Marriages, Divorces Down In North Carolina: Census Bureau

NORTH CAROLINA — The institution of marriage isn’t what it used to be in the Tar Heel State, according to a new batch of data that shows the number of North Carolina marriages is falling.

In North Carolina, the marriage rate in 2018 was 15.7 per 1,000 females, according to Census data, down from 18.5 in 2008. In 2018, the divorce rate in our state was at 8.6 per 1,000, which is higher than the national average of 7.7 but an improvement over the 10.1 per 1,000 reported in North Carolina a decade prior.

Like North Carolina, nearly all states saw a decrease in both marriage and divorce rates in 2018 compared to 2008. In the past 10 years, marriage and divorce rates have declined nationally, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. How much so, however, depends on the state.

To determine the marriage and divorce rates nationally and by state, the Census Bureau looked at the number of women who were married and divorced in the past year per 1,000 people, and compared rates to 2008.

Nationally, the marriage rate in 2018 was 16.6 per every 1,000 females 15 years old and over. The divorce rate was 7.7 per 1,000 females in that age group. This is a decrease from 2008, when the marriage rate was 17.9 and the divorce rate was 10.5, according to the data.

To determine rates, the Census Bureau used data from the 2008 and 2018 American Community Survey. It presented data only for women because research shows more often reported the data and reported more accurately, according to the study.

In 2018:

• Utah had the highest marriage rates.
• Maine and Connecticut had the lowest marriage rates.
• Arkansas had the highest divorce rates.
• North Dakota had the lowest divorce rates.

Read more about U.S. marriage and divorce rates on the Census Bureau’s website.