National Divorce Rate Drops, Florida Still Above Average

There is some good news when it comes to the state of marriage in the United States. Breaking a decade-plus-long streak, the number of couples who got married actually increased, and the number of divorces decreased.

It has been a long time now that the marriage line has been slowly dropping while the divorce line rose, and who knows whether last year’s numbers are anything more than a temporary blip, but it’s hard to see a reprieve as anything but a good thing.

The uptick in marriages is the real star of the show here, as the divorce rate has been slowly-but-steadily decreasing over the past several years, dropping to 54 divorces per 100 marriages (a number not seen since 1960). The number of marriages is still about 13,000 short of its high point in 2006, but it was an increase to the order of 0.3% of the entire population, which is nothing to scoff at.

Florida, as always, remains ever-so-slightly ahead of the national average when it comes to both marriages and divorces, but not drastically so. The most recent data shows that Florida is about 0.5% ahead of the national averages.

It’s hard to speculate on the reasons behind these trends, but after such a long period of high-profile celebrity divorces and ever-increasing divorce statistics, perhaps young couples are starting to take their upcoming marriages more seriously, or individuals are starting to recognize warning signs within their own marriages that can be worked on.

Regardless of the reasons, though, Michele Taylor of Florida’s Catholic Conference puts it well when she says “those who are married are generally happier, healthier, and enjoy longer lives than those who are not married,” so this seems like good news for all.

Source: http://www.flanews.com/?p=27424