Every married couple walks down the aisle believing they will be together forever. Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way, resulting in divorce.
More than 29 million Americans, or roughly 11% of the adult population, have shed a spouse, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census considers only people who are legally divorced and who have not remarried.
Those without a final divorce decree are classified as separated. Nearly 4.9 million, or 1.8% of the adult population, are separated. Married people number 127.5 million, or about 48% of the adult population. And about 91 million, or 34%, have never been married.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also monitor marriage statistics. It logs the number of divorces per 1,000 population. The rate of divorces and annulments per 1,000 population was 2.7 in 2019. (The CDC notes that California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico did not report that year.)
That rate represents a significant decline from 2000, when there were 4.0 divorces per 1,000. (California, Indiana, Louisiana, and Oklahoma didn’t report that year.) What happened in the past decade to lower the rate? Largely, more people have been shunning traditional weddings, although they may be living together without the legal decree. In 2000, 2,315,000 people took their vows versus 2,015,603 in 2019. With fewer people getting hitched — at least officially — the lower are the chances of a split.
How does the U.S. stack up internationally? The World Population Review reports Russia has the highest divorce rate in the world at 4.7 per 1,000 population. The U.S. ranks around the average — 2.5 per 1,000 population. (These are the shortest celebrity marriages of all time.)
The situation of every couple is different, so there is no universal dynamic that drives couples apart. Ann Gold Buscho, Ph.D., author of “The Parent’s Guide to Birdnesting: A Child-Centered Solution to Co-Parenting During Separation and Divorce” writes in Psychology Today the reasons for divorce run the gamut from incompatibility and money conflicts to the age-old breaking point, infidelity. Couples who have lost the ability to communicate or be intimate are more likely to divorce, as well, she adds. Not surprisingly, abuse or addiction problems often lead to broken marriages.
In recent years, some unhappy couples have also stayed together to save on finances and avoid paying for a divorce. See how much it costs to get divorced in every state.
To determine the 25 metro areas with the most divorce and the 25 with the least divorce, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the percentage of the population 15 and older that is currently divorced in the 384 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas using annual estimates from the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. Metros are ranked by the share of the divorced population.
Data on the married, separated, never married, and total population also came from the ACS. All shares are of the 15+ population, not the total population, and are as of 2019.
If you want the best chance of happily ever after in the U.S., move to the Provo-Orem, Utah, metro area. There, 58% of the 15 and older residents are married, while only 5.3% are divorced.
The worst metro area for wedded bliss is Hot Springs, Arkansas. There, nearly 17%% are divorced and about 47% are married.
Click here to see cities with the least divorces
Cities with the highest divorce rates:
25. Pueblo, CO
> Divorced population: 14.85% or 20,474
> Separated population: 2,168 (1.57% – #210 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 63,598 (46.12% – #265 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 43,952 (31.87% – #223 highest of 384)
> Total population: 168,424 – #256 largest of 384 metros
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24. Albany, GA
> Divorced population: 14.87% or 17,650
> Separated population: 4,872 (4.11% – #2 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 43,007 (36.24% – #382 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 44,592 (37.58% – #54 highest of 384)
> Total population: 147,384 – #286 largest of 384 metros
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23. Elkhart-Goshen, IN
> Divorced population: 14.89% or 23,795
> Separated population: 2,612 (1.63% – #200 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 70,302 (43.99% – #332 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 52,183 (32.65% – #200 highest of 384)
> Total population: 206,341 – #219 largest of 384 metros
22. Staunton, VA
> Divorced population: 14.92% or 15,583
> Separated population: 1,597 (1.53% – #219 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 50,339 (48.20% – #177 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 28,699 (27.48% – #336 highest of 384)
> Total population: 123,120 – #325 largest of 384 metros
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21. Kokomo, IN
> Divorced population: 15.14% or 10,140
> Separated population: 877 (1.31% – #273 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 32,221 (48.12% – #183 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 19,641 (29.33% – #295 highest of 384)
> Total population: 82,544 – #375 largest of 384 metros
20. Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
> Divorced population: 15.15% or 28,093
