Pet urns in Union City, New Jersey
Union City has an estimated 24,500 dog- or cat-owning households. When a pet's ashes come home, the urn is often the last thing chosen and the thing kept longest. Here's how to get it right.
- No rush: ashes are safe as they are
- Written proofs before engraving
- Help splitting ashes fairly
Union City, New Jersey
Where families in Union City find their urns
Union City apartments are compact, and remembrances here usually are too: a mug-sized urn, a collar hung by the hallway mirror, or a pendant on a thin chain. Families sharing a home across generations often choose a single keepsake for the whole household. The crematory's container keeps the ashes safe while everyone talks it over, however long that conversation lasts.
With almost no private yards in Union City, outdoor memorials are rare. Many owners carry a remembrance with them instead, such as jewelry or a photo in a wallet, or share a portion of the ashes with relatives in other cities or abroad. Mention at the first phone call any wish for several small keepsakes, since the provider handles that before return.
The monument company that makes headstones for the cemetery is an overlooked option in towns like Union City. Many will cut a small granite marker or engrave a stone urn for a pet, and they know which stone stands up to local weather. Ask for a quote on a simple flat marker if the ashes will be buried on your land; it can be ready within a few weeks.
About 66,656 people live in Union City, which makes it the 11th-largest of the 58 New Jersey communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is New York City, about 4 miles (6 km) away, which is where some providers serving Union City are based.
For a second opinion on price, Hoboken (2 miles), West New York (2 miles) and Secaucus (2 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Union City routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
24,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Union City
How we calculated this
66,656 ÷ 2.5 = 26,662 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 24,500. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
2,050
Union City families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
24,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,050 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
Where these figures come from: American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Keeping ashes at home: the local attitude
The cremation rate in New Jersey sits at about 56.5%[5]. Where habits are mixed like this, it's common for one person in a household to want the ashes on a shelf and another to feel uneasy about it. A closed wooden box that doesn't look like an urn, or a keepsake kept in a drawer, is a fair compromise while everyone gets used to the idea.
For the New Jersey figure we rely on NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Union City rather than as pet data.
Heat, cold and damp: materials for Union City
Mild climates are kind to urns kept indoors, but damp can still be a problem in basements, garages and rooms against an outside wall. A wooden urn stored somewhere damp can grow mold on unfinished surfaces, and unlacquered brass tarnishes. Keep the urn in a lived-in room, ideally on an inside wall, and leave the ashes in their sealed bag inside it so moisture never reaches them.
Union City's climate is fairly gentle, so the weather rarely rushes any urn decision. You can bury, plant or scatter almost any time of year. The one month to plan around is July, usually the wettest: soaked ground makes digging messy, and scattering in rain is harder than it sounds. A dry, still morning in almost any other month works well.
Budgeting for an urn and keepsakes in Union City
One industry report says personalized pet urns range from about $50 to more than $1,000[6], and most of that spread comes from hand work: a sculpted figurine or a commissioned ceramic takes far longer than a laser-engraved box. Basic urns start at around $50[7]. For most Union City families, the sweet spot is a solid wooden or ceramic urn with name engraving, well under $200 all in.
We keep the detailed New Jersey price table on one page so it stays current: see New Jersey prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Before you scatter or bury in New Jersey
Most families never need to think about rules at all: the urn stays at home, and that's allowed everywhere. If you'd like to scatter or bury some of the ashes in or around Union City, a quick check with the landowner or the park authority avoids awkward moments. Here's a summary for New Jersey.
Not sure which office covers Union City? The New Jersey local government directory is the official list.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the New Jersey level first; our New Jersey rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Union City or your HOA adds anything.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Let the cremation happen first. Choosing an urn can wait weeks; there's no reason it has to be decided in the hours after losing your pet.
- Keep one small thing back before the body leaves, where possible: a lock of fur or their collar might become part of a keepsake down the line.
- Write down your pet's healthy weight, not the weight after a long illness, since urn capacity is worked out from it.
- When the ashes arrive, check the label carries your pet's name before putting the box or bag in a calm corner of the house.
- Look at urns slowly, keeping the weight figure nearby for the capacity check, then narrow the field to three at most.
- Order when you feel settled, and ignore any timer on a product page warning that a sale ends soon.
Keepsakes, displays and living memorials
Union City's long Cuban heritage, and the many Latin American communities along Bergenline Avenue, bring a range of customs for remembering the dead. Some families arrange an altar at home with flowers, a votive and a picture of the animal; others prefer a quiet prayer. If faith shapes the way you want to honor your pet, raise it with the provider early and they can usually accommodate it.
try the free planning tools, look through our guides and the blog, or compare your instinct with the poll results, The services page is the place to compare what is included. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Trenton, Jersey City, Newark and Elizabeth, and every city in New Jersey.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
If you were choosing your pet's urn today, which material would you pick?
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How would you move the ashes from the temporary container into the urn?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Ashes sharing planner
Split ashes fairly between family members, keepsake urns and jewelry.
Questions people ask
How do New Jersey attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the New Jersey human cremation rate at about 56.5%[5]. We show it on the Union City page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Is Union City big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 24,500 Union City households keep a dog or cat and around 2,050 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 66,656), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Union City?
The closest communities we cover are Hoboken (about 2 miles), West New York (about 2 miles) and Secaucus (about 2 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Union City too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How does Union City's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Union City, with average highs around 85°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January and February, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
What urn works best outdoors in Union City's climate?
Granite, sealed stone, glazed ceramic and outdoor-rated metal handle mild, damp weather well. Wood and unglazed ceramic are best kept indoors. Around July, the wettest month, check that any outdoor urn's lid is sealed so rainwater can't get in, or bury the ashes under a stone marker instead.
Can I take my pet's urn on a plane?
Usually yes, in your hand luggage, but the container needs to pass through airport X-ray screening. Dense metal or stone urns can be hard to screen, and in the US, security officers won't open a container of remains. Wood or a sturdy plastic temporary container is the safest choice for travel. Check your airline's rules too, especially for international flights.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected New Jersey's cremation rate at 56.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Personalized pet urns range from about USD 50 to more than USD 1,000. Astute Analytica via GlobeNewswire — Global Pet Preservation Services Market to Hit USD 112.7 Million by 2032 (Apr 2, 2024), 2024.
- [7] CareCredit says basic pet urns start at around $50, and private cremation ashes usually come back within a week or two. CareCredit – How Much Does Pet Cremation Cost?, 2023.
- [8] At a $50 average, engraving is about half the price of a typical $98 wooden pet urn from a crematory catalog. Our estimate: $50 (average engraving) / $98 (Final Gift typical wood urn). How we calculate.
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