Divorce rates are not the same across all demographic groups in the United States. Although a commonly cited statistic is that 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, this is actually not an accurate figure. Real divorce statistics are much more nuanced and can vary widely between socioeconomic groups and according to other factors, like how old both members of a couple were when they married.
Studying divorce data can tell us a lot about the trends that drive marriages and divorces. Take a look at some of the statistics collected by the 2014 American Community Survey to gain a better understanding of divorce in America.
According to the survey, 29 percent of women and 28 percent of men with bachelor's degrees had divorced or married more than once, compared to 39 percent of men and 37 percent of women whose educational attainment levels were high school or less.
Using the same data, we can see that Native Americans have the highest divorce rate among the participants surveyed, with 45 percent of men and 44 percent of women having been divorced or married more than once. The racial group with the lowest divorce rate was Asian-Americans, with only 18 percent of women and 16 percent of men reporting that they have been divorced or married more than once. For white Americans, 38 percent of women and 36 percent of men had been divorced or married more than once, and for black Americans, this figure was 42 percent for both genders. Among Latinos, 30 percent of women and 27 percent of men had been divorced or married more than once.
Divorce demographics go beyond racial and educational lines. Other factors, like individuals' careers and even the region within the US where they live, can correlate with a couple's likelihood of divorce.
The 2011 edition of the American Community Survey found that New Jersey had the lowest divorce rate in the nation, with other northeastern states not far behind. Low divorce rates in these states were attributed to demographic factors about their residents, like New Jerseyans' above-average college completion rate and tendency to delay marriage until their late 20s or beyond. Southern states tended to have higher divorce rates than states in other regions.
Do not assume that being part of a certain demographic means your marriage is doomed to end – or that your marriage is divorce-proof. People are individuals and all marriages are unique; statistics like those used in this blog post can only show us trends and help us parse out the reasons why certain marriages have a higher chance of ending in divorce than others. To learn more about the divorce process and what you can expect from it, speak with an experienced Orlando divorce lawyer. Schedule your initial consultation with the Law Offices of Steve W. Marsee, P.A. today.