> Separated population: 5,236 (2.82% – #24 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 90,635 (48.88% – #150 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 48,179 (25.98% – #358 highest of 384)
> Total population: 223,234 – #203 largest of 384 metros
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19. Michigan City-La Porte, IN
> Divorced population: 15.16% or 13,823
> Separated population: 1,283 (1.41% – #251 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 41,003 (44.97% – #302 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 28,642 (31.41% – #227 highest of 384)
> Total population: 109,888 – #342 largest of 384 metros
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18. Coeur d’Alene, ID
> Divorced population: 15.20% or 20,458
> Separated population: 1,838 (1.37% – #259 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 72,409 (53.81% – #29 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 33,471 (24.88% – #367 highest of 384)
> Total population: 165,697 – #260 largest of 384 metros
17. Albany-Lebanon, OR
> Divorced population: 15.24% or 16,306
> Separated population: 1,226 (1.15% – #307 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 51,389 (48.04% – #187 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 31,856 (29.78% – #286 highest of 384)
> Total population: 129,749 – #312 largest of 384 metros
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16. Gadsden, AL
> Divorced population: 15.33% or 12,767
> Separated population: 1,672 (2.01% – #120 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 37,820 (45.42% – #284 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 23,570 (28.31% – #318 highest of 384)
> Total population: 102,268 – #353 largest of 384 metros
15. Port St. Lucie, FL
> Divorced population: 15.34% or 63,648
> Separated population: 8,302 (2.00% – #123 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 192,288 (46.35% – #254 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 117,501 (28.33% – #315 highest of 384)
> Total population: 489,297 – #113 largest of 384 metros
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14. Lewiston, ID-WA
> Divorced population: 15.84% or 8,192
> Separated population: 490 (0.95% – #335 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 25,561 (49.43% – #123 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 13,194 (25.51% – #362 highest of 384)
> Total population: 62,990 – #381 largest of 384 metros
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13. Lewiston-Auburn, ME
> Divorced population: 15.88% or 14,110
> Separated population: 192 (0.22% – #384 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 41,974 (47.23% – #217 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 26,785 (30.14% – #271 highest of 384)
> Total population: 108,277 – #346 largest of 384 metros
12. Terre Haute, IN
> Divorced population: 15.92% or 24,412
> Separated population: 1,722 (1.12% – #310 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 69,836 (45.54% – #280 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 47,232 (30.80% – #243 highest of 384)
> Total population: 185,782 – #230 largest of 384 metros
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11. Sherman-Denison, TX
> Divorced population: 16.06% or 17,539
> Separated population: 1,466 (1.34% – #262 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 51,017 (46.73% – #240 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 31,170 (28.55% – #310 highest of 384)
> Total population: 136,212 – #303 largest of 384 metros
10. Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
> Divorced population: 16.08% or 11,986
> Separated population: 771 (1.03% – #324 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 35,718 (47.92% – #193 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 20,303 (27.24% – #340 highest of 384)
> Total population: 89,676 – #368 largest of 384 metros
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9. Lawton, OK
> Divorced population: 16.14% or 16,394
> Separated population: 2,559 (2.52% – #50 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 42,052 (41.41% – #365 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 34,237 (33.72% – #161 highest of 384)
> Total population: 126,043 – #317 largest of 384 metros
8. Danville, IL
> Divorced population: 16.26% or 9,858
> Separated population: 1,516 (2.50% – #51 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 25,691 (42.37% – #355 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 19,578 (32.29% – #210 highest of 384)
> Total population: 75,758 – #379 largest of 384 metros
7. Santa Fe, NM
> Divorced population: 16.32% or 21,042
> Separated population: 2,491 (1.93% – #140 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 55,737 (43.22% – #343 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 41,710 (32.35% – #208 highest of 384)
> Total population: 150,358 – #280 largest of 384 metros
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6. Muskegon, MI
> Divorced population: 16.35% or 23,037
> Separated population: 2,127 (1.51% – #222 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 62,207 (44.14% – #322 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 43,912 (31.16% – #233 highest of 384)
> Total population: 173,566 – #245 largest of 384 metros
5. Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ
