The Hive Law
What is the divorce rate in America?
We’re covering ALL the divorce statistics for the US divorce rates.
- Updated: The Coronavirus Divorce Rate
- 7 Interesting Divorce Statistics You Don’t Know About
- The 4 Remarkable Military Divorce Rates That Matter
- The 4 Fascinating Divorce Rate By Religions
- The Hard Truth About Divorce Rate By Profession (A Startling Perspective)
- 6 Interesting Divorce Rates By Age (Greatest And Lowest Found)
- The Official Divorce Rate By Years Married (Which Years Are The Best)
- 9 Important Marriage Statistics You Need To Know
- The Most Important Causes of Divorce Statistics (Don’t Do These)
- 10 States With The Greatest Divorce Rates
Let’s dig right in.
Divorce Rate In America (2000 – 2020)
The divorce rate in America is 44.6%. The marriage rate is 6.1 per 1,000 total population. The divorce rate is 2.6 per 1,000 population. This means that the divorce rate in America is 42.6%.
The divorce rate in America has dropped 35% in the past 20 years. In 2000, the divorce rate was 4 per 1,000 total population. In 2020, the divorce rate in America was 2.6 per 1,000 population.
Divorce Rate 1950-Present
The divorce rate from 1950 to the present only increased by 16%.
The divorce rates in the 1950s went from 2.5 per 1,000 to 2.2 in 1960.
The divorce rate increased 236% from 1960 to 1980.
The US’ involvement in the Vietnam War started in 1961 and ended in 1975.
The divorce rates more than doubled during this period.
Since the 1980s, the divorce rate in America has steadily declined.
In 1980, the divorce rate was 5.2 people per 1,000 people.
The divorce rate in 2020 is 2.9 persons per 1,000 people.
This is a 44.2% reduction in the divorce rate in America over a 40 year period.
| Year | Divorce Rate |
| 1950 | 2.5 |
| 1955 | 2.3 |
| 1960 | 2.2 |
| 1965 | 2.5 |
| 1970 | 3.5 |
| 1975 | 5 |
| 1980 | 5.2 |
| 1985 | 4.9 |
| 1990 | 4.7 |
| 1995 | 4.2 |
| 2000 | 4.0 |
| 2005 | 3.6 |
| 2010 | 3.6 |
| 2015 | 3.1 |
| 2020 | 2.6 |
Coronavirus Divorce Rate
The Coronavirus divorce rate in America is 44.8%. The marriage rate is 33.2 per 1,000 total population. The divorce rate is 14.9 per 1,000 population. This means that the Coronavirus divorce rate in America is 44.8%.
Recall that the divorce rate in America was 44.6% according to the latest Census data. This means that the Coronavirus divorce rate was only 0.2% higher than the normal divorce rate.
Divorce Statistics
- What’s The Average Marriage Length
- How Many Marriages End In Divorce
- What Percentage Of Marriages That End In Divorce
- What’s The Sexless Marriage Divorce Rate
- What’s The Average Gay Divorce Rate
- Divorce Statistics After Infidelity
- Reconciliation After Divorce Statistics
Average Marriage Length
The average marriage length in the US is 8.2 years.
The average length of marriage in the US is one of the lowest in the world.
| Country | Average Marriage Length (Years) |
| Italy | 18 |
| Canada | 13.8 |
| France | 13 |
| Australia | 12 |
| Mexico | 12 |
| Japan | 11 |
| England | 11 |
| US | 8.2 |
So, how many marriages end in divorce?
How Many Marriages End In Divorce
44.6% of marriages end in divorce. This is how many marriages end in divorce according to the CDC’s National Marriage and Divorce Rates. How many marriages end in divorce changes each year that data gets collected. 44.6% is how many marriages end in a divorce based on the latest data.
What Percentage Of Marriages That End In Divorce
Let’s calculate what percentage of marriages end in divorce. The marriage rate for 1,000 people is 6.5 people per 1,000 total population. And the divorce rate for 1,000 people is 2.9 people per 1,000 total population. That means that for every 6.5 people that get married, 2.9 of those people are getting divorced. This means that 44.6% of marriages end in divorce.
