Divorce Statistics and Studies Blog

In-depth picture of divorce in Spain offers interesting contrasts

Spain's National Institute of Statistics has released an in-depth report on contemporary divorce in Spain as of 2014. Highlights:

• The per-capita divorce rate (including annulments and separations) is 0.23% (i.e., 0.46% of the whole population gets divorced each year, since a divorce involves two people).That was a 5.4% increase over 2013. The 2014 rate was the same as the US's third-lowest-divorce state, Louisiana. The report breaks rates down by region; they ranged from 0.18% (still higher than our lowest-divorce state, Iowa) to 2.8% (still low by US standards, the same as long-time low-divorce states RI,NY, NJ, SD & ND).
• 95% of these cases were divorces, 5% were separations, and 0.1% were annulments.
• 76% were by mutual consent; 24% were contested. But separations were 85% mutual-consent. 
• 76% of divorces and 86% of separations took six months or less from court filing to resolution. Median duration was 4.4 months. The median for mutual-consent cases was 2.8 months, and for contested cases it was 9.6 months.
• 57% of cases were jointly filed. 27% were filed by the wife, 16% by the husband.
• The median length of marriages at the time of divorce, legal separation or annulment was 15.8 years. The median for divorce was 15.4 years, and for legal separation it was 22.2 years. For annulments, 7.4 years. 30% of divorces were in marriages of 20 years or more. 23.5% were in marriages of 6 to 10 years.
•  The highest-divorce age bracket for both men and women was the forties. Median age at divorce was 45 for men, 42 for women; at legal separation, 50 for men, 48 for women.
• 53% of cases involved minor children, and another 4% involved "dependent adult" children. Only 21% of cases with minor children included shared custody (up from 18% in 2013). There was no indication of how shared custody was defined. 73% of mothers and 5% of fathers had sole custody.
• 58% of cases included child support orders. 78% of these were payable by the man, 5% by the woman, and 17% were by both. 10% of cases include spousal support, and in 92% of those, the payor is the man.
• In 85% of cases, both parties were Spanish. In 11%, one party was foreign, and in 6%, both were. (Note rounding)
• Most of the statistics above carefully stated that they only covered heterosexual cases.

 

"Statistics on Annulments, Separations and Divorces, Year 2014"; National Institute of Statistics, Press Notes, Sept. 15, 2015.

 

New state-by-state divorce rates: some surprising, some not; Iowa, Ill. & Louisiana best

In per-capita divorce rates through 2014 released by the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics, the lowest-divorce state is no longer Massachusetts, DC or North Dakota, but Iowa with 0.15%. (Those other states' rates are still well below average, but not among the lowest.)

Although Southern states (except for Maryland and D.C.) have high divorce rates, sinful Louisiana was second-lowest nationwide in 2013, with 0.22%, and third-lowest in 2014 with 0.23%.

A Northeastern low-divorce region stretches from Massachusetts to D.C., and does NOT include Northern New England or Delaware. A North-Central region includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas, and probably Minnesota, which had rates close to Iowa's until it stopped reporting divorce rates in 2005. Bordering this region, Michigan, Nebraska and Kansas had only slightly below-average rates. The only other lower-than-average states were three deep-Southern ones (South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas), and the barely below-average Utah.

The other states that refuse to report divorce rates were California, Georgia, Hawaii and Indiana.

The usual suspects, led by Nevada, had the highest rates.

The only state with the same rate as the nationwide mean divorce rate was Ohio, with 0.32% 

Divorce rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 1999-2014, RANKED BY 2014 RATE

 

