STATEWIDE--In a list of cities with the highest divorce rates in the country, four of the cities on that list are from Indiana.
A study done by Datingnews.com says New Castle, Connersville, Madison, and Richmond are in the top 20 for highest divorce rates in the country.
DatingNews analysts looked at the U.S. Census Bureau’s marital status reports for every U.S. micropolitan area to find those with the highest percentage of divorcees as well as relevant demographics to see how economic conditions may have influenced the results.
Every town on the list has a divorce rate above 15{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}, whereas the national average for 2017 (the most recent statistics available) was 10.9{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}. The towns in the study have populations between 10,000 and 70,000.
Connersville
Connersville finished 6th on the list with a divorce rate of 16.8{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}. DatingNews says the divorce rate for this town might be where it is because Connersville is among the poorest areas in Indiana with a median household income of $33,356 (as opposed to Indiana’s median household income of $52,314).
Connersville teetered on the edge of bankruptcy in March 2014 when Connersville Mayor Leonard Urban declared a fiscal emergency.
“Poverty played a major role in most all of the cities on this list,” says Amber Brooks, contributing editor with DatingNews.
New Castle
New Castle came in 8th on the list at 16.4{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}. The estimated median household income for people in New Castle is $36,227, which has increased in the last 20 years. Still, about 23{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089} of people who live in New Castle live in poverty. DatingNews calls this a “troubling stat that may explain the high divorce rate in this area.”
Madison
Madison was slotted 16th with a divorce rate of 15.8{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}. DatingNews says Madison has seen their job market expand by 2.5{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089} in the last year and future job growth is predicted to be 40.2{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089} in the next decade, but that some in Madison have still encountered “marital strife.”
Richmond
Richmond was the Indiana city that finished lowest on the list at 18th at 15.7{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}. Less than half of people in Richmond (47.7{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}) over the age of 15 are married, so DatingNews said “it seems locals aren’t very invested in settling down.” The average annual income for a person in Richmond is $18,481.
The city that came in first on the list is Brookings, Oregon with a divorce rate of 20{33c7a55facb4cf7a957787771078960a6f8f21e4360f0c5ef574af68d5180089}. DatingNews said the divorce rate in the U.S. is going down because of millenials.
“Many in this generation are waiting until they’re over 30 to get married, so their marriages are less likely to end in divorce,” Brooks said.
(PHOTO: DatingNews)
