While in general people marry and divorce at lower rates than in the past, researchers can look at many interesting aspects of divorce to discern trends. Areas of ethnic makeup, country of origin, income levels, race and age all provide clues into what might lead to a divorce.
Even geographic areas of the U.S. show somewhat different rates when it comes to divorce.
Recent U.S. Census data
A glance at the U.S. map, broken down by information from 2019 from the U.S. Census Bureau, shows that most states fall in line with average national divorce rates. About 30 states have divorce rates that show no statistical difference between that of the national rate, which stood at 7.6 divorces per 1,000 women over the age of 15.
Twelve states (and territories) had divorce rates significantly lower than the national rate. California, for example, registered a divorce rate of 6.5 per 1,000 women, and a cluster of Midwestern states—Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois—recorded similar rates. Maine, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia had the lowest divorce rates, though data showed decreased accuracy in those regions.
Data identifies states with high divorce rates
Ten states show divorce rates above average. These show rates as high as 10.7 (Arkansas) and as low as 8.6 (Texas). Other states with higher than average divorce rates include Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia.
According to U.S. Census data, Georgia recorded a divorce rate of 8.9 per 1,000 women in 2019. This shows a significant drop from 2009 when the state recorded a divorce rate of 11.7 per 1,000 women.