> Divorced population: 16.46% or 33,720
> Separated population: 2,738 (1.34% – #264 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 108,324 (52.88% – #41 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 44,348 (21.65% – #382 highest of 384)
> Total population: 235,099 – #196 largest of 384 metros
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4. Medford, OR
> Divorced population: 16.53% or 30,296
> Separated population: 1,707 (0.93% – #338 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 88,960 (48.53% – #162 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 49,316 (26.90% – #346 highest of 384)
> Total population: 220,944 – #206 largest of 384 metros
3. Jackson, MI
> Divorced population: 16.81% or 22,010
> Separated population: 2,418 (1.85% – #153 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 56,040 (42.79% – #346 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 42,419 (32.39% – #206 highest of 384)
> Total population: 158,510 – #266 largest of 384 metros
2. Great Falls, MT
> Divorced population: 16.83% or 11,091
> Separated population: 1,023 (1.55% – #216 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 29,622 (44.94% – #303 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 19,872 (30.15% – #270 highest of 384)
> Total population: 81,366 – #376 largest of 384 metros
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1. Hot Springs, AR
> Divorced population: 16.86% or 14,130
> Separated population: 1,723 (2.06% – #111 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 39,995 (47.73% – #197 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 21,204 (25.31% – #364 highest of 384)
> Total population: 99,386 – #358 largest of 384 metros
Cities with the lowest divorce rates:
25. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
> Divorced population: 8.54% or 349,497
> Separated population: 61,318 (1.50% – #225 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 1,926,933 (47.10% – #227 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 1,540,086 (37.65% – #52 highest of 384)
> Total population: 4,873,019 – #11 largest of 384 metros
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24. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
> Divorced population: 8.50% or 923,913
> Separated population: 217,436 (2.00% – #122 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 4,823,793 (44.40% – #312 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 4,373,290 (40.25% – #26 highest of 384)
> Total population: 13,214,799 – #2 largest of 384 metros
23. Salinas, CA
> Divorced population: 8.47% or 28,756
> Separated population: 5,418 (1.60% – #206 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 159,053 (46.86% – #236 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 130,898 (38.56% – #42 highest of 384)
> Total population: 434,061 – #124 largest of 384 metros
22. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY
> Divorced population: 8.40% or 46,539
> Separated population: 11,303 (2.04% – #117 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 274,568 (49.53% – #118 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 191,707 (34.58% – #133 highest of 384)
> Total population: 679,158 – #86 largest of 384 metros
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21. College Station-Bryan, TX
> Divorced population: 8.39% or 18,507
> Separated population: 3,262 (1.48% – #230 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 89,421 (40.53% – #373 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 100,855 (45.71% – #5 highest of 384)
> Total population: 268,101 – #184 largest of 384 metros
20. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
> Divorced population: 8.39% or 26,738
> Separated population: 10,733 (3.37% – #12 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 156,995 (49.24% – #132 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 104,234 (32.69% – #199 highest of 384)
> Total population: 423,163 – #128 largest of 384 metros
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19. Merced, CA
> Divorced population: 8.31% or 17,524
> Separated population: 5,802 (2.75% – #29 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 95,536 (45.30% – #290 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 82,344 (39.04% – #35 highest of 384)
> Total population: 277,680 – #175 largest of 384 metros
18. Stockton, CA
> Divorced population: 8.26% or 49,019
> Separated population: 10,318 (1.74% – #181 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 282,589 (47.62% – #202 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 219,622 (37.01% – #63 highest of 384)
> Total population: 762,148 – #77 largest of 384 metros
17. California-Lexington Park, MD
> Divorced population: 8.14% or 7,459
> Separated population: 1,718 (1.87% – #149 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 45,667 (49.83% – #109 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 30,998 (33.82% – #157 highest of 384)
> Total population: 113,510 – #339 largest of 384 metros
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16. Morgantown, WV
> Divorced population: 8.13% or 9,687
> Separated population: 1,582 (1.33% – #266 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 54,258 (45.51% – #281 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 47,326 (39.70% – #30 highest of 384)
> Total population: 139,044 – #298 largest of 384 metros