State 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1995 1990 California --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 4.3 Georgia --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 3.2 2.5 3.1 3.3 4.1 5.1 5.5 Hawaii --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 3.7 4.0 3.9 3.8 4.6 4.6 Indiana --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Minnesota --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 2.8 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.5 Iowa 1.5 1.9 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.7 3.9 Illinois 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.8 Louisiana 2.3 2.2 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 3.4 3.3 --- --- --- --- --- Maryland 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.4 Connecticut 2.6 2.8 2.7 3.1 2.9 3.0 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.2 District of Columbia 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.7 1.7 2.1 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.2 3.6 3.2 4.5 Massachusetts 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.2 2.8 Pennsylvania 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 Texas 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.0 3.8 5.2 5.5 Wisconsin 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.6 New Jersey 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 New York 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.0 3.3 3.0 3.2 North Dakota 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.4 4.4 3.4 3.6 Rhode Island 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.0 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 2.9 2.7 3.6 3.7 South Dakota 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.8 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.7 3.9 3.7 South Carolina 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.5 Kansas 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.4 4.1 5.0 Michigan 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.1 4.3 Nebraska 3.1 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 4.0 Utah 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.0 4.4 5.1 Ohio 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.2 3.9 4.3 4.7 Delaware 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.9 3.9 4.5 5.0 4.4 Missouri 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.5 4.4 5.0 5.1 Mississippi 3.4 3.6 4.0 4.0 4.3 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.8 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.8 5.5 Montana 3.4 3.4 3.9 4.0 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.0 4.4 4.5 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.2 2.8 4.8 5.1 North Carolina 3.4 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.6 5.0 5.1 Oregon 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.6 4.8 4.8 4.6 4.7 5.5 New Hampshire 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.8 5.1 4.2 4.7 Vermont 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.1 4.4 4.7 4.5 Virginia 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 4.0 4.0 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 Maine 3.6 4.0 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.7 5.0 5.1 4.4 4.3 New Mexico 3.6 3.4 3.0 3.3 4.0 3.9 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.6 5.2 4.4 4.9 5.1 4.6 6.6 4.9 Washington 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.6 5.0 5.4 5.9 Alabama 3.8 3.7 3.6 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.7 6.0 6.1 Kentucky 3.8 4.2 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.6 5.0 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.5 5.9 5.8 Tennessee 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.2 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.9 5.8 6.2 6.5 Arizona 3.9 3.9 4.3 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.8 4.0 4.6 4.6 6.2 6.9 Colorado 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.8 --- 5.5 Alaska 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.6 4.3 3.9 5.0 5.0 5.5 Florida 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.7 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.5 6.3 Idaho 4.2 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.2 5.0 4.8 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.8 6.5 West Virginia 4.2 4.6 4.7 5.2 5.1 5.1 4.8 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.1 4.9 5.2 5.3 Oklahoma 4.5 4.5 4.8 5.2 5.2 4.8 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.6 4.9 --- --- --- --- --- 6.6 7.7 Wyoming 4.6 4.3 4.4 4.8 5.1 5.1 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.8 5.8 5.7 6.6 6.6 Arkansas 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.9 5.8 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.2 6.3 6.9 Nevada 5.3 5.1 5.5 5.6 5.9 6.6 6.4 6.4 6.7 7.4 6.3 7.3 7.1 6.3 9.9 7.8 7.8 11.4

 

Divorce rate 1

 

--- Data not available.

1 Includes annulments. Includes divorce petitions filed or legal separations for some counties or States.

Note: Rates for 2001-2009 have been revised and are based on intercensal population estimates from the 2000 and 2010 censuses. Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System. [Rates are based on provisional counts of divorces by state of occurrence. Rates are per 1,000 total population residing in area. Population enumerated as of April 1 for 1990, 2000, and 2010 and estimated as of July 1 for all other years]

Source: Divorce rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 1999-2014 

Divorce rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 1999-2014

[Rates are based on provisional counts of divorces by state of occurrence. Rates are per 1,000 total population residing in area. Population enumerated as of April 1 for 1990, 2000, and 2010 and estimated as of July 1 for all other years]

 

