Divorce Statistics (2026)
How common is divorce in the United States, how long do marriages last, and what happens to custody and child support afterward? This page collects the latest figures from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, the US Census Bureau and the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University.
Every statistic links to its source with a verbatim quote. Divorce rates are reported two ways: the CDC crude rate per 1,000 total population, and the refined rate per 1,000 married women, which is the measure used for state comparisons.
39 statistics, each linked to its source. Updated .
Key statistics
- In 2023, the US divorce rate was 2.4 divorces per 1,000 population across 45 reporting states and DC, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
- 2.4 per 1,000
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats - Marriage and Divorce
- In 2024, 14.2 out of every 1,000 married women in the US divorced, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University.
- 14.2 per 1,000 married women
- National Center for Family & Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, Refined Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024
- In 2024, the median duration of a first marriage ending in divorce was 14 years for US women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
- 14 years
- National Center for Family & Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, Duration of Marriage at First Divorce, 2008-2024
- In 2024, Oklahoma had the highest divorce rate of any state, at 20.7 divorces per 1,000 married women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
- 20.7 per 1,000
- National Center for Family & Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, Refined Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024
- In 2022, 24.5% of US custodial parents who were owed child support received no payments at all, according to the US Census Bureau.
- 24.5%
- U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
What is the divorce rate in the US?
In 2023, the US divorce rate was 2.4 divorces per 1,000 population across 45 reporting states and DC, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats - Marriage and Divorce
In 2023, 672,502 divorces were recorded in the 45 states and DC that report divorce data, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats - Marriage and Divorce
In 2000, the provisional US divorce rate was 4.0 per 1,000 population among reporting states, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
In 2024, 14.2 out of every 1,000 married women in the US divorced, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University.
In 2024, 986,810 US women divorced, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University.
In 2023, the first divorce rate for US women was 13.4 per 1,000 women in a first marriage, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2023, the first divorce rate for US men was 11.5 per 1,000 men in a first marriage, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2023, the refined divorce rate for US women aged 65 and older was 6.7 per 1,000 married women, up from 1.4 in 1990, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
What is the marriage rate in the US?
In 2023, the US marriage rate was 6.1 marriages per 1,000 total population, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats - Marriage and Divorce
In 2023, 2,041,926 marriages took place in the US, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics, FastStats - Marriage and Divorce
In 2000, the provisional US marriage rate was 8.2 per 1,000 total population, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics.
In 2024, 31.2 out of every 1,000 unmarried US women married, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University.
In 2024, there were 2.42 marriages for every divorce among US women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, the median age at first marriage in the US was 30.8 for men and 28.8 for women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
How long does the average marriage last before divorce?
In 2024, the median duration of a first marriage ending in divorce was 14 years for US women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, the median duration of a first marriage ending in divorce was 13 years for US men, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2023, the median age at first divorce in the US reached a historic high of 43.3 for men and 41.9 for women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
Which states have the highest and lowest divorce rates?
In 2024, Oklahoma had the highest divorce rate of any state, at 20.7 divorces per 1,000 married women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, Nevada had the second highest state divorce rate, at 19.9 divorces per 1,000 married women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, Maine had the lowest state divorce rate, at 10.0 divorces per 1,000 married women, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, 76% of states in the Southern region had high divorce rates (third or fourth quartile), according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, Washington, DC had the highest marriage-divorce ratio in the country, with 3.77 marriages per divorce, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
In 2024, Delaware had the lowest marriage-divorce ratio of any state, with 1.44 marriages per divorce, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
How common is remarriage after divorce?
In 2022, the US remarriage rate was 24.1 per 1,000 previously married adults, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
Who gets custody of children after divorce or separation?
In 2022, 13.9 million US parents lived with 22.2 million children under 21 whose other parent lived elsewhere, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, 27.1% of US children under 21 living in families had one parent living outside the household, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, 78.2% of US custodial parents were mothers, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, 48.1% of US custodial parents had an arrangement giving the other parent visitation privileges only, according to the US Census Bureau.
In 2022, 22.2% of US custodial parents shared both visitation and joint custody with the other parent, according to the US Census Bureau.
In 2022, 27.5% of US custodial parents had neither visitation nor joint legal or physical custody arrangements with the other parent, according to the US Census Bureau.
How much child support do custodial parents receive?
In 2022, 41.0% of US custodial parents had a court order or informal agreement to receive child support, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, 37.3% of US custodial parents had a legal child support agreement, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, 24.5% of US custodial parents who were owed child support received no payments at all, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, US custodial parents with child support agreements were owed an average of $6,390 per year, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, the median amount of child support owed to US custodial parents was $4,816 per year, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, US custodial parents were owed a total of $29.9 billion in child support, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, US custodial parents received $19.2 billion in child support payments, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
In 2022, the poverty rate for US families including a custodial parent was 20.7%, according to the US Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
Frequently asked questions
What is the current divorce rate in the US?
The CDC reports a 2023 divorce rate of 2.4 per 1,000 population across 45 reporting states and DC, with 672,502 divorces. Measured against married women, the 2024 refined divorce rate was 14.2 per 1,000, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
How long does the average marriage last before divorce?
In 2024, the median duration of a first marriage ending in divorce was 14 years for women and 13 years for men, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research.
Which state has the highest divorce rate?
Oklahoma had the highest divorce rate in 2024, at 20.7 divorces per 1,000 married women. Maine had the lowest, at 10.0.
How many parents receive the child support they are owed?
In 2022, 24.5% of custodial parents who were owed child support received no payments. Custodial parents were owed $29.9 billion in total and received $19.2 billion, according to the US Census Bureau.
How common is joint custody?
In 2022, 22.2% of custodial parents shared visitation and joint custody with the other parent, while 48.1% had visitation privileges only, according to US Census Bureau data.
Cite this page
You are welcome to use these statistics. Please cite the original source of each number and link to this page:
Oakclause. "Divorce Statistics (2026)." Updated October 2026. https://www.oakclause.com/statistics/divorce-statistics
How we compiled these statistics
Every number comes from a published source that we opened and checked, mostly government agencies, academic research and established surveys. Each statement names the year the data refers to, and we keep the newest edition we could find. We do not combine numbers from different sources into new figures. Read our editorial policy.
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