Are Married Couples in Michigan More Unhappy Than Most? Insights from National Divorce Rates

Researchers have sifted through divorce records to create a list of U.S. states where marriages are most likely to break down and those where couples are sticking it out.

The latest figures are from 2022 and come from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, in collaboration with Bowling Green State University in Ohio. The report, titled "Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2022," was authored by Jaden Loo in 2023.

Back in 1979, the divorce rate peaked at 22.6 per 1,000 married women, but it has been steadily declining since then. During the pandemic, divorce rates dropped by 12%, hitting a 40-year low with only 14 out of every 1,000 married women getting divorced in 2020—a number that stayed the same in 2021.

The 2022 numbers show a tiny uptick in divorces, climbing to 14.56 for every 1,000 married women, which means around 989,518 women officially ended their relationships that year. Even with that slight rise, the divorce rate is still below pre-pandemic levels, where it hovered over 15 per 1,000.

So How Do Michigan Marriages Fare?

Per Newsweek's map, Michigan's marriages are sticking it out fairly well! In 2022, they were below the national average with 12.89 women divorcing per 1,000.

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Which State Broke Off the Most Marriages?

It seems random, but Arkansas took the cake here. A whopping 23.7 women out of 1,000 got divorced in 2022. The next closest state was New Mexico at 20.56.

Which State Had the Fewest Divorces?

This one really shocked me, because my only knowledge of New Jersey relationships comes from the TV show The Real Housewives of New Jersey. But The Garden State had the lowest divorce rate in 2022 with just 10.41 women out of 1,000 getting divorced.

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The study also showed that January is the most common month for divorce. Revealing that holidays are often tough on couples, and some just want to have one last celebration as a family.