If you are considering divorce, you are not alone. The well-cited statistic that approximately one-half of first marriages end in divorce still holds true. These couples were typically married eight years. And it seems that couples on their second marriage who later divorced were also typically married for eight years. While experts can’t seem to agree on any proof for the phenomenon, perhaps there is something to the seven-year itch.
You can find plenty of stats on the marital status of Americans in this infographic, compiled by Credit Donkey from information from several sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau.
When it comes to finances, men tended to have higher incomes. A third of men divorcing in 2009 had an income of $75,000 or more while 30 percent of women earned between $25,000 and $49,999. To avoid taking a financial hit, 15 percent of couples chose long-term separation (10 years or more) instead of divorce. Many of these couples had young children and were in a low-income bracket.
For no reason I can discern, the states with the highest divorce rates are Alaska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama. I found stats on the states that have the highest percentage of the population that is divorced. The number one state is Nevada, where 14.5 percent of the population was divorced as of 2012. Considering you can get married in a drive-through wedding in Las Vegas and prostitution is legal in certain areas, that may come as no big surprise.
The age at which you get married may determine your odds of making it to the 10th anniversary. Couples who were younger than 20 only had a 20 percent chance of making it 10 years. That number increased to 69 percent when the husband and wife were 20-24. And those who were 25 or older had a 78 percent chance of celebrating the big 10.
Being a religious person increased those odds as well. The non-religious people had a 61 percent chance of making it 10 years, 65 percent for Protestants, 73 percent for Catholics, and 75 percent for other religions.
These numbers and statistics are interesting but the most important thing about your marriage is how you and your spouse are doing. A lot of factors come into play there and it would be hard to make an infographic out of that.
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