Marriages and Divorces

Change in the Reporting of Marriage and Divorce Statistics

Information on the total numbers and rates of marriages and divorces at the national and State levels are published in the NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports. The collection of detailed data was suspended beginning in January 1996. Limitations in the information collected by the States as well as budgetary considerations necessitated this action. The most recent comprehensive analyses of detailed marriage and divorce data are published in Advance Report of Final Marriage Statistics, 1989-90 and Advance Report of Final Divorce Statistics, 1989-90.

Notice

Births, Marriages, Divorces, and Deaths: Provisional Data for 2009 is the final issue of the monthly provisional data series.

See the NVSR Monthly Provisional Notice for more information.

Detailed State Tables

Beginning with the June 2003 data, detailed State tables of marriage and divorce levels have been included in the monthly reports of provisional data published in the NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports. Prior years of data are also available from the National Vital Statistics Reports homepage.

Marriage and divorce rates currently may be calculated from provisional counts received from State health departments. Trend marriage [PDF - 27 KB] and divorce [PDF - 30 KB] rates by State for 1990, 1995, and 1999-2010 are available. National marriage and divorce rate trends for 2000-2010 are also available.

Other Sources of Marriage and Divorce Statistics

The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), conducted by NCHS, collected detailed data on cohabitation, marriage, divorce and remarriage. These data were published in Series 23, Number 22, "Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the United States" and in Series 23, Number 28, "Marriage and Cohabitation in the United States: A Statistical Portrait Based on Cycle 6 (2002) of the National Survey of Family Growth" [PDF - 805 KB].

The U.S. Census Bureau is another Federal source of marriage and divorce statistics. Census data are survey-based rather than records-based and cover many aspects of marriage and divorce patterns in the United States.

For further information on this subject, please contact either:

Reproductive Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
Phone: 301-458-1111
E-mail: births@cdc.gov
Public Affairs Office
Phone: at 301-458-4800
E-mail: paoquery@cdc.gov