Results of 2004 rate comparison:
1. Long waiting periods such as two years, or 18 months with a substantial
reduction for cases of mutual consent, still correlate strongly with lower
divorce rates.
2. The one state with a long (18-month) waiting period but no reduction
for mutual consent, Arkansas, still has one of the highest divorce rates.
3. The slight correlation between having any waiting period and lower
divorce rates, observed in the 2001 numbers, is no longer present.
4. Unenforced optional counseling laws still do not correlate with divorce
rates.
| State | Rank (2004) | Divorce Rate per 1000 in 2004 | Rank (2001) | Divorce Rate per 1000 in 2001 | Effective Waiting Period for No-Fault Divorce |
Reconciliation Counseling Laws (All Optional) |
|
District of Columbia | 1 |
1.7 |
1 | 2.3 | 6 months | No |
| Massachusetts | 2 |
2.2 |
2 | 2.4 | 7 months, 1 month with consent | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | 3 |
2.5 |
8 | 3.2 | 2 years; 3 months with consent | Yes |
| Illinois | 4 |
2.6 |
8 | 3.2 | 2 years; 6 months with consent | No |
| Minnesota | 5 |
2.8 |
13 | 3.3 | None | No |
| Iowa | 5 |
2.8 |
8 | 3.2 | 3 months | No |
| North Dakota | 5 |
2.8 |
4 | 2.7 | None | No |
| Connecticut | 8 |
2.9 |
5 | 2.9 | None | Yes |
| New Jersey | 9 |
3.0 |
17 | 3.5 | 18 months; 6 months with consent | No |
| Rhode Island | 9 |
3.0 |
13 | 3.3 | None | No |
| New York | 9 |
3.0 |
6 | 3.0 | 1 year | No |
| Wisconsin | 12 |
3.1 |
8 | 3.2 | None | Yes |
| Maryland | 12 |
3.1 |
6 | 3.0 | 2 years; 1 year with consent | No |
| South Carolina | 14 |
3.2 |
17 | 3.5 | 1 year | Yes |
| South Dakota | 14 |
3.2 |
15 | 3.4 | None | Yes |
| Kansas | 16 |
3.3 |
8 | 3.2 | None | Yes |
| Michigan | 17 |
3.5 |
19 | 3.9 | None | No |
| Texas | 18 |
3.6 |
27 | 4.1 | None | Yes |
| Maine | 18 |
3.6 |
19 | 3.9 | None | No |
| Nebraska | 18 |
3.6 |
19 | 3.7 | None | Yes |
| Delaware | 21 |
3.7 |
24 | 4.0 | None | Yes |
| Ohio | 21 |
3.7 |
24 | 4.0 | 1 year; None with consent | No |
| United States | mean/median |
3.7 |
mean / median | 4.0 | ||
| Missouri | 23 |
3.8 |
30 | 4.3 | 6 months | Yes |
| Montana | 23 |
3.8 |
3 | 2.6 | 6 months | Yes |
| New Hampshire | 25 |
3.9 |
36 | 5.0 | None | Yes |
| Utah | 25 |
3.9 |
32 | 4.4 | 3 months; may be waived with consent or divorce education |
Yes |
| Vermont | 25 |
3.9 |
24 | 4.0 | 6 months | Yes |
| Virginia | 28 |
4.0 |
30 | 4.3 | 1 year; 6 months with no children and full agreement |
No |
| Oregon | 29 |
4.1 |
35 | 4.9 | None | Yes |
| Washington | 29 |
4.1 |
33 | 4.5 | 3 months | Yes |
| Arizona | 31 |
4.2 |
29 | 4.2 | None except in covenant marriages | No |
| Colorado | 32 |
4.4 |
N/A [32 in '94] | N/A [5.1 in '94] | None | Yes |
| North Carolina | 32 |
4.4 |
33 | 4.5 | 1 year | Yes |
| Mississippi | 34 |
4.5 |
41 | 5.4 | None | No |
| New Mexico | 35 |
4.6 |
37 | 5.1 | None | No |
| Alabama | 36 |
4.7 |
40 | 5.3 | 1 month | No |
| West Virginia | 36 |
4.7 |
38 | 5.2 | 1 year; 0 with consent | No |
| Florida | 38 |
4.8 |
41 | 5.4 | None | Yes |
| Alaska | 38 |
4.8 |
27 | 4.1 | None | No |
| Kentucky | 40 |
4.9 |
43 | 5.5 | None | Yes |
| Tennessee | 41 |
5.0 |
38 | 5.2 | None | Yes |
| Idaho | 42 |
5.1 |
44 | 5.6 | None | No |
| Wyoming | 43 |
5.3 |
45 | 6.1 | None | No |
| Arkansas | 44 |
6.3 |
46 | 6.6 | 18 months | No |
| Nevada | 45 |
6.4 |
47 | 6.8 | None | No |
| Indiana | N/A |
N/A |
N/A [46 in '87] | N/A [6.4 in '87] | None | Yes |
| California | N/A |
N/A |
N/A [21 in '87] | N/A [4.3 in '87] | 6 months | Yes |
| Louisiana | N/A |
N/A |
N/A [10 in '83] | N/A [3.6 in '83] | 6 months; 2 years in covenant marriages |
No |
| Georgia | N/A |
N/A |
19 | 3.8 | None | No |
| Hawaii | N/A |
N/A |
19 | 3.8 | None | Yes |
| Oklahoma | N/A |
N/A |
15 | 3.4 | None | No |