There is no flat rate, which is why searching for one is frustrating. Newspapers sell obituary space the way they sell advertising, because that is what it is — the notices section is paid space, and you are buying a piece of it.
How the pricing actually works
Almost every paper bills on one of two models:
- Per line. A set rate for each printed line. Longer obituary, more lines, higher price. Line width is set by the paper's column, so a long surname can genuinely cost you money.
- Per column inch. The same idea measured vertically. Photographs are charged this way even when text is billed by the line.
On top of the base rate, most papers charge extra for a photograph, for running on a Sunday, for running on more than one day, and for a logo or emblem such as a service insignia.
To get a real number, call the paper's classified or obituaries desk and ask for the rate per line, the cost of adding a photograph, and the deadline. Three questions, two minutes, and an exact figure — which is worth more than any range published online, because rates change and vary enormously between a metro daily and a county weekly.
Why the numbers vary so much
Four things drive the spread between families paying a modest sum and families getting a four-figure quote:
- Circulation. A large metropolitan daily costs many times what a local weekly costs, for the same words.
- Length. This is the one you control. A 600-word tribute can cost several times a 90-word notice.
- Photograph. Frequently one of the larger single line items.
- Days run. Each additional day is usually charged again, sometimes at a reduced repeat rate.
How to bring the cost down without losing anything
The move that saves the most is separating the two jobs the writing is doing. The newspaper is for notification — who died, when the service is. Everything else can live somewhere that does not charge by the line.
- Run a short death notice in the paper. Name, age, town, date, service details, and a line pointing to where the full obituary can be read.
- Print the full obituary in the program. Everyone at the service takes one home.
- Publish it on a memorial page. No length limit, shareable, and it stays available to people who could not attend.
That reaches more people than a long paid notice, and the family keeps a longer, better piece of writing than the paper would have printed anyway.
Ask the funeral home what is already included. Many submit a death notice to a local paper as part of their service, and some have an account rate lower than the walk-up price. Families routinely pay twice by arranging it themselves.
Deadlines matter more than price
Papers set obituary deadlines a day or more ahead of print, and weekend editions close earlier. Ask for the deadline in the same call as the rate. Missing it by an hour usually means the notice runs after the service, which is the one outcome nobody wants.
The version that costs nothing
Write the full obituary once, print it in the program, and publish it on a memorial page with no column inches to buy.
Start their tribute