The average wrongful death lead cost is $531, but this can vary significantly based on marketing channel, region, and cause of injury. The landscape for wrongful death leads is being pulled in several different directions. While traditional programs like direct mail, billboards, and referral programs are relatively stable in cost, TV advertising and various online efforts have grown more competitive. In addition, a more mature search and social media advertising combined with market saturation in major metropolitan areas has led to increasing costs online.
However, there remain several avenues where law firms can still find positive ROI. After running the numbers across channel, region and type of injury sustained by the potential plaintiff, we have discovered some potential ways to stay ahead of the competition. Below are our findings.
Cost Per Wrongful Death Lead Versus Marketing Channel
| Marketing Channel | CPL Range (USD) | Notes |
| Google Ads (Search) | $500 – $1,000 | Highly competitive; targeted keywords can be expensive. |
| Social Media Ads (e.g., Facebook) | $300 – $800 | Effective for demographic targeting; varies by audience size. |
| Legal Lead Aggregators | $400 – $900 | Pre-qualified leads from specialized networks; often premium pricing. |
| SEO (Organic Traffic) | $100 – $300 | Lower upfront cost but requires long-term investment in quality content. |
| Content Marketing | $150 – $400 | Includes blog posts, videos, and infographics; lower CPL over time. |
| Local TV Advertising | $700 – $1,000 | Broad reach but less targeted; may yield higher costs per qualified lead. |
| Direct Mail Campaigns | $400 – $700 | Targeted mailers to specific zip codes or demographics. |
| Billboards (Outdoor Ads) | $600 – $900 | Effective for local brand awareness but lower conversion rate. |
| Referral Programs | $100 – $300 | Cost-effective if relationships with referring partners are established. |
One of the caveats here is that average lead cost does not measure the amount of effort required to vet and screen leads. So, for example, search engine optimization may only cost law firms $200 or so, but law firms have reported to us that occasionally these leads are not actually people with wrongful death cases or are confused about what services a lawyer can provide.
Even still, it is relatively clear that although traditional methods like local TV and billboards are still in use, they have decreased in cost as a result of somewhat less competition. In many cases, that is a simple fact of a law firm’s inability to attribute leads to specific ads or billboards.
Average Wrongful Death Lead Cost by Region
| Region | Estimated CPL Range (USD) | Notes |
| Northeast (e.g., New York, Boston) | $700 – $1,200 | High population density and competitive legal markets drive up CPL. |
| Mid-Atlantic (e.g., Washington D.C., Philadelphia) | $600 – $1,100 | Competitive markets with significant demand for legal services. |
| Southeast (e.g., Atlanta, Miami) | $500 – $900 | Growing markets with increasing competition among law firms. |
| Midwest (e.g., Chicago, Detroit) | $550 – $950 | Moderate competition; CPL influenced by urban vs. rural settings. |
| Southwest (e.g., Dallas, Phoenix) | $500 – $900 | Expanding markets with varying CPL based on city size and competition. |
| West Coast (e.g., Los Angeles, San Francisco) | $750 – $1,300 | Highly competitive markets with elevated advertising costs. |
| Pacific Northwest (e.g., Seattle, Portland) | $600 – $1,000 | Moderate to high competition with tech-savvy advertising landscapes. |
| Mountain States (e.g., Denver, Salt Lake City) | $450 – $800 | Less saturated markets, leading to relatively lower CPL. |
Before diving into the data, we should note one important fact: there are certain cities that simply drive up the cost for regions, even if there are pockets of affordability elsewhere in a state or group of states. This is particularly true for lead generation efforts in cities like New York, the Bay Area, etc.
However, the converse is also true for saturated markets with lots of firms pursuing the same leads. You can see that with the higher bottom end of the range in places like the Northeast and the West Coast, although even there, cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco still help keep costs extremely high.
The takeaway here is two-fold: one, there are definitely avenues for finding cost-effective leads in high-saturation markets, but they may not be palatable to all firms. The second is that firms in regions with smaller ranges of cost per lead, like the Mountain West, can benefit from broader campaigns.
Cause of Injury Plays Significant Factor in Lead Cost
| Cause of Injury | CPL Range (USD) | Notes |
| Truck Accident Wrongful Death | $800 – $1,500 | Highly competitive due to the substantial settlements typically involved. |
| Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death | $900 – $1,600 | One of the most competitive categories; requires expert testimony. |
| Defective Device Wrongful Death | $700 – $1,200 | Often part of mass torts; costs depend on device type and geographic focus. |
| Workplace Accident Wrongful Death | $600 – $1,100 | CPL varies by industry (e.g., construction, manufacturing). |
| Product Liability Wrongful Death | $700 – $1,300 | Includes defective products causing fatal injuries; moderate competition. |
| Automobile Accident Wrongful Death | $600 – $1,000 | General auto accidents are less expensive compared to truck-specific cases. |
| Nursing Home Negligence | $500 – $900 | Lower competition but increasing due to aging population awareness. |
| Premises Liability Wrongful Death | $450 – $800 | Includes cases like slip-and-fall or unsafe property conditions. |
| Boating or Aviation Accidents | $1,000 – $2,000 | Highly niche; costs depend on rarity and potential settlement values. |
Here we see another set of truisms: the bigger the potential settlement amount, the higher the lead cost. As personal injury lawyers know, the potential award or settlement derives from a bevy of factors, with the two principal ones being the complexity of the cases but also the financial stability of the defendants.
However, with a growing number of wrongful death cases arising from defective devices and drugs, one unexpected upshot is that there may be a place for lawyers who principally handle wrongful death cases. Since not all mass tort firms have significant experience with cases where a plaintiff lost their lives, there is a potential “piggyback” effect possible from general awareness if properly leveraged within the funnel.
Summing Up
What will work for personal injury attorneys looking for wrongful death leads in 2025 is always going to zig when other people zag. For firms that have lawyers barred in multiple states, targeting states with less competition is going to be much more fruitful than relying on the strength of advertisements, etc. Firms with experience in cases with niche causes of death should also consider focusing on them: while the prices are higher, this reflects the potential settlement amount more than it does the level of competition.
Finally, for those who are looking for more information about high-end lead generation strategies that scale for firms of all sizes, contact the authors of this report for more information about tailored campaigns from an agency with the industry’s best guarantee.
