommodate changing preferences.
Fraternal and Community Cemeteries
Fraternal cemeteries were established by organizations such as the Freemasons, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, and other fraternal orders. These cemeteries served members and their families, often providing burial benefits as part of fraternal membership. Many historic fraternal cemeteries feature distinctive symbols and iconography associated with their organizations.
Community cemeteries serve specific neighborhoods or small towns without regard to religious affiliation. These are often among the oldest cemeteries in a region, established before municipal governments took on cemetery responsibilities. Many are maintained by volunteer cemetery associations or have been adopted by local historical societies.
Sailors cemeteries and maritime burial grounds are found in coastal communities, honoring those who made their living from the sea. These cemeteries often contain monuments to those lost at sea, even if their remains were never recovered.