What is the divorce rate in America?
We’re covering ALL the divorce statistics for the US divorce rates.
And the percentage of marriages that end in divorce.
Let’s dig right in.
What is the divorce rate in the U.S.?
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.
America has the highest crude divorce rates in the world.
At least, according to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention.
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 |
This table presents the divorce rate per 1,000 people in the United States from 1950 to 2020.
Analyzing the data reveals several trends:
The table shows that the divorce rate in the United States has experienced notable fluctuations over the past 70 years, with:
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 U.S Census Bureau data.
This means that the Coronavirus divorce rate was only 0.2% higher than the normal divorce rate.
The average marriage length in the US is 8.2 years.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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?
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 the number of marriages that end in a divorce based on the latest data.
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.
What percentage of sexless marriages end in divorce?
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 a cheating spouse is the cause of divorce.
We assume 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.
Studies show that the gay divorce rate is 1.1% per year.
44.8% of all same-sex couple’s marriages end in divorce.
In the study, 30% of lesbian couples divorced while 14.8% of gay male couples divorced.
This means that the lesbian divorce rate is twice as high as the gay male divorce rate.
This means that lesbians’ likelihood of divorce is twice as high.
How many marriages end in divorce after cheating?
Divorce statistics after infidelity tells us that 88.8% of divorces involve infidelity.
The number of divorces in America is 2.6 per 1,000 total population.
But 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.
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% |
The Army divorce rate is 3.7%.
For every 1,000 Army marriages, 37 of them are ending in divorce.
The Navy Seal divorce rate is 3.6%.
For every 1,000 Navy Seal marriages, 36 of them are ending in divorce.
The Marine Corps divorce rate is 3.8%.
For every 1,000 Marine Corps marriages, 38 of them are ending in divorce.
The Air Force divorce rate is 3.9%.
For every 1,000 Air Force marriages, 39 of them are ending in divorce.
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% |
The Catholic divorce rate is 25%.
According to a Pew Research study, 1 in 4 Catholics have been divorced.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Jewish divorce rate is 9%.
Research shows that the Mormon divorce rate is about 8%.
Professor Bradley Wright studied Christians. He broke them up into two groups:
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%.
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.
So, let’s look at the divorce rate by profession.
These are the professions with the highest and lowest divorce rates.
Now that we know the highest and lowest divorce rates by profession, let’s look at the popular ones.
| 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% |
It looks like college-educated married couples have a lower likelihood of divorce.
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.
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:
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.
Meaning they have not remarried after the marriage ends.
Female firefighters that are currently divorced were 32.1%.
Male firefighters that are currently divorced were 11.8%.
The national average of the general population that were currently divorced was:
The female firefighter’s likelihood of divorce is 3x higher than the general population.
According to the research on the divorce rate for cops, the divorce rate for cops is 15.01%.
The rate of divorce for law enforcement, in general, is 14.47%.
“Law enforcement” includes everything, such as:
There is no data on truck driver rates of divorce.
So, I found the demographics for the average truck driver.
After I found the demographics, I looked up Census Data for that demographic.
And calculated truck driver divorce rates.
The average demographic of the 3.5M truck drivers is:
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’s divorce rate is 36.9%.
American truck drivers have a high risk of divorce.
According to the Census’ American Community Survey, the pilot divorce rate is 30.5%.
According to the British Medical Journal, the divorce rate for doctors 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% of doctors have been divorced.
That means that, for every 83.8 marriages, 20.3 doctors get divorced.
The nurse divorce rate is 33%.
The percentage of nurses that have been married is 75.7%.
Of 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.
| Age | Divorces Per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | 27% |
| 25-34 | 23% |
| 35-44 | 21% |
| 45-54 | 18% |
| 55-64 | 12% |
| 65+ | 5% |
The divorce rate by years married decreases as the years of marriage increase.
Newlyweds have higher rates of divorce.
Married couples’ likelihood of divorce decreases as the years of marriage increase.
| Years Married | Divorces Per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 19 |
| 10 | 17 |
| 15 | 15 |
| 20 | 13 |
| 25 | 11.5 |
| 30 | 9 |
| 35 | 6.5 |
| 40 | 4 |
The marriage success rate is 55.4%.
Cohabitation prior to marriage increases the marriage success rate by 40%.
These cohabitation stats were pulled from the National Center For Health Statistics.
Even though 30% of people say cohabitation before marriage is unacceptable.
According to Pew Research Center, at least.
We found the marriage success rate by knowing the U.S. divorce rate.
The U.S. divorce rate is 44.6%.
If we subtract that from 100%, we get a marriage success rate of 55.4%.
The high school sweetheart divorce rate is 54%.
This is 21% higher than the average American rate of divorce.
Next, let’s talk about 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 first marriages end in divorce.
This means that 30.1% of first marriages end in divorce.
The divorce rate of second marriages is 22.03%.
The Census Bureau found that 11.8% of married 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.
The rate of divorce decreases with the number of marriages.
The average length of second marriages is 9.2 years for men.
And 8.1 years for married women.
Second marriages have the lowest divorce rates.
The divorce rate of third marriages is 25.8%.
The Census Bureau found that 3.1% of married 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.
If you look at the rankings of these, first marriages have the highest number of divorces.
| 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.
The interracial marriage divorce rate is 15.1% higher compared to same-race marriages.
After 10 years of marriage, interracial divorce statistics show a 40.2% divorce rate.
Compared with a 34.9% divorce rate among couples who married within their race.
Read More: What Percentage Of Interracial Marriages End In Divorce?
Marriage statistics from the Census tell us that the average length of the marriage before divorce is 8.2 years.
This is the average length of marriage for a first marriage in the US.
| Race | Average Length of Marriage (Years) |
|---|---|
| Whites | 8.2 |
| Hispanics | 7.8 |
| Blacks | 8.9 |
| Asians | 8.3 |
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 were asked to select all the reasons for divorce that applied to them.
They were able to select more than one cause of divorce.
The top reasons for divorce statistics show that the top causes of American divorce are:
When participants were asking “What was the final straw?” the top reasons for divorce were:
The divorce rate in America is 44.6%.
The marriage rate is 6.5 per 1,000 total population.
The rate of divorce is 2.9 per 1,000 population.
This means that the U.S. divorce rate is 44.6%.
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 |
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%.
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%.
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 |
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) didn’t have data on:
Divorce rates in America have changed a lot over the past decades.
To understand these changes, we can look at how society, laws, and cultural beliefs have affected marriage and divorce over time.
After World War II, fewer people were getting divorced.
This was because families and marriage were very important during that time.
However, starting in the 1960s, divorce rates began to rise.
New laws made it easier for people to get divorced.
And many women wanted more freedom and independence than traditional marriages allowed.
Divorce rates were highest in 1980 but have been decreasing since then.
In 2020, the divorce rate was similar to what it was in the early 1950s.
There are a few reasons why fewer people are getting divorced now.
One reason is that people think about marriage differently.
They see it as a partnership where both people help each other in many ways.
Another reason is that more couples live together before getting married or instead of getting married.
This means that the couples who do get married might be more committed to staying together.
Lastly, people are getting married later in life.
They usually have finished their education and have a stable job before getting married.
This can make their marriages stronger.
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.
Need to keep your money and property safe? We help make sure your hard-earned assets are protected. Our team knows how to create plans that guard against lawsuits and creditors. We work to keep your wealth safe for you and your family’s future.
This website is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Consult an attorney if you are seeking legal advice. Check out our privacy policy.
