Based on new Census data, the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) reported that divorce in America hit a record low in 2019.
For every 1,000 marriages in the last year, only 14.9 ended in divorce, according to the newly released American Community Survey data from the Census Bureau. This is the lowest rate we have seen in 50 years. It is even slightly lower than 1970, when 15 marriages ended in divorce per 1,000 marriages.
IFS also reported that the median marriage duration has increased ‘from 19 years in 2010 to 19.8 years in 2019.’
Although there are less divorces occurring in the US, IFS notes that there are also less marriages:
Another piece of news coming out of the new Census data is that the U.S. marriage rate just hit an all-time low in 2019. For every 1,000 unmarried adults in 2019, only 33 got married. This number was 35 a decade ago in 2010 and 86 in 1970.
IFS suggests that the pandemic may be amplifying this trend, as more people choose to postpone marriage due to economic difficulties.