2.9 ÷ 6.5 = 44.6%
Sexless Marriage Divorce Rate
How many sexless marriages end in divorce? The sexless marriage divorce rate is 37.8%. The marriage rate is 6.1 per 1,000 total population. The sexless marriage divorce rate is 2.3 per 1,000 population. This means that the sexless marriage divorce rate is 37.8%. 88.8% of couples claim that infidelity is the cause of divorce. We assuming that infidelity is due to a sexless marriage. We know that the divorce rate in America is 2.6 per 1,000 total population. 88.8% of 2.6 is 2.31 per 1,000 total population. This is how we calculated the sexless marriage divorce rate to be 37.8%. There is no other data collected on the sexless marriage divorce rate.
Gay Divorce Rate
Studies show that the gay divorce rate is 1.1% per year. 44.8% of all same-sex marriages end in divorce. In the study, 30% of lesbian couples divorced while 14.8% of gay male couples divorced. This means that the gay divorce rate is twice as high as the lesbian divorce rate.
Divorce Statistics After Infidelity
Divorce statistics after infidelity tells us that 88.8% of divorces involve infidelity. If the divorce rate in America is 2.6 per 1,000 total population, 2.31 per 1,000 are divorcing after infidelity. Of that 88.8%, 24% of people said that infidelity was the ‘final straw.’ The divorce statistics after infidelity tells us that 0.55 per 1,000 total population claim infidelity as the final straw.
Reconciliation After Divorce Statistics
The reconciliation after divorce statistics shows that 6% of people have reconciliation after divorce. That’s 60 people out of every 1,000. Of the people who have reconciliation after divorce, 72% of them remained married the second time.
Military Divorce Rate
The average military divorce rate is 3.8%.
This means that for every 1,000 marriages, 38 of them are ending in divorce.
The military divorce rate is 1,210% than the average divorce rate in America.
The latest divorce rate in the US is 2.9 divorces for every 1,000 marriages.
| Military Branch | Divorce Rate |
| Army | 3.7% |
| Navy Seals | 3.6% |
| Marine Corps | 3.8% |
| Air Force | 3.9% |
Army Divorce Rate
The Army divorce rate is 3.7%.
For every 1,000 Army marriages, 37 of them are ending in divorce.
Navy Seal Divorce Rate
The Navy Seal divorce rate is 3.6%.
For every 1,000 Navy Seal marriages, 36 of them are ending in divorce.
Marine Corps Divorce Rate
The Marine Corps divorce rate is 3.8%.
For every 1,000 Marine Corps marriages, 38 of them are ending in divorce.
Air Force Divorce Rate
The Air Force divorce rate is 3.9%.
For every 1,000 Air Force marriages, 39 of them are ending in divorce.
Divorce Rate By Religion
Let’s talk about the divorce rate by religion.
The divorce rate by religion is broken into 4 categories:
| Religion | Divorce Rate |
| Catholic | 25% |
| Jewish | 9% |
| Mormon | 8% |
| Christian | 38% |
Catholic Divorce Rate
The Catholic divorce rate is 25%.
According to a Pew Research study, 1 in 4 Catholics have been divorced.
Jewish Divorce Rate
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Jewish divorce rate is 9%.
Mormon Divorce Rate
Research shows that the Mormon divorce rate is about 8%.
Christian Divorce Rate
Professor Bradley Wright studied Christians. He broke them up into two groups:
- those who regularly attended church
- those who did not
The Christian divorce rate for those who did not regularly attend church was 60%. The Christian divorce rate for regular church attendees was only 38%.
Divorce Rate By Profession
Let’s look at the divorce rate by profession.
We can calculate the divorce rate by profession by dividing the divorce rate by the marriage rate for each year.
Let’s look at an example.
Gaming managers have a marriage rate of 6.9 people out of every 1,000 that get married every year.
They have a divorce rate of 3.65 people out of every 1,000 people each year.
3.65 ÷ 6.9 = 52.9%
So, let’s look at the divorce rate by profession.
These are the professions with the highest and lowest divorce rates.
Occupations With The Highest Divorce Rate
Occupations With The Lowest Divorce Rate
Now that we know the highest and lowest divorce rates by profession, let’s look at the popular ones.
- Lawyer Divorce Rate
- Firefighter Divorce Rate
- Divorce Rate For Cops
- Truck Driver Divorce Rate
- Pilot Divorce Rate
- Doctor Divorce Rate
- Nurse Divorce Rate
| Profession | Divorce Rate |
| Lawyers | 22.9% |
| Firefighters | 13.9% |
| Cops | 15.0% |
| Truck Drivers | 36.9% |
| Pilots | 30.5% |
| Doctors | 24.3% |
| Nurses | 33.0% |
Lawyer Divorce Rate
The lawyer divorce rate is 22.9%.
