Divorce Rate by State: The 2026 Ranking
The US divorce rate is not one number; it varies almost two-to-one across the country. In 2024, Oklahoma led with 20.7 divorces per 1,000 married women while Maine sat at 10.0, and the gap between regions is wide and consistent: the South divorces most, the Midwest and Northeast least.
This page ranks all 50 states and Washington, DC on the refined divorce rate, the measure demographers prefer, using the latest 2024 American Community Survey data analyzed by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research. Every figure is dated and sourced, and we explain why state rankings differ depending on which rate you use.
Oklahoma had the highest refined divorce rate in 2024 at 20.7 per 1,000 married women; Maine had the lowest at 10.0. The US average was 14.2.
Southern and Western states dominate the top of the list, while the Midwest and Northeast cluster at the bottom; no Midwestern state ranks in the highest quartile.
Washington, DC recorded the most marriages per divorce in 2024 at 3.77, followed by Idaho and Utah; Delaware had the fewest at 1.44.
For the first time in the modern ACS series, every state recorded more marriages than divorces in 2024.
Rankings depend on the measure: the refined rate (per married women) is the gold standard, while the crude rate (per total population) that older articles use tells a different story.
Which states have the highest divorce rates?
The "Bible Belt paradox" shows up clearly: several of the most religious, marriage-promoting states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Alabama, post the highest divorce rates. Younger average marriage ages and lower median incomes explain much of it.
Which states have the lowest divorce rates?
Low-divorce states tend to share two traits: people marry later and after more education. New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York all combine older marriage ages with high college attainment, both of which lower divorce risk.
Idaho and Utah are the interesting exceptions. They have low-to-moderate divorce rates but very high marriage rates, which is why they top the marriage-to-divorce ratio table even though their divorce rates are not the lowest.
Divorce rate by state: the full 2024 ranking
| Rank | State | Divorce rate (per 1,000 married women) | Marriages per divorce | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 14.2 | 2.42 | National | |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 20.7 | 1.93 | South |
| 2 | Nevada | 19.9 | 1.97 | West |
| 3 | Mississippi | 19.2 | 1.82 | South |
| 4 | Wyoming | 18.7 | 1.85 | West |
| 5 | Alabama | 18.0 | 1.92 | South |
| 6 | Arkansas | 17.9 | 1.95 | South |
| 7 | Alaska | 17.6 | 2.17 | West |
| 7 | District of Columbia | 17.6 | 3.77 | South |
| 9 | Oregon | 17.1 | 1.97 | West |
| 10 | Louisiana | 17.0 | 2.06 | South |
| 11 | Kentucky | 16.9 | 2.08 | South |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 16.7 | 1.68 | Northeast |
| 13 | Tennessee | 16.3 | 2.43 | South |
| 14 | Nebraska | 16.2 | 2.31 | Midwest |
| 15 | South Dakota | 16.1 | 2.34 | Midwest |
| 15 | Washington | 16.1 | 2.15 | West |
| 17 | West Virginia | 15.9 | 2.06 | South |
| 18 | Delaware | 15.8 | 1.44 | South |
| 19 | Texas | 15.5 | 2.47 | South |
| 19 | Vermont | 15.5 | 1.50 | Northeast |
| 21 | Georgia | 15.4 | 2.45 | South |
| 21 | Indiana | 15.4 | 2.47 | Midwest |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 15.3 | 1.73 | Northeast |
| 24 | Florida | 15.1 | 2.16 | South |
| 25 | Colorado | 14.8 | 2.77 | West |
| 26 | Connecticut | 14.4 | 2.27 | Northeast |
| 27 | Arizona | 14.3 | 2.56 | West |
| 28 | North Dakota | 14.2 | 2.65 | Midwest |
| 29 | Ohio | 14.1 | 2.25 | Midwest |
| 30 | Iowa | 14.0 | 2.23 | Midwest |
| 31 | Maryland | 13.9 | 2.59 | South |
| 32 | Missouri | 13.8 | 2.46 | Midwest |
| 32 | Massachusetts | 13.8 | 2.27 | Northeast |
| 34 | Utah | 13.7 | 3.21 | West |
| 35 | Virginia | 13.2 | 2.52 | South |
| 36 | California | 13.1 | 2.52 | West |
| 36 | New Mexico | 13.1 | 2.40 | West |
| 36 | Hawaii | 13.1 | 2.13 | West |
| 39 | Illinois | 12.9 | 2.41 | Midwest |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 12.9 | 2.41 | Northeast |
| 41 | North Carolina | 12.5 | 2.77 | South |
| 42 | New York | 12.3 | 2.80 | Northeast |
| 43 | Kansas | 12.2 | 3.13 | Midwest |
| 44 | Michigan | 12.1 | 2.66 | Midwest |
| 44 | Minnesota | 12.1 | 2.53 | Midwest |
| 46 | Montana | 11.7 | 2.75 | West |
| 46 | South Carolina | 11.7 | 2.66 | South |
| 48 | Idaho | 11.2 | 3.48 | West |
| 49 | New Jersey | 11.0 | 3.04 | Northeast |
| 50 | Wisconsin | 10.8 | 2.78 | Midwest |
| 51 | Maine | 10.0 | 2.37 | Northeast |
Read the divorce-rate column as risk and the marriages-per-divorce column as churn. A state can have a middling divorce rate but a very high ratio (Utah, Idaho) because so many people there are marrying in the first place.
