Which States Have the Lowest Divorce Rates?
Good news for East Coasters
No married person will tell you that keeping the knot tied is easy, but hard work notwithstanding, one key to a lasting union might just be geographic location.
According to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, your marriage might have a better chance of enduring if you reside somewhere in the northeastern part of the country.
The Bureau released the 2011 American Community Survey just last month, and in it, New Jersey was revealed as the state with the lowest percentage of residents 18 and older who are divorced, the New York Times reports. New York came in at a close second.
In New Jersey, just 9.1 percent of adults are divorced, compared with almost 52 percent of its residents 18 and older who are married. Susan L. Brown, co-director of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, told the Times:
“The composition of New Jersey married individuals is quite favorable across several indicators, providing some evidence for the low divorce rate."
Naomi Cahn, a professor at George Washington University Law School, further explained the data:
"Marriages are more likely to last for longer periods of time when people marry at an older age, have a higher education and earn more, and New Jersey scores high on these three criteria. New Jerseyans are more likely than residents of most states to delay marriage until after they complete college and graduate school. There are fewer divorces in New Jersey because there are fewer risk factors.”
Basically, New Jersey residents are likely to postpone marriage until they're "emotionally and financially ready," as Deborah Carr, a sociology professor at Rutgers, puts it.
The same must be true for residents of New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Massachusetts, as those states all ranked low in percentages of divorced adults. In fact, from New York down to South Carolina, the East Coast in general had a rate of less than 12 percent. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois also saw low percentages.
And Nevada may be the state of the quickie wedding, but when it comes to lasting marriages, couples don't fare so well. Nevada had the highest percentage of divorce, at 14.7. Wyoming, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee were all over 13.5 percent.
The state of the economy has also played a key role in U.S. divorce rates. Mel Schwartz, a psychotherapist who has studied and written on the topic of divorce, told The Heart Beat:
"Divorce is far less a stigma than it used to be. However, the current economic conditions may force many people to remain unhappily married due to financial constraints."
And that would explain why divorce is less common in New Jersey than the rest of the country. As Carr told the Times:
"New Jersey is among the wealthier states in the nation, and economic stability also contributes to marital stability.”
Bing: Which A-list actor is currently embroiled in a divorce?
Photo: Vstock LLC/Getty Images
More Sex & Love on MSN Living:
10 Reasons He Hasn't Asked You to Marry Him
10 Things He Should Do to Make You Happy
What His Date Style Says About Him
8 Words That Give a Liar Away
6 Fascinating Facts About Exes
|
|
| Tags: | divorce |
fashion: trends & must-haves for your wardrobe
-
Shoe envy
Step into spring with style in June Ambrose's new shoe line for HSN.
-
Office remix
Revamp your corporate look with graphic prints and bold color.
-
6 how-tos for younger-looking hair
You may not get wrinkles on your hair, but it ages all the same. Grays, dullness, thinning strands, and frizz are all (unfortunately) part of the hair’s aging process, which starts happening in your 30s. The good news is that you don’t need Botox to fix these problems. Here are six tips for hair that’s shiny, bouncy, healthy—and, yes, younger looking.
-
Michelle Oh!
Our fashion-savvy FLOTUS shows us she is truly a master at mixing high- and low-end designs.
-
Hairstyle of the day
Long, layered, medium or wavy – we’re sharing our favorite hairstyles of 2013 with a new ‘do each day. Stuck in a hair rut? Check back daily for snappy new looks that are sure to give your locks some beauty inspiration.
-
Summer nail art
Get ready for summer with these cute and easy to DIY nail art designs.
-
Ugliest wedding dresses of all time
Brides, it’s your big day and you want to look special. Please, whatever you do, don’t wear one of these wedding dresses. These are truly the worst.
-
The ugliest bridesmaid dresses of all time
Even if you’re the best friend of all time, no bridesmaid should ever have to wear these worst-ever bridesmaid dresses. Lace, ruffles and satin overload!
-
The most flattering hair ideas for every age
As your face changes, so should your hair—the right cut can shave years from your appearance. And while there’s no such thing as an age-appropriate length, there are age-appropriate styles. Here, the 30 most gorgeous hairstyles for every age, as seen on Mila Kunis, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Aniston, Diane Keaton, and more.
-
The most iconic workwear of all time
Stuck in a office-look-rut? Let some of history's most smartly dressed women inspire your everyday uniform.
-
25 of the prettiest Cannes Film Festival dresses of all time
Few spots are as fashionable as the Cannes Film Festival red carpet. Celebrity style stars pull out all the stops—because if you can’t wear a fabulous dress at one of the film industry’s biggest events, in one of the world’s most glamorous locales, when can you? Here are 25 of the masterpieces we still can’t stop staring at.
-
Kate Middleton’s maternity style
From demure dresses to covetable coats, the Duchess of Cambridge has a maternity wardrobe that would make any grown woman wish she could be a princess. Click through the gallery to see some of her most stylish looks while pregnant.
