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Business phone system for funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina

518 funeral homes and funeral services operated in North Carolina in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
518CBP 2023
Employees
4,329mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
4.7U.S. 4.5
State rank
9th of 51by count

The funeral home industry in North Carolina

County Business Patterns counts 518 establishments in North Carolina classified as Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (NAICS 812210) for 2023. They employed 4,329 people in mid-March and reported $163.9 million in annual payroll. That is the 9th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Funeral homes and funeral services make up 0.20% of the 258,169 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) North Carolina has 4.7 funeral homes and funeral services, 5.0% above the national rate of 4.5. The average establishment has 8.4 employees against 7.1 nationally. Payroll per employee is $37,867, 13.2% below the U.S. figure of $43,650.

Funeral homes and funeral services: North Carolina compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureNorth CarolinaUnited States
Establishments51815,183
Mid-March employees4,329107,566
Annual payroll$163,925,000$4,695,206,000
Employees per establishment8.47.1
Payroll per employee$37,867$43,650
Establishments per 100,000 residents4.74.5

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Where funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina are concentrated

Census published funeral home counts for 32 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of North Carolina. The largest is Charlotte, NC-SC, with 101 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 67% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Funeral homes and funeral services by metro or micropolitan area, North Carolina, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Charlotte, NC-SC1017923.5
Virginia Beach, VA-NC717024.0
Raleigh, NC443352.8
Greensboro, NC403695.0
Winston, NC333174.7
Hickory, NC242356.4
Wilmington, NC181713.7
Asheville, NC181964.3
Durham, NC151252.4
Fayetteville, NC151543.8
Burlington, NC10—5.5
Goldsboro, NC9677.5
Lumberton, NC9—7.6
Rocky Mount, NC8685.4
Anderson Creek, NC8395.5
Pinehurst, NC8617.4
Shelby, NC8467.8
Forest City, NC8—12.2
Roanoke Rapids, NC85012.6
Greenville, NC7703.9
New Bern, NC7585.5
Mount Airy, NC6438.4
Waynesville, NC6869.5
Jacksonville, NC5—2.3
Wilson, NC51066.3

Top 25 of 32 areas by establishments. Source: Census CBP 2023.

Team sizes at funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina

37.9% of North Carolina's funeral homes and funeral services with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 49.3% nationally. 68.9% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees19637.9%49.3%
5–9 employees16030.9%28.5%
10–19 employees11923.0%16.6%
20–49 employees428.1%5.0%
50 or more employees00.0%0.6%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Calls a funeral home in North Carolina has to catch

Funeral homes receive calls at any hour, often at a family's most difficult moment, so every call must be answered with care. Coordination with clergy, cemeteries and florists also happens by phone.

Calls a funeral home in North Carolina might handle in a typical week include:

Calls after closing time

Calls about a death come at any hour and must reach a staff member.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina

Funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina average 8.4 employees, so the comparison uses an 8-person team. Priced per seat, 8 users would run $240.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $199.60 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 8 people cost $159.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $972. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for an 8-person funeral home
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$159.00$1,908.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$152.00$1,824.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$184.00$2,208.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$199.60$2,395.20
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$216.00$2,592.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$240.00$2,880.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in North Carolina

North Carolina has 10 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your families know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in North Carolina by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
910785Eastern1993472
336783Eastern1997743
704782Eastern1947980
919781Eastern1954984
828724Eastern1998none
252695Eastern1998none
980463Eastern2001704
984295Eastern2012919
743160Eastern2016336
472106Eastern2022910

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for funeral homes and funeral services in North Carolina

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in North Carolina, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many funeral homes and funeral services are in North Carolina?

518 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 4,329 people in mid-March.

Which North Carolina metro area has the most funeral homes and funeral services?

Charlotte, NC-SC, with 101 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost an 8-person funeral home?

$240.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $199.60 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $159.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a North Carolina number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.