The percentage of lawyers that have been married is 80.5%.
For every 100 lawyers, 80.5% have been married.
Of those 80.5%, 24.3% have been divorced.
That means that, for every 80.5 marriages, 18.4 lawyers get divorced.
Firefighter Divorce Rate
The average firefighter divorce rate is 13.9%.
Firefighter divorce rates can be broken down by gender.
The study had 1,456 participants, of which:
- 1,407 were males
- 49 were females
Female firefighter divorce rates are 40%.
Male firefighter divorce rates are 19.6%.
Of the 1,456 total firefighters, 1,031 had been married.
Of the 1,031 firefighters that had been married, 143 had been divorced.
That tells us the firefighter divorce rate is 13.9%.
These numbers indicate how many firefighters have EVER been divorced.
The following tells us how many firefighters are CURRENTLY divorced (have not remarried).
Female firefighters that are currently divorce was 32.1%.
Male firefighters that are currently divorce was 11.8%.
The national averages of the general population that was currently divorce was:
- 10.1% for females
- 9.4% for males
Female firefighter divorce rates show that they are more than 3x likely to be divorced than the general population.
Divorce Rate For Cops
According to the research on the divorce rate for cops, the divorce rate for cops is 15.01%.
The divorce rate for law enforcement, in general, is 14.47%.
“Law enforcement” includes everything, such as:
- Detectives
- Animal Control
- Game Wardens
- Corrections Officers
Truck Driver Divorce Rate
There is no data on truck driver divorce rates. So, I found the demographics for the average truck driver. After I found the demographics, I looked up Census Data for that demographic (all races) and calculated truck driver divorce rates. The average demographic of the 3.5M truck drivers is:
- ~90% were men
- the average income was $43,252
- the average age is 46 years old
The truck driver divorce rate is 36.9%. For every 100 people, 87 truck drivers have been married. For every 87 truck drivers that have been married, 32.1 of them have been divorced. This tells us that the truck driver divorce rate is 36.9%.
Pilot Divorce Rate
According to the Census’ American Community Survey, the pilot divorce rate is 30.5%.
Doctor Divorce Rate
According to the British Medical Journal, the doctor divorce rate is 24.3%.
The percentage of doctors that have been married is 83.8%.
For every 100 doctors, 83.8% have been married.
Of those 83.8%, 24.3% have been divorced.
That means that, for every 83.8 marriages, 20.3 doctors get divorced.
Nurse Divorce Rate
The nurse divorce rate is 33%.
The percentage of nurses that have been married is 75.7%.
For every 100 nurses, 75.7% have been married.
Of those 75.7%, 33% have been divorced.
That means that, for every 75.7 marriages, 24.9 nurses get divorced.
Divorce Rates By Age
| Age | Divorces Per 1,000 |
| 18-24 | 27% |
| 25-34 | 23% |
| 35-44 | 21% |
| 45-54 | 18% |
| 55-64 | 12% |
| 65+ | 5% |
Divorce Rate By Years Married
The divorce rate by years married decreases as the years increase. When you first get married, you’re much more likely to get a divorce compared to when you’ve been married 30 years.
| Years Married | Divorces Per 1,000 |
| 5 | 19 |
| 10 | 17 |
| 15 | 15 |
| 20 | 13 |
| 25 | 11.5 |
| 30 | 9 |
| 35 | 6.5 |
| 40 | 4 |
Marriage Statistics
- Marriage Success Rate
- High School Sweetheart Divorce Rate
- How Many First Marriages End In Divorce
- Divorce Rate Second Marriages
- Average Length Of Second Marriage
- Third Marriage Divorce Rate
- Interracial Marriage Statistics
- Interracial Marriage Divorce Rate
- Average Length Of Marriage
Marriage Success Rate
The marriage success rate is 55.4%. Living together prior to marriage increases the marriage success rate by 40%. We found the marriage success rate by knowing the divorce rate in the US. The divorce rate in the US is 44.6%. If we subtract that from 100%, we get a marriage success rate of 55.4%.
High School Sweetheart Divorce Rate
The high school sweetheart divorce rate is 54%. This is 21% higher than the average divorce rate in America. Next, let’s talk about how many first marriages end in divorce.
How Many First Marriages End In Divorce
30.1% of first marriages end in divorce. The Census Bureau found that 68.8% of all people get married. Of that 68.8%, 20.7% of marriages end in divorce. This means that 30.1% of first marriages end in divorce.
