You're More Likely to Get Divorced If You Live in This State

Stacey Ritzen
·2 min read

With close to half of all marriages ending in divorce, newlyweds today are already facing an uphill battle. But for those living in Arkansas, the looming threat of divorce is even greater.

This is according to U.S. Census data via Axios, which found that the divorce rate in Arkansas is 67 percent higher than the national average, with 11.5 divorces recorded per 1,000 residents in 2022 compared to the national average of 6.9 percent.

But while Arkansans may lead the country in divorces, it also has the highest record of marriages. Though marriage rates have generally declined in recent years after topping out at around 25 marriages per 1,000 people in the 2000s; in 2022, the state saw 19.5 marriages per 1,000 residents compared to 17.3 nationally.

The good news is that overall national divorce rates have also been on a "slow but steady decline" over the past 15 years. After finally falling below 10 divorces per 1,000 residents in 2009, those rates have yet to surpass double digits again as of 2022.

Perhaps one reasons is that people are waiting longer and are more prepared going into marriage, with about half of adults in America now saying that they are at least open to signing a prenuptial agreement. A Harris Poll survey likewise conducted for Axios in September found that 50 percent of U.S. adults "at least somewhat" support prenups, up from 42 percent the year before.

The reasons why people are getting divorces are unfortunately still all too familiar, though. Another recent poll found lack of family support impacted 43 percent of couples who decided to divorce, followed by infidelity or extramarital affairs (34 percent), lack of compatibility (31 percent), lack of intimacy (31 percent), too much conflict or arguing (31 percent), and financial stress (24 percent).

However, given the anecdotal evidence from the Arkansas data, one could also argue that the leading reason for getting divorced is getting married in the first place. Just a little something to take note of before you pop the big question!