Texas Ranks Among States With the Least Divorces

They say things are bigger in Texas, but one area where that doesn’t apply is the percentage of Texans getting a divorce each year. Texas ranks 44th out of 46 states that supply data, as only Illinois and Massachusetts have lower rates.

April 14 is National Ex-Spouse’s Day. While it’s not likely people are buying flowers for their former flame, one must wonder just how many out there are feeling the burn.

BetTexas.com, home to coverage of Texas sports betting, used data from the National Center for Health Statistics to determine the states with the highest and lowest divorce rates. The figures for the divorce rate are per 1,000 women in 2021, the latest year for which the data has been compiled by the Center.

States Ranked By Divorce Rate

Rank State Divorce Rate
1Nevada4.2
2Oklahoma3.8
3Wyoming3.7
T4Alabama3.6
T4Arkansas3.6
T6Florida3.4
T6Idaho3.4
T8Kentucky3.3
T8Mississippi3.3
T8Tennessee3.3
T8Utah3.3
12North Carolina3.2
T13Alaska3.1
T13Virginia3.1
15Colorado3.0
T16Missouri2.9
T16North Dakota2.9
T16Washington2.9
T16West Virginia2.9
T20Arizona2.7
T20Maine2.7
T20Oregon2.7
T20Rhode Island2.7
T24Delaware2.6
T24District of Columbia2.6
T24Nebraska2.6
T24New Hampshire2.6
T24Ohio2.6
T29Connecticut2.5
T29Montana2.5
T29South Dakota2.5
T32Pennsylvania2.4
T32South Carolina2.4
T34Iowa2.3
T34Michigan2.3
T34Vermont2.3
T37Georgia2.2
T37Louisiana2.2
T37New Jersey2.2
T37New York2.2
41Wisconsin2.1
42Kansas1.9
43Maryland1.6
44Texas1.4
45Illinois1.3
46Massachusetts1.0
* — NCHS data does not include divorce rates for California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, or New Mexico.

When betting becomes legal in the state, come to BetTexas.com for Texas sportsbook promos.

Texas is No-Fault Divorce State

The Texas divorce rate is 1.4 per 1,000 according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Conversely, Texas is in the middle of the rankings in marriage rates at 5.8 per 1,000.

Texas is a no-fault state when it comes to divorce, which means you don’t have to cite fault on one side of the relationship to obtain the divorce. According to Conaster Family Law in Dallas, the most common reason cited for divorce in Texas is insupportability, otherwise known as irreconcilable differences.

Apparently, married couples in Texas do a much better job of getting along with each other than just about anywhere else in the country.

The other two no-fault reasons for obtaining a divorce are living apart for more than three years and being confined to a mental institution for more than three years.

Texas has four fault-grounds for divorce that are fairly similar to other states: Cruelty, Adultery, Felony Conviction and Abandonment.

The Mims Ballew Hollingsworth Family Law firm in Fort Worth offers this breakdown for the top reasons for divorce in Texas for 2022, which are also credited to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Rank Reason % Cited
1Lack of commitment75%
2 Infidelity59.6%
3 Too much conflict, arguing57.7%
4Married too young45.1%
5 Financial problems36.7%
6Substance abuse36.7%
7Domestic violence23.5%

A big reason for Texas ranking so low in divorces might have something to do with how expensive it can be. A 2020 story by USA Today cites Texas with the fifth-highest cost of divorce without children at $15,600 and fifth-highest with children at $23,500.

So it seems that in Texas, either married couples have been doing a better job of getting along or economic times make it more sensible to keep trying to work things out. No matter the reason, there are fewer Texans celebrating National Ex-Spouse’s Day than just about everywhere else.

Author

Douglas Pils

Douglas Pils has been a sports journalist for 30 years in Texas, Arkansas and New York having worked for the San Antonio Express-News, the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Newsday. He most recently ran the Student Media Department at Texas A&M for eight years.

Cited by leading media organizations, such as: