U.S. jewelers say that America’s high divorce rate is good for their bridal business. Citing statistics whereby approximately 50 percent of all American marriages end in divorce, jewelers say each time a couple re-marries, the groom typically purchases a new diamond engagement ring. Further, each subsequent diamond engagement ring is usually larger than any of its predecessors.

 

It seems that everyone cites this statistic, however, it turns out that it is way out of date and simply not true any longer.

 

According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the answer to the question of how many marriages end in divorce is this: it depends.

 

Among ever-married women aged 15-to-44, a substantial 35 percent have seen their marriage end in divorce. So the broad-based answer to the question about the number of divorces is “about one-in-three American marriages end in divorce.”

 

However, the likelihood of divorce depends on when you were born, how young you were when you first married, your educational level, and even the type of family in which you were raised.

 

Divorce Rate Declining in the U.S.
After surging in the early 1980s, the divorce rate in the U.S. has been steadily declining, according to statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics. As illustrated by the graph below, it now appears that about only one-in-three marriages ends in divorce in the U.S. Here are the just-released statistics from the Center’s 2002 study (yes, the results were released four years after the study was completed).

 

Source:  National Center for Health Statistics

 

• Of those women who married before they turned 18, a whopping 63 percent of their marriages ended in divorce.

• Of those women who waited to marry until they were age 23 and older, only 22 percent of their marriages ended in divorce.

• Of those women with only a high school education, 45 percent of their marriages ended in divorce.

• Of those women with a college degree, 20 percent of their marriages ended in divorce.

• Among women raised in a traditional two-parent family, only 32 percent of their marriages ended in divorce.

• Among women raised in a non-traditional family (step-parents, single parent, etc), 44 percent of their marriages ended in divorce.

Divorce Rate Down Due To Older Brides & Grooms

One reason for the decline in the U.S. divorce rate is likely related to the age at which young people get married. The average age for marriages has been steadily rising for the past 40 years. Statistics show that couples who wait later in life to get married have a much greater chance of staying married.

 

The graph below summarizes the average age for brides and grooms over the past 80 years. Today, the typical bride is 25 years old and the typical groom is 27 years old.

 

Source:  US Dept. of Commerce

 

Americans have become ambivalent about divorce, despite the toll that a spousal split-up takes on the family. When 15 to 44 year olds were asked whether divorce is the best solution when a couple cannot work out its marriage problems, roughly half said “yes” and the other half said “no.”