The divorce rate in Texas and throughout the country has significantly fallen after years of remaining stable. Recently released data from the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green University revealed that the divorce rate for women in 2015 was at its lowest rate since 1979. It reported slightly under 17 divorces per married women over 15-years-old.
Almost one million women divorced last year. This was a decrease from the rate of 17.6 in 2014. This divorce rate was 25 percent lower than the 22.6 reported in 1980. Texas’s rate was fourteenth in the country and was slightly higher than national average for 2015.
Washington D.C. continued its 2-year trend of having the highest divorce rate, with almost 30 marriages ending with a divorce. Hawaii had the lowest number, with 11 divorces out of 1,000 marriages. It was the only state to have a divorce rate under 12 last year.
The marriage rate has dramatically dropped since 1970, according to Bowling Green University. There were almost 77 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women in 1970. This rate dropped by half almost 40 years later. However, the marriage rate remained steady since 2010 at a 45-year low.
In 2015, there were only 32 marriages per 1,000 women. In that year, 2.2 million women married. Utah has the highest marriage rate at 61 marriages per 1,000 women. Rhode Island is the lowest with 21 per 1.000. And, Texas is ranked twelfth.
Marriage and divorce impact numerous family legal issues, such as child and spousal support, adoption and custody. An attorney can help spouses deal with these issues and protect their interests.