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1995 1990 Alabama 3.8 3.7 3.6 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.9 4.9 4.9 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.7 6.0 6.1 Alaska 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.8 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.6 4.3 3.9 5.0 5.0 5.5 Arizona 3.9 3.9 4.3 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.8 4.0 4.6 4.6 6.2 6.9 Arkansas 4.8 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.9 5.8 6.0 6.1 6.0 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.2 6.3 6.9 California --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 4.3 Colorado 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.8 --- 5.5 Connecticut 2.6 2.8 2.7 3.1 2.9 3.0 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.2 Delaware 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.9 3.9 4.5 5.0 4.4 District of Columbia 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.7 1.7 2.1 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.2 3.6 3.2 4.5 Florida 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.7 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.5 6.3 Georgia --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 3.2 2.5 3.1 3.3 4.1 5.1 5.5 Hawaii --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 3.7 4.0 3.9 3.8 4.6 4.6 Idaho 4.2 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.2 5.0 4.8 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.8 6.5 Illinois 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.8 Indiana --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Iowa 1.5 1.9 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.7 3.9 Kansas 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.4 4.1 5.0 Kentucky 3.8 4.2 4.1 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.6 5.0 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.5 5.9 5.8 Louisiana 2.3 2.2 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 3.4 3.3 --- --- --- --- --- Maine 3.6 4.0 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.7 5.0 5.1 4.4 4.3 Maryland 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.4 Massachusetts 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.2 2.8 Michigan 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.1 4.3 Minnesota --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 2.8 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.5 Mississippi 3.4 3.6 4.0 4.0 4.3 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.8 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.8 5.5 Missouri 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.5 4.4 5.0 5.1 Montana 3.4 3.4 3.9 4.0 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.0 4.4 4.5 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.2 2.8 4.8 5.1 Nebraska 3.1 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 4.0 Nevada 5.3 5.1 5.5 5.6 5.9 6.6 6.4 6.4 6.7 7.4 6.3 7.3 7.1 6.3 9.9 7.8 7.8 11.4 New Hampshire 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.8 5.1 4.2 4.7 New Jersey 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 New Mexico 3.6 3.4 3.0 3.3 4.0 3.9 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.6 5.2 4.4 4.9 5.1 4.6 6.6 4.9 New York 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.0 3.3 3.0 3.2 North Carolina 3.4 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.6 5.0 5.1 North Dakota 2.8 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.4 4.4 3.4 3.6 Ohio 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.2 3.9 4.3 4.7 Oklahoma 4.5 4.5 4.8 5.2 5.2 4.8 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.6 4.9 --- --- --- --- --- 6.6 7.7 Oregon 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.6 4.8 4.8 4.6 4.7 5.5 Pennsylvania 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 Rhode Island 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.0 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 2.9 2.7 3.6 3.7 South Carolina 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.5 South Dakota 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.8 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.7 3.9 3.7 Tennessee 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.2 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.9 5.8 6.2 6.5 Texas 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.0 3.8 5.2 5.5 Utah 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.0 4.4 5.1 Vermont 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.1 4.4 4.7 4.5 Virginia 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 4.0 4.0 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 Washington 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.6 5.0 5.4 5.9 West Virginia 4.2 4.6 4.7 5.2 5.1 5.1 4.8 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.1 4.9 5.2 5.3 Wisconsin 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.6 Wyoming 4.6 4.3 4.4 4.8 5.1 5.1 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.4 5.8 5.8 5.7 6.6 6.6

State

 

Divorce rate 1

 

--- Data not available.

1 Includes annulments. Includes divorce petitions filed or legal separations for some counties or States.

Note: Rates for 2001-2009 have been revised and are based on intercensal population estimates from the 2000 and 2010 censuses. Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System.

Red states, blue states, & stable families: new conventional wisdom reversed yet again

By now it's pretty well known that blue states have more stable families than red states. (At least, using the 2004/2008 red-blue breakdown).

Not so fast. A new study by leading family sociologists Brad Wilcox and Nicolas Zill turns this, not 180 degrees, but at least 90 degrees or more. For one thing, red states have more children start out in married families even if those families are more likely to divorce, and studies show better outcomes for children from originally-married parents than for cohabiters. Also, controlling for age, income, education and race -- the red states are more diverse, poorer, less educated, and people there marry younger -- accounts for much of the difference, but one may or may not see that as detracting from the basic differences between red and blue states. Also, the reddest and the bluest states have more stable families, and those in the middle are less stable, they argue. 

"Red State Families: Better Than We Knew" by W. Bradford Wilcox and Nicholas Zill 

Summarised in "The red and blue of family stability" by CAROLYN MOYNIHAN at mercatornet.com.

ACS marriage/divorce data is crucial: leading family demographer @justinwolfers explains why

It's great to see my opinion on the proposed elimination of marital status from the long-form census confirmed, with much more understanding, context and background, by an eminent statistician and demographer, Justin Wolfers, in the New York Times! 

"Census Bureau’s Plan to Cut Marriage and Divorce Questions Has Academics Up in Arms" (NYT 12/31/14)

Wolfers reviews what the American Community Survey and its predecessors do about marriage and divorce, what other sources of data are out there and how they work (and don't work), and why the data is crucial for both progressives and conservatives who are concerned about families.

Marriage duration almost twice as long in South Dakota as in DC - Bloomberg

Longest Marriages - States - The median span of marriages in South Dakota is almost twice that of D.C. - Bloomberg Best & Worst

(This appears not to be duration of marriage at time of divorce, which is reported fairly often, but instead duration of current marriage among census respondents generally)

 

 

 

Divorced, unremarried population rising in 49 states - Bloomberg state rankings

(Not including remarrieds, and by state of current residence, not place of divorce) From:

"Bloomberg Best (and Worst) - Biggest Increase in Divorce - States: Forty-nine states, led by Maine, have a higher percentage of divorced residents now than in 2007"

[extra letter "t" in state names when table pasted in, left because meaning still clear]

