North Carolina One of the Worst Places in the Country to Die
Apparently, North Carolina is one of the worst places in the country to die. But let’s get this out of the way right away: There aren’t any good places to…
North Carolina is among the worst states in the country to die according to a recent study.
Getty ImagesApparently, North Carolina is one of the worst places in the country to die. But let's get this out of the way right away: There aren't any good places to die.
However, according to the good folks at Policy Genius, certain states are much worse places to die thanks to a variety of factors.
"But where you live can have major implications on your quality of life when you’re near death, as well as your family’s financial well-being after you pass away," Elissa Suh said in her piece at PolicyGenius.com. "Being able to easily settle an estate, for example, can benefit everyone during a difficult time."
The outlet looked at a number of things in ranking the "best" places to die, including:
- Funeral costs
- Funeral services (number of options, etc.)
- Green burial options
- Palliative care (including hospice) options
- Medicare providers
- Deaths at home
- and Probate shortcuts (how easy is it to settle your estate after you die)
All that taken into account, North Carolina came in ranked 44 out of the 50 states (and D.C.), making it one of the worst places to die. The biggest negatives for Tar Heels seems to be funeral home density, green burial options and Medicare options.
Let's take a look at the best and worst places around the country to die:
The Top 8
1. Vermont
It doesn't get much better for a final resting place than this does it? (Getty Images)
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 71.7% | $8,984 | 72.6 | 10.3% | 8713 | 100.0% | 38.0% |
2. Utah
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Utah | 70.3% | $7,536 | 24.3 | 4.3% | 8166 | 92.9% | 44.2% |
3. Idaho
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Idaho | 60.3% | $7,288 | 30.8 | 3.8% | 7108 | 66.7% | 42.0% |
4. Ohio
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ohio | 59.7% | $7,195 | 66.1 | 0.9% | 7607 | 84.8% | 29.4% |
5. South Dakota
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | South Dakota | 59.4% | $7,748 | 70.5 | 3.4% | 8973 | 88.9% | 21.6% |
6. Maine
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Maine | 59.1% | $8,999 | 58.0 | 4.0% | 8880 | 76.9% | 37.0% |
7. Illinois
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Illinois | 58.9% | $7,419 | 56.2 | 0.6% | 8854 | 81.6% | 32.7% |
8. Colorado
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Colorado | 58.9% | $8,132 | 22.2 | 3.8% | 9573 | 80.6% | 36.0% |
The Bottom 8
44. North Carolina
North Carolina may not be among the best places to sign off permanently. (Getty Images)
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | North Carolina | 39.7% | $7,404 | 45.2 | 1.9% | 6775 | 67.6% | 33.2% |
45. New Jersey
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | New Jersey | 39.4% | $9,154 | 49.3 | 0.6% | 7098 | 91.8% | 29.9% |
46. Georgia
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Georgia | 39.4% | $6,924 | 37.3 | 0.7% | 7041 | 65.0% | 33.2% |
47. New York
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | New York | 38.9% | $10,355 | 51.7 | 1.0% | 7131 | 80.8% | 29.7% |
48. Hawaii
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Hawaii | 38.3% | $15,203 | 11.8 | 3.7% | 5079 | 66.7% | 37.4% |
49. Texas
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Texas | 38.0% | $7,148 | 31.3 | 0.6% | 6173 | 52.2% | 33.0% |
50. Alaska
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Alaska | 37.1% | $9,913 | 17.2 | 0.0% | 14566 | 42.9% | 43.4% |
51. Florida
| Rank | State | Final score | Funeral costs | Funeral home density | Green burial | Medicare | Palliative care | Deaths at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Florida | 30.9% | $7,667 | 28.4 | 0.8% | 4257 | 64.5% | 29.2% |
