Divorce is a scary concept for most people. With many facts figures and statistics thrown at us on a daily basis, it's difficult to get a handle on the real facts and rates. Is divorce as common as most people believe? Here are some facts, rates and statistics to help make the topic clearer.

Divorce Rates

Over the past 30 years or so the divorce rate has actually been in a decline. In 2008, divorce lawyers saw a decline of 37% in people filing for divorce. Even in this tough economic time, people are choosing to stay together. It appears the only State not showing any decline at all is Utah. In 2008 the State showed approximately 13,000 filings for the year. It appears that 2009 is not showing any slowdown.

Even though the rate has declined over time, it is still sitting between 40% and 50%. Age seems to have something to do with if a marriage will survive or not. Looking at the average age of those who divorce, the majority are between the ages of under 20 to around 24. Not to say older people don't divorce as well, but the rate drops to 5.1% for women, and 6.1% for men over the age of 35.

The divorce rate for a second and third marriage rises considerably compared to a first marriage. With a second marriage, approximately 67% end in divorce, and 74% for a third marriage.

Studies show that the divorce rate for a childless couple is slightly lower than a couple with children. Being childess in a marriage is also a leading cause for divorce. Feelings of loneliness and sadness because of lack of children, leads many couples to divorce. In fact, 66% of divorced couples are childless.

Divorce Statisitics

The number of marriages in the United States is approximately 2, 230,000. The rate of marriages is about 7.5 per 1,000 per capita. Whereas the divorce rate is 3.5 per 1,000 per capita. This is from 48 states who have reported, along with D.C.

The lowest reported divorce rate was in D.C. with 1.7%, followed by Massachusetts with 2.2% and Pennsylvania at 2.5%. The State with the most reported divorces was Nevada at 6.4% per 1,000 people.

More Americans tend to get married between June and October than at any other time of year. August had the most marriages at about 235,000 or a rate of 9.3% per 1,000 people. The lowest month tending to be January.

Custodial mothers make up 43.7% and custodial fathers make up 56.7% of divorced couples. Surprising when you think that mothers tend to acheive custody of children after divorce. Only 67% of children in the United States grow up with both biological parents in the home. It's the lowest rate in the western world.

Divorce Facts

Some interesting facts about divorce and marriage are:

According to Bride's Magazine, the average age for a woman to get married is 27, while for men it's 29. Around 88% of both men and women from the age of 20 - 27, believe they have a soulmate out there waiting for them.

59% of marriages for those aged 18 will end in divorce within 15 years. The divorce rate drops to 36% for those married at age 26 or older.

Recently, there is a trend to live together before getting married. The average of those who cohabitate before marriage is around 65%. What is interesting about this, statistics indicate the couples who live together before getting married, are more likely to divorce, than those who do not. Studies showed that after 7 years, only about 21% of couples who were living together, still were.

Children who come from a divorced home are more likely to get divorced themselves. This is especially true if their partner also came from a divorced home. If both spouses came from a divorced home, their chances of divorcing nearly tripled to 189%.

Women who have had a child out of wedlock are less likely to get married, especially after 35. Only 70% of mothers who have had a child before marrying will get married, compared to 88% of women who have never had a child.

While the rates of people divorcing are high, they have declined over the years. People are trying to work things out before seeking a permanent solution. These facts and statistics change every year, sometimes drastically. One thing is certain, divorce is always fluid.