These U.S. States Have the Highest Divorce Rates

Divorce is relatively common in America, with an estimated third of all Americans who have ever been married experiencing a divorce, per the Pew Research Center. While divorce rates overall have been declining since 1980, divorce is definitely still a reality for many couples across the United States.

However, divorce rates vary wildly by age, location, occupation, and other factors. A February 2026 data analysis from Tarotoo analyzed divorce rates across the 50 states and found that one state exceeded all the others in terms of divorces.

Which U.S. States Have the Highest Divorce Rates?

Oklahoma topped the list, with an estimated 9.71 divorces per 1,000 people. Alabama and Nevada trailed behind at 8.80 and 8.75, respectively. Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Delaware, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Arkansas all lingered slightly above an average of eight divorces per 1000 marriages. Overall, divorce rates were highest in Midwestern states.

The analysis also tracked other metrics, including expenditure on dating apps, and New Hampshire topped this list at $0.43 per capita spent on Tinder, Bumble, and the like. See the full chart below:

What Causes High Divorce Rates?

“High divorce rates in certain states often reflect a combination of cultural, economic, and social pressures,” said an expert at Tarotoo. “States with higher searches for breakups and divorces may indicate both more frequent relationship challenges and a population that actively seeks guidance or closure. Factors such as financial stress, longer working hours, and shifting attitudes toward marriage all play a role, while the rise in dating app use shows people are quickly moving on to find new connections.”

The expert also noted that Valentine’s Day can sometimes add strain to relationships, noting that “Valentine’s Day can amplify these dynamics, as people reflect on relationships and look for fresh starts.”

Meanwhile, a 2014 National Institute of Health analysis found that infidelity, lack of commitment, financial differences, and conflict were primary causes of divorce. 75% of people in the study said that a lack of commitment caused their divorce, while 58% cited conflict and 37% cited financial problems. 

It does seem that Oklahoma tends to be a bit of a divorce hotspot. A Bowling Green study also found that Oklahoma had the highest divorce rate in 2024, finding that 20.7 out of 1,000 married women divorced that year. Interestingly, a survey of Oklahoma couples featured in the NIH study noted that 85% of couples cited “lack of commitment” as the cause of their split. 

While divorce rates may be declining slightly overall, marriage rates in general have also been in decline since the 1970s in America and are currently at their lowest in history, according to Our World in Data. Around 50% of U.S. adults are married, per the U.S. Census, a sharp decline from 1950, when two-thirds of adults were married.

That doesn't mean romance is dead, though—Americans are projected to spend an estimated $29.1 billion on Valentine's Day gifts in 2026, and a 2026 DoorDash study found that Delaware and Maryland had the highest rates of orders for Valentine's Day gifts like flowers and chocolates.