Rank	State	Change in divorce rate (percentage points)	Divorced 2012	Divorced 2007
16	Alabamat	0.9	12.7%	11.8%
16	Alaskat	0.9	12.4	11.5
45	Arizonat	0.1	12.5	12.4
5	Arkansast	1.5	13.3	11.8
40	Californiat	0.3	9.8	9.5
45	Coloradot	0.1	12.4	12.3
13	Connecticutt	1.0	10.6	9.6
5	Delawaret	1.5	11.8	10.3
51	District of Columbiat	-0.5	9.2	9.7
16	Floridat	0.9	13.2	12.3
48	Georgiat	0.0	11.4	11.4
43	Hawaiit	0.2	9.5	9.3
9	Idahot	1.1	12.5	11.4
35	Illinoist	0.5	10.0	9.5
33	Indianat	0.6	12.7	12.1
4	Iowat	1.6	11.4	9.8
9	Kansast	1.1	12.2	11.1
24	Kentuckyt	0.7	13.2	12.5
7	Louisianat	1.3	12.3	11.0
1	Mainet	1.8	14.2	12.4
24	Marylandt	0.7	10.1	9.4
13	Massachusettst	1.0	10.1	9.1
24	Michigant	0.7	11.8	11.1
24	Minnesotat	0.7	10.2	9.5
8	Mississippit	1.2	11.9	10.7
22	Missourit	0.8	12.5	11.7
45	Montanat	0.1	12.3	12.2
24	Nebraskat	0.7	10.4	9.7
9	Nevadat	1.1	14.6	13.5
16	New Hampshiret	0.9	12.3	11.4
37	New Jerseyt	0.4	8.6	8.2
37	New Mexicot	0.4	13.1	12.7
33	New Yorkt	0.6	8.8	8.2
24	North Carolinat	0.7	10.8	10.1
2	North Dakotat	1.7	9.7	8.0
16	Ohiot	0.9	12.5	11.6
24	Oklahomat	0.7	13.5	12.8
22	Oregont	0.8	13.4	12.6
40	Pennsylvaniat	0.3	9.5	9.2
16	Rhode Islandt	0.9	11.5	10.6
24	South Carolinat	0.7	10.7	10.0
9	South Dakotat	1.1	11.0	9.9
40	Tennesseet	0.3	13.0	12.7
37	Texast	0.4	11.0	10.6
35	Utaht	0.5	9.5	9.0
48	Vermontt	0.0	12.1	12.1
24	Virginiat	0.7	10.2	9.5
43	Washingtont	0.2	12.3	12.1
2	West Virginiat	1.7	13.3	11.6
13	Wisconsint	1.0	11.0	10.0
50	Wyomingt	-0.2	12.8	13.0

State rankings by percentage of divorced residents (not including remarrieds)

This ranking by Bloomberg is based on census data (published in 2012), which counts people in their second, third marriages etc. as "married" rather than divorced. It also looks at the state of current residence, not where the divorce happened. 

Pasting the table in, an extra "t" appeared in the states' names, but I'm leaving it in as it doesn't interfere with the meaning.

Rank	State	Divorced	Married	Separated
1	Nevadat	14.6%	45.6%	2.4%
2	Mainet	14.2	50.8	1.2
3	Oklahomat	13.5	50.1	2.2
4	Oregont	13.4	49.0	1.9
5	Arkansast	13.3	50.5	2.3
5	West Virginiat	13.3	49.9	1.5
7	Floridat	13.2	46.0	2.5
7	Kentuckyt	13.2	50.1	2.2
9	New Mexicot	13.1	46.1	1.8
10	Tennesseet	13.0	49.1	2.3
11	Wyomingt	12.8	52.9	1.8
12	Alabamat	12.7	48.5	2.5
12	Indianat	12.7	49.8	1.4
14	Arizonat	12.5	47.3	2.0
14	Idahot	12.5	55.0	1.3
14	Missourit	12.5	49.1	2.0
14	Ohiot	12.5	48.0	1.8
18	Alaskat	12.4	47.7	2.0
18	Coloradot	12.4	50.6	1.7
20	Louisianat	12.3	43.7	2.9
20	Montanat	12.3	52.7	1.3
20	New Hampshiret	12.3	51.4	1.3
20	Washingtont	12.3	50.5	1.7
24	Kansast	12.2	52.2	1.6
25	Vermontt	12.1	49.8	1.4
26	Mississippit	11.9	44.3	3.2
27	Delawaret	11.8	47.4	2.0
27	Michigant	11.8	48.0	1.5
29	Rhode Islandt	11.5	44.8	1.8
30	Georgiat	11.4	47.1	2.6
30	Iowat	11.4	52.7	1.3
32	South Dakotat	11.0	50.9	1.3
32	Texast	11.0	49.4	2.8
32	Wisconsint	11.0	50.8	1.2
35	North Carolinat	10.8	49.1	3.2
36	South Carolinat	10.7	47.3	3.4
37	Connecticutt	10.6	48.2	1.4
38	Nebraskat	10.4	52.8	1.2
39	Minnesotat	10.2	52.4	1.1
39	Virginiat	10.2	50.1	2.4
41	Marylandt	10.1	46.7	2.6
41	Massachusettst	10.1	46.1	2.0
43	Illinoist	10.0	47.6	1.8
44	Californiat	9.8	46.1	2.4
45	North Dakotat	9.7	51.9	0.9
46	Hawaiit	9.5	49.5	1.5
46	Pennsylvaniat	9.5	48.1	2.2
46	Utaht	9.5	55.7	1.7
49	District of C…t	9.2	26.7	2.1
50	New Yorkt	8.8	44.2	2.8
51	New Jerseyt	8.6	49.2	2.0

