A divorce is a legal getaway that gives the suppressed and suffering in a marriage a better chance at life and love.
But when divorce becomes too common and widely practiced, there ought to be something fundamentally wrong. What’s the reason behind so many divorces? That’s what we need to discover and strive to address.
The article will discuss the top ten cities in America with the highest divorce rates and five possible reasons why.
Top 10 Cities with Highest Divorce Rate
1. Albuquerque, NM
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 15.1%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 1.4%
- Percentage of adults now married: 39.8%
- Percentage of adults never married: 38.2%
2. Tulsa, OK
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 14.6%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.5%
- Percentage of adults now married: 42.2%
- Percentage of adults never married: 34.7%
3. Tucson, AZ
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 14.3%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.3%
- Percentage of adults now married: 35.7%
- Percentage of adults never married: 42.5%
4. Jacksonville, FL
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 14.0%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.2%
- Percentage of adults now married: 42.3%
- Percentage of adults never married: 35.8%
5. Las Vegas, NV
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 13.8%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.0%
- Percentage of adults now married: 43.8%
- Percentage of adults never married: 35.3%
6. Miami, FL
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 13.5%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 3.5%
- Percentage of adults now married: 36.8%
- Percentage of adults never married: 39.8%
7. Kansas City, MO
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 13.3%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.2%
- Percentage of adults now married: 39.7%
- Percentage of adults never married: 39.7%
8. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 13.0%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.0%
- Percentage of adults now married: 41.9%
- Percentage of adults never married: 36.6%
9. Oklahoma City, OK
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 12.9%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.3%
- Percentage of adults now married: 45.1%
- Percentage of adults never married: 34.2%
10. New Orleans, LA
- Percentage of adults currently divorced: 12.8%
- Percentage of adults now separated: 2.7%
- Percentage of adults now married: 28.5%
- Percentage of adults never married: 50.3%
Source: ChamberOfCommerce.org.
What Are The Possible Reasons for High Divorce Rates in These Cities?
Due to a lack of study, the specific reasons why divorce rates are high in these cities aren’t known. However, a survey shows five common causes of divorces across the US.
1. Lack of commitment
“It got to a point where it seemed like he was no longer really willing to work on the relationship.”
Lack of commitment is one of the most common reasons for divorce. Some participants reported that commitment within their relationships gradually eroded until there was not enough to sustain the relationship.
Others reported more drastic drops in commitment in response to adverse events, such as infidelity.
2. Infidelity
“It was the final straw when he actually admitted to cheating on me.”
Infidelity was the next most cited reason for divorce, and most participants viewed it as a final straw. Hence, other reasons piled up and eventually led to cheating, like constant conflict and arguing.
3. Too much conflict and arguing
“I got frustrated by arguing too much.”
Survey participants revealed that their conflicts were never resolved calmly or effectively — and only worsened over time.
They reported that their communication issues gradually increased in frequency, sometimes coinciding with lost feelings of positive connections and mutual support.
4. Early marrying
“I wish we would have waited a little bit longer before we actually got married.”
In the study, those that cited their age as a problem and primary reason for divorce were an average age of 23.3 years old at the time of marriage. Millennials are already addressing this factor and marrying later than boomers, which is cited as one of the reasons for their lower divorce rate.
In 1960, 59% of people between 18 and 29 were married. Fifty years later, in 2010, only 20% of that age group was married. In 2011, the average age of a man’s first marriage was 28.7, while the average age of a woman’s first marriage was 26.5.
5. Financial problems
“The stress of trying to figure out the finances became a wedge that was really insurmountable.”
Contrasting money personalities can also be a significant reason for conflict and stress in a relationship. For example, tensions can arise if one person is a spender, gets into debt, and the other is a saver, trying to build wealth.
It’s essential to find a way to use differing habits to complement each other. The saver can motivate and help the spender curb their splurging and pay off debt; the spender, on the other hand, can look after short-term expenses.
The Bottom Line
Although the cities are ranking high, overall, the divorce rate in America is falling, and the statistics of successful marriages are rising. Millennials are stepping into marriage more cautiously than boomers.
For example, they get married only when they find a suitable partner and reach a mature age when their education, career, and finances are all on the right track.
However, this hyper-caution spreads to all social classes and income groups, causing the poorer and less educated to decide against marrying.
Marriage has become a tool to achieve status rather than something that people do regardless of how they’re doing. Marriage is becoming a more exclusive institution for secure individuals.
In short, the divorce rate is decreasing, but marriage is becoming a luxury that only a few among thousands can afford to sustain.
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