The Most Expensive States To Get a Divorce

Happy woman in the city looking up into the sky.
Happy woman in the city looking up into the sky.

It’s common to hear that half of all marriages end in divorce. However, the divorce rate is actually going down. The rate was at its highest in 1979, with 22.8 divorces per 1,000 people, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green University. As of 2017, there were only 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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That’s good news for people looking to tie the knot, because the cost of getting a divorce is staggering. In addition to the fees associated with filing for divorce, attorneys’ fees vary greatly by state and can cost almost $14,000. Many Americans may struggle to afford these fees, hindering their ability to leave a potentially toxic marriage.

At the same time, it’s cheaper to file for divorce in some states compared to others. If you think that divorce is a possibility down the line, it’s smart to understand the potential impact on your finances. That’s why GOBankingRates analyzed data from DivorceWriter.com and Lawyers.com to find the average divorce filing fees and attorneys’ fees in all 50 states. Note that some states charge flat rates; however, many states have filing fees that vary by county. For states that don’t have a flat rate, the average of local divorce filing fees was used. It’s also important to know that the cost of getting a divorce can depend on whether you share children or property with your ex.

Last updated: Dec. 16, 2020

San Francisco California skyline at sunset
San Francisco California skyline at sunset

1. California

  • Average divorce filing fee: $435

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $13,800

Read: Most Expensive Divorces To Rock Hollywood

Connecticut
Connecticut

2. Connecticut

  • Average divorce filing fee: $360

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,200

Tips: 40 Secrets Only Divorce Attorneys Know

Orlando, Florida, FHA, insurance, real estate, homebuyers, foreclosure, single-family, home median price, mortgage, down payment
Orlando, Florida, FHA, insurance, real estate, homebuyers, foreclosure, single-family, home median price, mortgage, down payment

3. Florida

  • Average divorce filing fee: $380

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,700

Personal Experience: How My Divorce Changed the Way I Used Credit Cards

Photo of downtown Dallas in the morning.
Photo of downtown Dallas in the morning.

4. Texas

  • Average divorce filing fee: $300

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,400

Newark New Jersey skyline viewed from Eagle Rock reservation under an orange sunset.
Newark New Jersey skyline viewed from Eagle Rock reservation under an orange sunset.

5. New Jersey

  • Average divorce filing fee: $300

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,300

New York City financial district on the Hudson River at dawn.
New York City financial district on the Hudson River at dawn.

6. New York

  • Average divorce filing fee: $210

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $13,500

Minnesota
Minnesota

7. Minnesota

  • Average divorce filing fee: $405

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,000

Seattle Washington
Seattle Washington

8. Washington

  • Average divorce filing fee: $314

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,600

Salt Lake City capital building at dusk
Salt Lake City capital building at dusk

9. Utah

  • Average divorce filing fee: $320

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,400

Related: Merge Your Finances the Smart Way When You Get Married

City of Chicago downtown and Lake Michigan at dusk.
City of Chicago downtown and Lake Michigan at dusk.

10. Illinois

  • Average divorce filing fee: $289

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,900

Oregon
Oregon

11. Oregon

  • Average divorce filing fee: $325

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,000

New Orleans paddle steamer in Mississippi river in New Orleans,   Louisiana.
New Orleans paddle steamer in Mississippi river in New Orleans, Louisiana.

12. Louisiana

  • Average divorce filing fee: $325

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,000

How Long $1 Million Will Last in Retirement in Every State, Massachusetts, States, USA, United States of America, america, horizonta
How Long $1 Million Will Last in Retirement in Every State, Massachusetts, States, USA, United States of America, america, horizonta

13. Massachusetts

  • Average divorce filing fee: $200

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,600

Pennsylvania-Philadelphia
Pennsylvania-Philadelphia

14. Pennsylvania

  • Average divorce filing fee: $250

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,300

Denver-Colorado
Denver-Colorado

15. Colorado

  • Average divorce filing fee: $230

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,400

Delaware
Delaware

16. Delaware

  • Average divorce filing fee: $155

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,800

Athens, Georgia, USA - August 3, 2017: People visit the historic Georgia Theatre at dusk.
Athens, Georgia, USA - August 3, 2017: People visit the historic Georgia Theatre at dusk.

17. Georgia

  • Average divorce filing fee: $200

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,600

Tucson, Arizona, USA downtown skyline with Sentinel Peak at dusk.
Tucson, Arizona, USA downtown skyline with Sentinel Peak at dusk.

18. Arizona

  • Average divorce filing fee: $256

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,300

Las Vegas skyline at sunset.
Las Vegas skyline at sunset.

19. Nevada

  • Average divorce filing fee: $225

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,800

Nashville,TN Dawn Aerial.
Nashville,TN Dawn Aerial.

20. Tennessee

  • Average divorce filing fee: $264

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,900

Cincinnati Skyline at sunset.
Cincinnati Skyline at sunset.

21. Ohio

  • Average divorce filing fee: $263

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,900

A foggy and colorful sunrise in Charlotte, North Carolina during the morning rush hour traffic.
A foggy and colorful sunrise in Charlotte, North Carolina during the morning rush hour traffic.

22. North Carolina

  • Average divorce filing fee: $230

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,300

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA townscape.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA townscape.

23. New Hampshire

  • Average divorce filing fee: $251

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,700

Montgomery, Alabama, USA with the State Capitol at dawn.
Montgomery, Alabama, USA with the State Capitol at dawn.