Spring is prime season for divorce filings in Indiana's Shelby County

Divorces on rise as spring approaches

shelbyvillenews.com - Tuesday, February 4, 2014 - By Nick Cusack

Red-state divorce connection: caused by conservative protestantism?

There has been a lot of news recently about the very old news that red states have less divorce than blue states for a variety of likely reasons (although our classic picture of a nation evenly divided between red and blue dates to 2000 and 2004 and the reality changed a lot in the last two elections.) It looks like "Findings on Red and Blue Divorce Are Not Exactly Black and White", by Charles E. Stokes, criticizes not so much the actual findings in the study by Jennifer Glass,  "Red States, Blue States, and Divorce: Understanding the Impact of Conservative Protestantism on Regional Variation in Divorce Rates", but rather, the interpretations and connections that are attempted partly in the study, and more so in the study's press release and press accounts of it, regarding actual causation between evangelical Protestantism and divorce. Looking at the press release by the Council on Contemporary Families, its speculations about causation do sound like a pretty far stretch. Mostly it has to do with how evangelicals might affect local public policy and thus keep the locals uneducated, barefoot and pregnant. I think that is increasingly outdated, and probably never was that accurate in the first place.

Although I have always thought, from my work with divorcing families, that there is something about the culture and personal attitudes of certain kinds of Christianity that spills over to people who aren't in the same churches  but share the same culture and discourse, and contributes to divorce and other unrealistic, unhelpful ways of dealing with personal situations. If I could pin that on anything specific, it would be the belief in being personally sanctified by one's choice of belief, identity, and religious experiences, and not by the extremely hard work of living out God's love, integrity and peacemaking, with our fellow humans, especially those closest to us. I see this carrying over to merely nominal Christians and the population in general, both white and black.  On the other hand the same churches also instill many good habits and beliefs, but those may not move through the larger culture in the same way. And it is useful to remember the numerical scales of the differences we are talking about, and not get the most excited over the smallest effects that can be observed. Apparently being unchurched has a much stronger correlation with divorce than being an evangelical.

(Via Glenn Stanton, "Divorce Among Conservative Protestants: What’s the Story?")

54% in good relationships. 18% thrilled, 36% satisfied, 27% mudding through, 14% enduring, 4% starved

"More Than Half of Americans in Happy Relationships" by PAIRS FOUNDATION • AUGUST 20, 2013

Excerpts:

 More than half of Americans are either “satisfied,” 36 percent, or “thrilled,” 18 percent, with the quality of their intimate relationships, according to a study of 10,548 people in the continental United States conducted over more than two years by the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation ... 

PAIRS CEO Seth Eisenberg released findings from the 26-month American Relationship Study today that also revealed 27 percent of people to be navigating significant relationship challenges with 18 percent facing high risk of separation or divorce. Four percent of the total study group were at the highest risk for separation or divorce.

PAIRS CEO Seth Eisenberg says more than half of Americans are “satisfied” or “thrilled” with the quality of their intimate relationships.

Eisenberg said findings showed national relationship satisfaction to be fairly even throughout the year, with a small peak in March/April (+2 percent) and seasonal declines in November (-3 percent), December (-4 percent), January (-5 percent) and June (-3 percent).

While Eisenberg said the initial study was not designed to evaluate geographic differences, he said preliminary findings indicate higher levels of relationship satisfaction for people living in Idaho, Montana, Mississippi, West Virginia, Oklahoma, New York, Ohio, Minnesota, Kentucky, Delaware and Colorado. Lower levels were reported by participants in the District of Columbia, Oregon, New Mexico, Maine, Missouri and Rhode Island. 

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