Does Location Effect Divorce Rates?

Divorce is a common occurrence in the United States even though no one gets married with the intention of the union ending in divorce. There are many reasons for divorce and separation along with a variety of factors that might affect the rates. The team at Joslyn Law Firm gives us insight into a specific aspect of divorce rates with this infographic showing us the U.S. cities with the highest and lowest rates of divorce and separation.

The U.S. Cities With the Highest and Lowest Rates of Divorce and Separation

According to the team’s findings, these 10 cities had the highest rates of divorce:

  1. Medford, OR
  2. Fort Smith, AR-OK
  3. Dothan, AL
  4. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
  5. Charleston, WV
  6. Bangor, ME
  7. Pueblo, CO
  8. Texarkana, TX-AR
  9. Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
  10. Jackson, MI

Medford, Oregon, might come as a surprise as a first-place result, but it’s speculated that the older average age of citizens plays a part. Millennials and Gen Z are, on average, waiting until later in life to get married (and they tend to stay married longer!) Meanwhile, divorce among older populations of 65 and older is becoming more common.

As for the other end of the spectrum, these are the ten cities with the lowest divorce rates:

  1. Provo-Orem, UT
  2. Laredo, TX
  3. College Station-Bryan, TX
  4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
  5. Merced, CA
  6. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
  7. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
  8. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
  9. Lancaster, PA
  10. Yuma, AZ

Provo-Orem, Utah is an interesting example of the impact of location on divorce rates. Provo-Orem has a high population of Mormons, a religion that frowns upon divorce. IT seems likely this has the biggest impact on Provo-Orem’s divorce rates.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.