Divorce Rate Second Marriages
The divorce rate of second marriages is 22.03%. The Census Bureau found that 11.8% of people have a second marriage. Of that 11.8%, 77.96% of second marriages last. This means that 22.03% of second marriages end in divorce.
Average Length Of Second Marriage
The average length of second marriages is 9.2 years for men and 8.1 years for women.
Third Marriage Divorce Rate
The divorce rate of third marriages is 25.8%. The Census Bureau found that 3.1% of people have a third marriage. Of that 3.1%, 74.19% of third marriages last. This means that 25.8% of third marriages end in divorce.
Interracial Marriage Statistics
| Race | Male | Female |
| Whites | 12% | 10% |
| Hispanics | 26% | 28% |
| Blacks | 24% | 12% |
| Asians | 21% | 36% |
Interracial marriage statistics show there has been a 191% increase in interracial marriages between 1980 and 2015. In 2015, 11 million people have interracial marriages. This means 10% of all marriages are interracial marriages now.
Interracial Marriage Divorce Rate
The interracial marriage divorce rate is 15.1% higher compared to same-race marriages. After 10 years of marriage, interracial couples had a 40.2% divorce rate. Compared with a 34.9% divorce rate among couples who married within their race.
Average Length Of Marriage
Marriage statistics from the Census tells us that the average length of marriage is 8.2 years. This is the average length of marriage for a first time marriage in the US.
| Race | Average Length of Marriage (Years) |
| Whites | 8.2 |
| Hispanics | 7.8 |
| Blacks | 8.9 |
| Asians | 8.3 |
Causes of Divorce Statistics
According to NCBI, the major causes of divorce statistics are as follows.
| Top Reasons For Divorce Statistics | # of Couples Using This Reason For Divorce |
| Lack of Commitment | 94.4% |
| Infidelity | 88.8% |
| Excessive Conflict | 72.2% |
| Married Too Young | 61.1% |
| Financial Issues | 55.6% |
| Substance Abuse | 50.0% |
| Domestic Violence | 27.8% |
| Health Problems | 27.8% |
| Lack of Family Support | 27.8% |
| Religious Differences | 33.3% |
| No Premarital Education | 22.2% |
Participants in the study where asked to select all the reasons for divorce that applied to them. They were able to select more than one causes of divorce.
Top Reasons For Divorce Statistics
The top reasons for divorce statistics show that the top causes for divorce are:
- lack of commitment
- infidelity
- excessive conflict
- getting married too young
- financial problems
When participants were asking “What was the final straw?” the top reasons for divorce were:
- infidelity
- substance abuse
- domestic violence
- financial issues
Highest Divorce Rate By Location
- What Is The Divorce Rate In America
- States With Highest Divorce Rate
- Divorce Rate In California
- Divorce Rate In New York
- Lowest Divorce Rate By State
What Is The Divorce Rate In America
The divorce rate in America is 44.6%. The marriage rate is 6.5 per 1,000 total population. The divorce rate is 2.9 per 1,000 population. This means that the divorce rate in America is 44.6%.
States With Highest Divorce Rate
Below are the states with highest divorce rates.
| State | Divorces Per 1,000 People |
| Nevada | 4.2 |
| Arkansas | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 3.9 |
| Idaho | 3.9 |
| Wyoming | 3.8 |
| Alabama | 3.6 |
| Alaska | 3.6 |
| West Virginia | 3.6 |
| Utah | 3.5 |
| Florida | 3.5 |
Divorce Rate In California
The divorce rate in California is 41.9%. The marriage rate is 15.5 per 1,000 total population. The divorce rate is 6.5 per 1,000 population. This means that the divorce rate in California is 41.9%.
Divorce Rate In New York
The divorce rate in New York is 42.6%. The marriage rate is 14.3 per 1,000 total population. The divorce rate is 6.1 per 1,000 population. This means that the divorce rate in New York is 42.6%.
Lowest Divorce Rate By State
Below are the lowest divorce rates by state.
| State | Divorces Per 1,000 People |
| Illinois | 1.3 |
| Massachusetts | 1.5 |
| Texas | 2.1 |
| Rhode Island | 2.1 |
| Kansas | 2.3 |
| Georgia | 2.3 |
| Wisconsin | 2.3 |
| Iowa | 2.3 |
| Michigan | 2.3 |
| Louisiana | 2.4 |
Over To You
If you are using this information for your own research, feel free to link back to this article as your source.
Thank you in advance.