The divorce rate in the United States has declined for the third straight year, to the lowest level encountered since 1980. Conversely, the American marriage rate has increased to the highest level since 2009. These statistics seem to suggest that as a social and legal convention, the American marital union is stabilizing.
Bloomberg News reports that statistical data compiled by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University show the decline in the divorce rate, but attributing reasons for it are more complicated. Some suggested reasons include the aging of the U.S. population; changing gender roles; or economic considerations. Further, the previous decrease in marriages over time effectively means that there are now fewer marriages to dissolve. Interestingly, the Research Center has also seen a decline in divorce among younger people, but an increase in people who are older – the so-called “gray” divorce.
The three highest U.S. divorce rates last year occurred (in order) in the District of Columbia, Wyoming, and Nevada. The lowest divorce rate was in Hawaii.
One other study conducted by the Research Center showed a seemingly correlative fact: cohabitation is skyrocketing, even among older members of the population. The count of Americans over 50 who are unmarried and living together trebled from 2000 to 2014 – to 3.2 million.