Divorce Statistics in the United States

It seems like statistics on divorce are everywhere and quoted by everyone. You can’t read or hear about
divorce without hearing someone quote some out-of-context statistic about how common it is in the United States, how many people get divorced, what the divorce rate is, and on and on. But what do any of these numbers mean?  More often than not, the person telling you about it isn’t an expert, and you may be left with many questions about the actual numbers about divorce in this country.

Perhaps the most frequently cited statistic about divorce is that roughly 50% of American marriages end in it. But, as Mark Twain pointed out, worse than lies are statistics. It’s a very misleading number. After all, what does it mean? While it is estimated that of all the marriages in 2008, roughly 46% involved a second marriage for at least one of the partners, and that in the same year, roughly 40% of marriages ended in divorce. Marriages are four times more likely to end in divorce now than they were in the 1950s.

These numbers sound rather grim, but they only tell part of the story. First of all, subsequent marriages have a much higher divorce rate than first-time marriages. Second marriages end in divorce 60% of the time, while third marriages end 70% of the time, meaning that serial spouses get incrementally more times the statistical weight given to people who marry only once. Additionally, Americans marry younger than many other Western societies, and as a result see a much higher divorce rate; while the overall divorce rate for first-time marriages is 41%, people who are under 24 when they get married have a 50% divorce rate.

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Each marriage is different, and yours isn’t just a statistic. If you believe divorce may be the right decision for you, contact the West Palm Beach divorce lawyers of Eric N. Klein & Associates, P.A., by calling 561-353-2800 today.