DIVORCE STATISTICS
"The recent 2002 CENSUS BUREAU DIVORCE STATISTICS suggest that 50% of all married couples in US will be seeking a DIVORCE ATTORNEY."
In Southern California the divorce rate is believed to be even higher, somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-75%.
The number of US divorces in 2000 was 957,200, compared to 944,317 in 1999, and 947,384 in 1998.
The number of divorced people in the population more than quadrupled from 4.3 million in 1970 to 18.3 million in 1996.
The number of US marriages in 2000 was 2,355,005, compared to 2,366,623 in 1999, and 2,267,854 in 1998.
The marriage rate has fallen nearly 30% since 1970 and the divorce rate has increased about 40%.
43% of first marriages end within 15 years.
The median duration of a marriage is 7.2 years.
Red states have a divorce rate 27% higher than blue states.
75% of all divorced people re-marry, half of them within three years.
65% of all second marriages fail.
80% of divorced men and 75% of women remarry whether or not they have children, most within 3 years.
ONE in TWELVE couples will be heading for a divorce court after 24 months - more than double the figure for 7 years.
Percentage of divorces due to irreconcilable differences in 1997: 80%
There are an estimated 1,075,000 children involved in divorce or 16.8 children per one thousand under the age of eighteen who are involved in their parents' divorce.
65% of divorces are initiated by women.
The median age at divorce is 35.6 for Males and 33.2 for females.
Women are generally more satisfied with their divorce settlements than men.
Five years after divorce when most men and women have remarried, women's household incomes increased slightly more above pre-divorce levels than those of their ex-husbands.
DIVORCE STATISTICS: The Numbers
Percentage of all householders who are unmarried in 2000: 48%
Number of married couples (2000): 56,497,000
Number of married people whose spouses are absent (2000):
Males: 1,365,000 (1.3%)
Females: 1,345,000 (1.2%)
People who have been widowed (2000):
Males: 2,604,000 (2.5%)
Females:11,061,000 (10%)
People who are divorced (2000):
Males: 8,572,000 (8.3%)
Females: 11,309,000 (10.2%)
People who are separated (2000):
Males: 1,818,000 (1.8%)
Females: 2,661,000 (2.4%)
Interracial married couples in 2000: 1,047,000
Children under 18 living in the household of their grandparents in 1998: 4 million (6%)
Families in which the child lived with two parents in 1997: 25.6 million
Single fathers maintaining their own household: 1.786 million
Single mothers maintaining their own household: 7.571 million
Single fathers living in the home of a relative: 240,000
Single mothers living in the home of a relative: 1.633 million
Single fathers who are divorced: 913,000
Single mothers who are divorced: 3.392 million
Single fathers never married: 693,000
Single mothers never married: 4.181 million
Single fathers raising one child: 1,300,000
Single mothers raising one child: 5.239 million
Single fathers raising four or more children: 55,000
Single mothers raising four or more children: 475,000
Percentage of children (by race) living in two-parent households in 1998:
White: 74%
Black: 36%
Hispanic: 64%
Percentage of children with single parents (by gender) earning under $12,500 in 1998:
Living with fathers: 17%
Living with mothers: 41%
DIVORCE STATISTICS: Marriage X Cohabitations
In terms of both divorce and marital happiness, marriages that were preceded by cohabitation are less successful than those that were not.
Probability of a first marriage ending in separation or divorce within 5 years: 20%.
Probability of a premarital cohabitation breaking up within 5 years: 49%.
After 10 years, the probability of a first marriage ending is 33 percent, compared with 62 percent for cohabitations.
The majority of couples marrying today have lived together first (53% of women's first marriages are preceded by cohabitation).
55% of different-sex cohabitors get married within 5 years of moving in together. 40% break up within that same time period. About 10% remain in an unmarried relationship five years or longer.
There are 9.7 million Americans living with an unmarried different-sex partner and 1.2 million American living with a same-sex partner. 11% of unmarried partners are same-sex couples.
More than 1/4 of Americans work for an employer that offers domestic partner benefits.
About 9,390 employers in the U.S. offer domestic partner health benefits for their employees.
The more successful the company, the greater the chance that it will offer DP benefits. Fifty-one percent of Fortune 500 companies offer DP health benefits, as do 80% of the Fortune 50.
90% of employers that offer domestic partner benefits make them available to both same-sex and different-sex couples.
The number of unmarried couples living together increased 72% between 1990 and 2000.
The number of unmarried couples living together has increased tenfold between 1960 and 2000.
44% of American adults are currently unmarried (Census Bureau 2000 data).
43% of people in their twenties believe that cohabiting couples should receive the same benefits as married couples.
There are 100 million single and unmarried adults in the U.S. (some living alone, some living with partners, families, roommates, etc.)
DIVORCE STATISTICS: Living Alone
As of 2000, the most common household type in the U.S. is people living alone. 27 million American households consist of a person living alone, compared to 25 million households with a husband, wife, and child.
For more divorce stats check reputable sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or other official government and research institutions that regularly publish updated information on marriage and divorce rates. These organizations often release annual reports or updates on demographic trends, including divorce statistics.
DIVORCE STATISTICS SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Health Statistics, Americans for Divorce Reform, American Association for Single People, Institute for Equality in Marriage, Ameristat, U.S. Divorce Statistics, Public Agenda.
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