It has been decades since divorce was rare or considered something to be ashamed of in Rhode Island. Almost everyone who has not gotten divorced themselves has at least one relative or close friend who has.
So it may surprise readers to know that Rhode Island has one of the lowest divorce rates in the United States. That is according to data provided by the 2017 American Community Survey. Specifically, for every 1,000 married Rhode Islanders, slightly more than 10 people got divorced that year.
The most- and least-divorced states
That was the sixth-lowest divorce rate in the U.S. that year. Here are the bottom five states and their divorce rates per 1,000 married individuals:
1. Hawai’i (7.67)
2. New York (9.19)
3. Vermont (9.24)
4. Illinois (9.41)
5. New Jersey (9.66)
And here are the divorce rates at the other end of the list:
1. Arkansas (17.14)
2. Alabama (15.15)
3. Kentucky (14.99)
4. Oklahoma (14.89)
5. Idaho (14.50)
It is interesting that most of the low-divorce-rate states have much higher populations than the high-divorce-rate states. One possible explanation is that fewer couples get married in states like New York and Illinois than in Idaho and Arkansas. Relationships often fail, whether or not the couple is married, but when the couple is unmarried, divorce is unnecessary.
Experienced divorce attorney needed
Divorce may be statistically relatively unusual in Rhode Island, but thousands of people here still dissolve their marriage every year. When they do, they and their spouse may have significant assets to divide up, such as the family home, bank accounts and retirement funds. If they have kids, figuring out child custody and child support will also be a big part of the process.
Getting this right the first time will save you considerable frustration and money. An experienced Rhode Island divorce attorney can answer more of your questions.