15. Corvallis, OR
> Divorced population: 8.07% or 6,544
> Separated population: 490 (0.60% – #375 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 37,351 (46.07% – #268 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 34,800 (42.92% – #12 highest of 384)
> Total population: 93,053 – #366 largest of 384 metros
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14. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
> Divorced population: 8.01% or 1,266,757
> Separated population: 327,328 (2.07% – #108 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 7,329,433 (46.36% – #253 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 6,003,885 (37.98% – #50 highest of 384)
> Total population: 19,216,182 – #1 largest of 384 metros
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13. Harrisonburg, VA
> Divorced population: 7.87% or 8,854
> Separated population: 1,536 (1.37% – #258 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 48,808 (43.41% – #338 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 46,152 (41.04% – #24 highest of 384)
> Total population: 134,964 – #304 largest of 384 metros
12. El Centro, CA
> Divorced population: 7.86% or 10,853
> Separated population: 5,053 (3.66% – #6 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 60,580 (43.88% – #334 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 53,791 (38.97% – #37 highest of 384)
> Total population: 181,215 – #234 largest of 384 metros
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11. Ames, IA
> Divorced population: 7.74% or 8,183
> Separated population: 854 (0.81% – #360 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 47,574 (45.01% – #299 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 44,944 (42.52% – #15 highest of 384)
> Total population: 123,351 – #323 largest of 384 metros
10. Flagstaff, AZ
> Divorced population: 7.68% or 9,234
> Separated population: 963 (0.80% – #361 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 49,106 (40.85% – #369 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 57,059 (47.47% – #2 highest of 384)
> Total population: 143,476 – #291 largest of 384 metros
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9. Lawrence, KS
> Divorced population: 7.66% or 7,918
> Separated population: 681 (0.66% – #367 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 45,927 (44.41% – #311 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 45,191 (43.70% – #8 highest of 384)
> Total population: 122,259 – #326 largest of 384 metros
8. Trenton-Princeton, NJ
> Divorced population: 7.58% or 22,973
> Separated population: 6,750 (2.23% – #77 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 140,001 (46.19% – #261 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 118,177 (38.99% – #36 highest of 384)
> Total population: 367,430 – #148 largest of 384 metros
7. Laredo, TX
> Divorced population: 7.58% or 15,330
> Separated population: 5,404 (2.67% – #37 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 95,149 (47.04% – #229 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 76,823 (37.98% – #49 highest of 384)
> Total population: 276,652 – #176 largest of 384 metros
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6. Iowa City, IA
> Divorced population: 7.56% or 10,861
> Separated population: 933 (0.65% – #369 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 69,258 (48.18% – #178 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 59,129 (41.14% – #22 highest of 384)
> Total population: 173,105 – #246 largest of 384 metros
5. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
> Divorced population: 7.52% or 122,753
> Separated population: 23,931 (1.47% – #234 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 847,273 (51.89% – #56 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 570,800 (34.96% – #119 highest of 384)
> Total population: 1,990,660 – #35 largest of 384 metros
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4. Auburn-Opelika, AL
> Divorced population: 7.12% or 9,667
> Separated population: 1,454 (1.07% – #321 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 66,783 (49.15% – #137 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 53,121 (39.10% – #34 highest of 384)
> Total population: 164,542 – #261 largest of 384 metros
3. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
> Divorced population: 7.02% or 44,673
> Separated population: 19,114 (3.00% – #15 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 306,692 (48.18% – #181 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 233,473 (36.68% – #70 highest of 384)
> Total population: 868,707 – #65 largest of 384 metros
2. Logan, UT-ID
> Divorced population: 6.11% or 6,522
> Separated population: 728 (0.68% – #366 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 63,240 (59.27% – #3 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 33,128 (31.05% – #238 highest of 384)
> Total population: 141,760 – #295 largest of 384 metros
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1. Provo-Orem, UT
> Divorced population: 5.26% or 24,771
> Separated population: 4,109 (0.87% – #354 highest of 384 metros)
> Married, not separated pop.: 273,082 (58.00% – #6 highest of 384)
> Never married population: 155,957 (33.12% – #188 highest of 384)
> Total population: 649,603 – #90 largest of 384 metros
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