What Is the Divorce Rate in Colorado?

Divorce has to do with much more than where you live, but according to statistics, location could predict whether your marriage survives. Public record data collection gives an overview of the divorce rates in each state and city in America. Lists of the places with the highest divorce rates become a cause for concern for many married residents – especially in Colorado. Colorado is one of the top 10 worst states for divorce as of 2018, according to U.S. News.

Colorado’s Divorce Rate: 13.52 Per 1,000 Married Individuals

The state with the highest divorce rate per 1,000 married people is Arkansas at 17.14. The list then moves to Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Idaho, West Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, South Dakota and – in 10^th place – Colorado. Colorado’s divorce rate based on data from the American Community Survey was 13.52 in 2018. Some of the states with the lowest divorce rates are Hawaii, New York and Vermont. Hawaii is the lowest, with a divorce rate of 7.67 per 1,000 married individuals.

Colorado also made the list of the top 50 cities with the highest divorce rates. Aspen, Colorado has a divorced population of 22.9%. Aspen is currently home to 1,462 divorcees. Aspen has a married population of 31.4% and a median household income of $64,594. Other cities with high divorce rates include McMinnville, Tennessee (23.7%); Brattleboro, Vermont (24.8%); and Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (26.8%). Aspen has the highest divorce rate out of all the cities in Colorado.

The other Colorado cities with the highest divorce rates (in order) are Sheridan, Gypsum, Lochbuie, Pueblo, Edgewater, Cortez, Delta, Salida and Avon. The overall Colorado divorce rate based on 2013 to 2017 data is 11.9% – exactly one percentage point higher than the national average of 10.9%. The unusually high number of divorces in Colorado could be an ominous sign for married residents.

Divorce Rates Per Country

The United States ranks number two on the list of countries with the highest divorce rates, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It is second only to Russia in terms of dissolved marriages. The crude divorce rate in the United States is currently 3.2 divorces per 1,000 people. The country with the lowest divorce rate is Chile, with just 0.1 divorces per 1,000 people. The United State’s crude divorce rate is higher now than it was in 1970. From 1995 to 2016, however, the divorce rate fell slightly in the United States, as well as in several other countries.

Why Is the Divorce Rate So High in Colorado?

Divorce rates calculate the number of divorces compared to the overall population and number of married couples. They do not explain the reason behind so many marital splits. Yet it may be possible to predict and even prevent a divorce by studying common risk factors present in marriages before divorce. Analyzing the reasons most couples in Colorado end up citing irreconcilable differences could help you notice warning signs in your own marriage.

• Marrying young
• Age differences between the spouses
• Living together before marriage
• Each spouse’s education level
• Divorced parents
• Prior marriages
• Lack of children
• More than three children
• Unemployment
• Money problems
• No religious affiliations

Where you live could also play a role in whether or not your marriage lasts. Living in Arkansas, for example, means your odds of getting a divorce are statistically higher than in all other states. Moving to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, on the other hand, could make all the difference. Your risk of divorce would be much lower – perhaps in correlation with increased happiness within your marriage. Divorce rates may not have anything to do with location, but there may be a reason divorce is more common in some states than others. If your relationship is on the rocks, consider moving to a less divorce-friendly state than Colorado.