24. Alabama

  • Average divorce filing fee: $225

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,900

Roanoke, Virginia, USA downtown skyline.
Roanoke, Virginia, USA downtown skyline.

25. Virginia

  • Average divorce filing fee: $150

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,500

Read More: How To Safely Divorce During the Pandemic

A long exposure of the Detroit skyline as seen from across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
A long exposure of the Detroit skyline as seen from across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

26. Michigan

  • Average divorce filing fee: $203

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,200

Traffic moving on Howard Street at twilight, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Traffic moving on Howard Street at twilight, in Baltimore, Maryland.

27. Maryland

  • Average divorce filing fee: $165

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,000

Hawaii's Kauai and palm trees in dramatic sky at Sunset
Hawaii's Kauai and palm trees in dramatic sky at Sunset

28. Hawaii

  • Average divorce filing fee: $240

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,200

Sunrise overlooking downtown Oklahoma City.
Sunrise overlooking downtown Oklahoma City.

29. Oklahoma

  • Average divorce filing fee: $213

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,800

St.
St.

30. Missouri

  • Average divorce filing fee: $170

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,600

Providence, Rhode Island, USA park and skyline.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA park and skyline.

31. Rhode Island

  • Average divorce filing fee: $160

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,400

32. Alaska

  • Average divorce filing fee: $150

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,300

Find Out: The Most (and Least) Expensive States To Have a Child

Des Moines Iowa skyline with bridge at sunset
Des Moines Iowa skyline with bridge at sunset

33. Iowa

  • Average divorce filing fee: $185

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,300

Center of Boise Idaho as seen from above at night.
Center of Boise Idaho as seen from above at night.

34. Idaho

  • Average divorce filing fee: $207

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,800

Wisconsin state capital in Madison at sunset
Wisconsin state capital in Madison at sunset

35. Wisconsin

  • Average divorce filing fee: $200

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,900

Myrtle Beach South Carolina beach homes
Myrtle Beach South Carolina beach homes

36. South Carolina

  • Average divorce filing fee: $150

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,000

Burlington Vermont
Burlington Vermont

37. Vermont

  • Average divorce filing fee: $193

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,900

Keeper of the Plains Indian in Wichita, Kansas.
Keeper of the Plains Indian in Wichita, Kansas.

38. Kansas

  • Average divorce filing fee: $177

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,600

Indianapolis Indiana skyline at dusk
Indianapolis Indiana skyline at dusk

39. Indiana

  • Average divorce filing fee: $153

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,000

Little Rock Arkansas
Little Rock Arkansas

40. Arkansas

  • Average divorce filing fee: $150

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,800

City view.
City view.

41. Montana

  • Average divorce filing fee: $238

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $6,600

Charleston West Virginia skylie
Charleston West Virginia skylie

42. West Virginia

  • Average divorce filing fee: $160

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,200

Did You Know? 21 Careers That Are More Likely To Lead To Divorce

Lake in a park in downtown Omaha at dawn.
Lake in a park in downtown Omaha at dawn.

43. Nebraska

  • Average divorce filing fee: $158

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,200

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA downtown skyline at dusk.
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA downtown skyline at dusk.

44. New Mexico

  • Average divorce filing fee: $145

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,400

Casco Bay Bridge spans Fore River connecting South Portland and Portland in Maine.
Casco Bay Bridge spans Fore River connecting South Portland and Portland in Maine.

45. Maine

  • Average divorce filing fee: $120

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,800

Frankfort, Kentucky, USA town skyline on the Kentucky River at dusk.
Frankfort, Kentucky, USA town skyline on the Kentucky River at dusk.

46. Kentucky

  • Average divorce filing fee: $150

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,100

PIERRE, SD - JULY 9, 2018: South Dakota Capital Building along Capitol Lake in Pierre, SD at sunset.
PIERRE, SD - JULY 9, 2018: South Dakota Capital Building along Capitol Lake in Pierre, SD at sunset.

47. South Dakota

  • Average divorce filing fee: $95

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,600

Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.
Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.

48. Wyoming

  • Average divorce filing fee: $70

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,000

Biloxi, Mississippi, USA - April 6, 2012: Nighttime view of the Biloxi strip including the Hard Rock and Beau Rivage casinos.
Biloxi, Mississippi, USA - April 6, 2012: Nighttime view of the Biloxi strip including the Hard Rock and Beau Rivage casinos.

49. Mississippi

  • Average divorce filing fee: $63

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,700

Fargo, North Dakota, USA - June 12, 2017: Daytime view of the Fargo Theatre along Broadway N in the Downtown Historic District.
Fargo, North Dakota, USA - June 12, 2017: Daytime view of the Fargo Theatre along Broadway N in the Downtown Historic District.

50. North Dakota

  • Average divorce filing fee: $80

  • Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,200

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: These findings are the result of a GOBankingRates study of divorce fees and conditions in all 50 states. The study used two fundamental criteria to generate a ranking for all 50 states: (1) court fee to file a divorce, collected from local court sites and online fee schedules by DivorceWriter.com (some states have flat rates, but most have filing fees that vary locally by county, sourced from individual state and county court websites; for states that don’t have a flat rate, the average of local divorce filing fees was taken), and (2) average attorneys’ fees, sourced from Lawyers.com. All data used to conduct this study was sourced on Jan. 24, 2019.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Most Expensive States To Get a Divorce