You have undoubtedly heard that divorce occurs in 50% of couples. However, that piece of widespread knowledge is not entirely true today. The current divorce rate in the United States is between 40 and 50 percent. According to the statistics, there are fewer divorces in this nation.
Are you inquiring about additional patterns in divorce? These 10 divorce-related statistics may surprise you.
- According to estimates, 630,505 spouses received divorces in the United States in 2020, compared to the approximately 715,000 divorces anticipated by specialists. The COVID-19 epidemic, which forced courthouses to close for many months, was probably the leading cause of the drop.
- Divorce occurs often. In the first three months of the year, more Americans file for divorce than at any other time. Researchers believe that the stress of the holidays might exacerbate already strained relationships to the point where one or both partners decide to call it quits.
- States have very different divorce rates. The lowest rates are in Massachusetts and Louisiana, with 1.0 and 1.4 divorces per 1,000 population, respectively. The highest divorce rate is 3.8 in Wyoming. The divorce rate in Washington was 2.8 per 1,000 persons in 2019.
- Since 1990, the proportion of persons divorcing beyond 50 has almost doubled. The divorce rate has increased for those 65 and older.
- Meanwhile, younger generations—those born between 1981 and 1996—are now less likely to divorce than millennials. This may be partially because young people are more likely to cohabitate than get married. Even though they were together for years, it is evident that an unmarried couple that separates does not need a divorce.
- An acquaintance who recently divorced increases a person’s likelihood of doing so by 75%. The possibility of divorce increases by 33% if they know a divorced buddy of a friend.
- Most legal separations end in divorce. However, there are variations depending on race and ethnicity. For instance, just 67% of black women and 77% of Hispanic women divorce after three years, compared to 91% of separated white women.
- Women are less likely to divorce the more educated they are. Seventy-eight percent of married college-educated women between 2006 and 2010 may anticipate being so for at least 20 years. In comparison, only roughly half of women who dropped out of college will be married for that long. After 20 years, just 40% of women with high school graduation or who dropped out are likely still married to the same partner.
- The divorce rate for same-sex couples has approximately reached parity with that of different-sex teams since same-sex marriage became legal in the United States. The Supreme Court just officially approved same-sex marriage in 2013. Therefore there is still a shortage of data on this subject.
- First marriages are less likely to result in divorce than second (or third, fourth, etc.) marriages.
These data points might be intriguing. What matters most, though, whether you are contemplating divorce or your husband has already informed you that it is over, is how it will impact you and your children. Your most excellent shot for a lasting financial settlement and a child custody arrangement that respects your parenting rights is a wise and appropriately crafted legal approach.
