Massachusetts Ranks Among States With The Least Divorces

It is what it is. Take it for what you will, but April 14 is National Ex-Spouse’s Day.

It could be a reflective day for some, or a day to solidify an individual has moved on. While it’s not likely that people are buying flowers for their former flame, one must wonder just how many others out there are feeling the burn.

At BetMassachusetts.com, we took a break from Massachusetts sports betting, and gathered some data from Hyattsville, Maryland-based National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to determine the states with the highest and lowest divorce rates per 1,000 women in the year 2021.

Let's just say the Bay State loves marriage, just like they love their newly legal Massachusetts betting apps. Here is what we found out:

Although the NCHS data does not include divorce rates for five states - California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico - Massachusetts ranked last at No. 46 at 1%.

States Ranked By Divorce Rate

Rank	State	Divorce Rate
1	Nevada	4.2
2	Oklahoma	3.8
3	Wyoming	3.7
T4	Alabama	3.6
T4	Arkansas	3.6
T6	Florida	3.4
T6	Idaho	3.4
T8	Kentucky	3.3
T8	Mississippi	3.3
T8	Tennessee	3.3
T8	Utah	3.3
12	North Carolina	3.2
T13	Alaska	3.1
T13	Virginia	3.1
15	Colorado	3.0
T16	Missouri	2.9
T16	North Dakota	2.9
T16	Washington	2.9
T16	West Virginia	2.9
T20	Arizona	2.7
T20	Maine	2.7
T20	Oregon	2.7
T20	Rhode Island	2.7
T24	Delaware	2.6
T24	District of Columbia	2.6
T24	Nebraska	2.6
T24	New Hampshire	2.6
T24	Ohio	2.6
T29	Connecticut	2.5
T29	Montana	2.5
T29	South Dakota	2.5
T32	Pennsylvania	2.4
T32	South Carolina	2.4
T34	Iowa	2.3
T34	Michigan	2.3
T34	Vermont	2.3
T37	Georgia	2.2
T37	Louisiana	2.2
T37	New Jersey	2.2
T37	New York	2.2
41	Wisconsin	2.1
42	Kansas	1.9
43	Maryland	1.6
44	Texas	1.4
45	Illinois	1.3
46	Massachusetts	1.0

* — NCHS data does not include divorce rates for California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, or New Mexico.

The Model State For Marriage

In Massachusetts, the party filing for the actual divorce must have lived in the state for one year. In conjunction with that, Bay Staters get married fewer times, with only 2% of residents having been remarried.

Once a judge signs a Judgement of Divorce, it will become final after a 90-day waiting period where it becomes an Absolute.

The state also does not have "legal separation." You do not need a court's permission to live away from your spouse. Separation agreements often occur before a divorce to set out terms for specific things such as child custody, division of assets, debts and property and if own a home, what to do with it.

Only four other states: 42-Kansas (1.9%), 43-Maryland (1.6%), 44-Texas (1.4%) and 45-Illinois (1.3%) ranked within the 1% range.

For comparison, the top five states that rank the highest in divorce rate: 1-Nevada (4.2%), 2-Oklahoma (3.8%), 3-Wyoming (3.7%) and a tie at 4-Alabama and Arkansas (3.6%).

So good for Massachusetts residents for taking their vows to heart and sticking by thei significant others through thick and thin!

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Author

Lou Monaco

Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.