Family Life

08.25.11 | Sarah Harnisch

   Marriage and divorce rates are higher in the Deep South. More people wed, and more people call it quits. A federal report out today gives the clearest picture in 20 years about the evolution of marriage and divorce across the United States. The report, from questions on the U.S. Census that haven't been asked since 1988, finds distinct regional differences, with states in the northeast having the lowest marriage and divorce rates-- including New York and Pennsylvania. Marriage and divorce rates are highest in the Deep South. Why? Researchers say in the South, people tend to marry earlier and have less education. People overall are waiting to marry, too. In 1890, most men were 26 and women were 22 when they married. In 2010, men were 28, women-- 26.