The funeral comparator Meilleurs funeral directors (MPF) has collected and analyzed numerous data, particularly for the department of Sarthe, making it possible to draw up an inventory of the funeral offering in Sarthe. Here's what to remember, based on updated data for 2024.
80 years, the average age of the deceased
In Sarthe, the average age at which deaths occur has varied little over the last five years, always around 80 years. This is, still on average, one year more than at the national level. As for the number of deaths, it decreases slightly between 2022 and 2023, going from 6,262 deaths to 5,662.
Overall, more than half of deaths occur in hospitals or private clinics (55.6%). Among the significant places, next comes the home (27.4%) then the retirement home or nursing home (13.2%).
Cremation, “a growing trend”
“The evolution of the number of cremations in Sarthe over recent years reveals an increasing trend, with some fluctuations,” MPF rating. The latest figures recorded are those for 2022, where 2,955 cremations were recorded, which constituted 47.2% of funerals. The department has two crematoriums, one in Le Mans (municipal, with public service delegation), the other in Ruaudin (private). In 2022, the first performed 1,230 procedures, the second, 1,725.
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A funeral home for 134 deceased
On the funeral home side, MPF counts 72. This represents, on average, 6.5 deaths handled in the agency each month. A little less than at the national level (8.4 deaths per month). On the other hand, Sarthe has 72 funeral rooms available. Of the “essential infrastructure to meet the needs of grieving families” and for which the offer is higher than the national average, with a funeral home for 134 deceased in the territory (168 nationally). In terms of prices charged, “the average price for a cremation is €3,914, while a burial costs on average €3,962”, estime MPF.
Concessions: prices vary depending on the municipality
“The price of concessions for columbariums (where the ashes of a deceased person are placed) or for burial in a grave, varies greatly from one municipality to another, specifies MPF. Who warns: Prices also differ depending on the duration of the concession, an offer which is determined by the municipality. The heterogeneity of prices therefore makes the comparison complex. »
MPF has nevertheless drawn up a top list of the most expensive cemeteries in Sarthe. Whether you are cremated or buried, the prices are not at all the same. “A box costs more because you have to take into account the cost of building a columbarium, and therefore amortize this investment,” we tell MPF.
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Thus, the columbariums where the prices are the highest are, in order: Le Mans (€859), La Flèche (€721) and Cérans-Foulletourte (€600). On the concession side (30 years, 2m²), it costs more in Le Mans (€536), then in La Ferté-Bernard (€480) and finally in La Flèche (€244).