| Marriage
& Divorce: |
| Total
divorces granted: |
1,163,000 |
Rate
per 1,000 population (1999):
(excluding CA, CO, IN and LA)
|
4.1 |
| State
with the lowest divorce rate: Massachusetts. Rate per 1,000 population: |
2.4 |
| State
with the higest divorce rate: Nevada. Rate per 1,000 population: |
9.0 |
| Current
number of divorced adults (1998): |
19,400,000
(9.8%) |
| Median
age at divorce: |
Males:
35.6
Females: 33.2 |
| Median
duration of marriage: |
7.2
years |
| Likelihood
of new marriages ending in divorce: |
43% |
| Percentage
of all householders who are unmarried (2000): |
48% |
| Percentage
of weddings which are remarriages for at least one partner: |
43% |
| Percentage
of first marriages that end in divorce: |
50% |
| Percentage
of remarriages that end in divorce: |
60% |
| Estimated
average cost of divorce: |
$15,000 |
| Estimated
average length of divorce proceedings: |
1
year |
| Adults
married and living with one another in 1998: |
110.6
million (56%) |
| Adults
between 25 and 34 years old never married in 1998: |
14
million (35%) |
| Percentage
of African American adults in this age group never married in 1998: |
53% |
| Percentage
of women 65 years old and over who were widows in 1998: |
45% |
| Percentage
of elderly widows living alone in 1998: |
70% |
| Percentage
of households occupied by one person in 2000: |
26% |
| Percentage
of population (by area of US) who had never married in 1999: |
Midwest: 28%
Northeast: 28%
South: 26%
West: 29%
|
| People
(by gender) who had never married in 1998: |
Males:
58,633,000 (58% of men)
Females: 59,333,000 (55% of women) |
| People
who were married in 1998: |
Males:
31,591,000 (31% of men)
Females: 26,713,000 (25% of women) |
| People
who had been widowed in 1998: |
Males:
2,569,000 (2% of men)
Females:11,029,000 (10% of women) |
| People
who were divorced in 1998: |
Males:
8,331,000 (8%)
Females: 11,093,000 (10%) |
| Median
age at first marriage in 1998: |
Males:
26.7
Females: 25 |
| Average
age at first divorce: |
Males:
35
Females: 33 |
| Average
age of those divorcing from their second marriages: |
Males:
42
Females: 39 |
| Interracial
married couples in 1998: |
1,348,000 |
| Average
age of marriage: |
Males:
28.7
Females: 25.9 |
| Number
of cohabiting couples in 1998: |
4.2
million |
| Number
of people divorcing each year: |
2.5
million |
| Average
length of first marriages which end in divorce: |
11
years |
| Drop
in standard of living of females after divorce, as of 2000: |
45% |
| Number
of women who are stalked by a husband or ex-husband every year: |
380,000 |
|
Number of men who
are stalked by a wife or ex-wife every year:
|
52,000 |
| People
aged 25 to 39 make up 60% of all divorces, as of 1993. |
|
|
To download a PDF
file from the National Center for Health Statistics listing the number of
marriages and divorces state-by-state, click here.
|
|
| Click
here for a state-by-state ranking of divorce rates. |
|
| Children/Single
parents: |
|
| Number
of children in new divorces each year: |
1
million |
| Percentage
of parents who had never married in 1998: |
Males:
35%
Females: 42% |
| Percentage
of households which were family households in 1998: |
69% |
| Percentage
of family households containing children under 18 in 1998: |
49% |
| Percentage
of married householders with kids in 2000: |
24% |
| Percentage
of family households with children with only one parent in 1998: |
27% |
| Percentage
of all households run by single moms in 1999: |
9% |
| Number
of adults living in a home maintained by one or both parents in 1998: |
22
million |
| Number
of single parents in 1998: |
Males:
2.1 million (5% of parent-child families)
Females: 9.8 million |
| Estimated
number of children involved in divorce: |
1,075,000 |
| Rate
per 1,000 population children under 18 involved in divorce: |
16.8 |
| Children
under 18 years of age living with just one parent in 1998: |
20
million (28%) |
| Percentage
of children in single-parent homes living with their mother in 1998: |
84% |
| Percentage
of children living with single parents for whom no other adults were
present in the household in 1998: |
56% |
| Children
under 18 living in the household of their grandparents in 1998: |
4
million (6%) |
| Total
families in which the child lived with two parents: |
25.6
million |
| Total
single fathers maintaining their own household: |
1.68
million |
| Total
single fathers living in the home of a relative: |
240,000 |
| Total
single fathers who were divorced: |
920,000 |
| Total
single fathers who had never married: |
640,000 |
| Total
single fathers who were separated: |
260,000 |
| Total
single fathers raising one child: |
1,220,000 |
| Total
single fathers raising three or more children: |
200,000 |
| Percentage
of children (by race) living in two-parent households in 1998: |
White:
74%
Black: 36%
Hispanic: 64% |
| Percentage
of children living with one parent who lived with a divorced parent: |
38% |
| Percentage
of children living with one parent who lived with a never-married parent: |
35% |
| Percentage
of children living with one parent who lived with a separated parent: |
19% |
| Percentage
of children living with one parent who lived with a widowed parent: |
4% |
| Percentage
of children living with one parent whose spouse lived elsewhere because of
business or some other reason: |
4% |
| Percentage
of children in two-parent households whose parents were college graduates
in 1998: |
29% |
| Percentage
of children in single-parent households whose parents were college
graduates in 1998: |
9% |
| Percentage
of children with single parents (by gender) earning under $12,500 in 1998: |
Living
with fathers: 17%
Living with mothers: 41% |
| Single-parent
children living in metropolitan areas: |
14.5
million |
| Single-parent
children living in cities with populations of 1 million or more: |
9.2
million |
| Percentage
of births which were to unmarried women: |
32% |
| Percentage
of same-sex female householders with kids in 1998: |
17% |
| For
US Census Bureau data on child support for custodial parents, please click
here. |
|
| In
1996, children of divorce were 50% more likely than their counterparts
from intact families to divorce. |
|
| In
19 states reporting custody: 72% of custody were awarded to the wife, 9%
were awarded to the husband. In 16% joint custody was awarded. Parents who
are awarded and receive child support have higher incomes. |
|
| Fatherless
homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children,
85% of children with behavior problems, 71% of high school dropouts, 85%
of youths in prison, well over 50% of teen mothers. |
|
| Miscellaneous: |
|
| Women
earning more than their husbands in 1998: |
10.5
million |
| Percentage
of smokers who had been divorced: |
49% |
| Percentage
of nonsmokers who had been divorced: |
32% |
| Percentage
of divorces due to economic problems: |
4.2% |
| Percentage
of divorces due to irreconcilable differences: |
80% |
