U.S. Census Reports Divorce Rate Trends in Marital Events of Americans: 2009

By Nottage and Ward on September 22, 2011

According to The Huffington Post, U.S. Census Bureau has released a report in which it identifies regional trends in divorce rates for men and women. Based on 2009 data from the American Community Survey, the report determines that the Northeast region of the country has the lowest divorce rates, while the South has the highest.

The South, which according to the Census Bureau includes Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma, has a rate of 10.2 divorces per 1,000 men and 11.1 per 1,000 women. According to a Census official, these high divorce rates are largely the result of higher marriage rates.

Conversely, the Northeast, which consists of Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont and New York, has a lower marriage rate and thus has lower divorce rate. In the Northeast, men divorce at a rate of 7.2 per 1,000 and women divorce at a rate of 7.5 per 1,000.

According to the report, Illinois falls somewhere in the middle but is closer to the lowest rates, with a divorce rate of 8.0 per 1,000 for each men and women.

Divorce is life-altering. There are many factors to be considered and much business to be conducted in the process of a divorce, and it can easily become overwhelming and burdensome. Having an experienced Chicago divorce attorney at your side can make all the difference. If you are considering a divorce in Illinois, contact our knowledgeable lawyers at Nottage and Ward today for a consultation at 312-332-2915.