The margins of error matter for the close ranks in the middle of the table, so treat one or two places apart as a tie. The top and bottom of the list are statistically clear.
Why do divorce rates vary so much by state?
Age at first marriage is the strongest single predictor. Marrying in the early twenties carries far higher divorce odds than marrying in the late twenties or thirties, so states with younger marriage ages, common across the South and Mountain West, see more divorce.
Economics compounds it. Financial stress is a leading source of marital conflict, so lower-income states tend to have higher divorce rates even when marriage is culturally encouraged.
Nevada is a special case. Its rate is inflated slightly by people who move there or marry there, but the refined rate, which counts residents, still puts it near the top for genuine reasons.
Crude rate or refined rate: which should you trust?
This is why state rankings disagree across websites. A retirement-heavy or marriage-light state can look low on the crude rate simply because fewer residents are married, not because married couples there are more stable.
A second wrinkle: the CDC's crude rate excludes five states, including California, that do not report divorces. The ACS-based refined rate covers every state, which is why we use it for a national ranking.
Do state divorce laws explain the differences?
No-fault divorce is universal: New York was the last state to adopt it, in 2010. What still varies is friction. Waiting or cooling-off periods range from none to a year, and residency requirements differ, which is why Nevada, with one of the shortest residency rules, earned its "divorce destination" reputation.
A handful of states (Arkansas, Arizona, and Louisiana) offer covenant marriage, a harder-to-exit option, but take-up is tiny and has no measurable effect on state rates. The refined rate counts residents, so quick-divorce tourism does not distort it.
The practical takeaway: where you divorce changes the process and the paperwork, not your odds. For one state's process in detail, see our guide to filing for divorce in Texas without a lawyer.
Which states have the most marriages per divorce?
The marriage-to-divorce ratio rose nationally to 2.42 in 2024, its highest level since the ACS began tracking it in 2008. It is a useful health check on marriage, but it is shaped by the marriage rate as much as the divorce rate, so it is best read alongside the refined rate, not instead of it.
What are the regional patterns?
These regional gaps track the underlying drivers. The Northeast and upper Midwest combine later marriage and higher education, while the South pairs early marriage with lower median incomes.
The pattern is stable year to year, so a state near the top or bottom in 2024 was very likely there in 2023 too. For the national trend behind these state numbers, see our US divorce statistics hub.
Methodology and how to cite this page
All state rates are the refined divorce rate, defined as the number of women who divorced in the past 12 months per 1,000 married women aged 15 and older, from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University (family profiles FP-25-31 and FP-25-32), based on the US Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey one-year estimates. The marriages-per-divorce column is the same source's marriage-divorce ratio.
Two limitations are worth stating. Survey-based rates carry margins of error, so adjacent ranks in the middle of the table should be treated as ties. And the figures are for 2024, the most recent year released; this page is reviewed when the 2025 profiles are published, typically in late 2026.
Cite or reuse this data. Every chart and table here may be reproduced with attribution and a link. Suggested citation: AI Lawyer, "Divorce Rate by State," June 2026, https://ailawyer.pro/blog/divorce-rate-by-state.
Frequently asked questions
Which state has the highest divorce rate?
Oklahoma had the highest refined divorce rate in 2024 at 20.7 divorces per 1,000 married women, followed by Nevada, Mississippi, Wyoming, and Alabama.
Which state has the lowest divorce rate?
Maine had the lowest refined divorce rate in 2024 at 10.0 divorces per 1,000 married women, followed by Wisconsin, New Jersey, Idaho, and a tie between Montana and South Carolina.
Does Nevada have the highest divorce rate?
Nevada is second, not first. Its refined divorce rate was 19.9 per 1,000 married women in 2024, just behind Oklahoma at 20.7. Nevada's reputation comes partly from its easy marriage and divorce procedures, but the resident rate is genuinely high.
Why do divorce rates differ by state?
The biggest factors are the age at which people marry, education, income, and cultural norms. States with younger marriages and lower incomes tend to divorce more, while states with later marriage and higher college attainment divorce less.
Why do different websites show different state divorce rates?
Because they use different measures. The refined rate counts divorces per 1,000 married women, the crude rate counts divorces per 1,000 total population, and some sources mix in older data or exclude non-reporting states. This page uses the refined rate, which demographers consider the most accurate.
What is the US divorce rate by state in 2026?
The most recent state data is from 2024, because the American Community Survey lags about two years. The US average was 14.2 divorces per 1,000 married women, ranging from 10.0 in Maine to 20.7 in Oklahoma.
This page is general information, not legal advice. If you are weighing a divorce, AI Lawyer can walk you through the process. Go deeper with the national US divorce statistics hub, how much a divorce lawyer costs, how to file for divorce without a lawyer, and the free property division calculator and divorce step-by-step guide.
Sources and references
NCFMR FP-25-31, Refined Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024. NCFMR FP-25-32, Marriage-Divorce Ratio in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024. NCFMR, Charting Marriage and Divorce in the U.S.: The Refined Divorce Rate, 2008-2024.
NCFMR FP-25-31 full profile, refined divorce rate by state (PDF, 2024). CDC NCHS FastStats, Marriage and Divorce. CDC, National Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends, 2000-2023 (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Divorce Rates Down, Marriage Rates Stagnant, 2012-2022 (Oct 2024). Pew Research Center, 8 Facts About Divorce in the United States (Oct 2025).