The Ex Outlet

You are probably familiar with the divorce rate of the United States. It’s 50%.

Take a look at the map above. The states in blue have a higher divorce rate than the national average.

Notice anything?

If you follow politics at all, you should notice that a large number of red states are blue. So you might ask, what is going on with traditional, conservative values? Does divorce not even fear God or guns?

How does this happen?

In these “Blue” states, marriage rates are also a lot higher than the national average. Higher divorce rates make sense. The average age of marriage also tends to be younger than the national average of 27 (Young and stupid mistakes apply even to something as sacred as marriage!)

Social etiquette also comes into factor. In New York young, unmarried couples living together is not only normal, but it is expected. Not many young couples can afford to pay $5,000 rent for two apartments for appearances sake. In Mississippi that is not the case. Rents are much lower and you could never embarrass your grandmother by living in sin!

In Mississippi, not only is cohabitation socially disgraceful, but it is also illegal. It joins West Virgina, Virginia, Michigan, and Florida as the only five states in the USA with antiquated laws making cohabitation criminal. Sometimes it takes only a couple of months of living with someone to find out they aren’t the one.

Where are all the men in this town? If you live in a town where everyone is marrying young, your options will not be great if you don’t settle down quickly. You also don’t want to become the old maid. Reality can be harsh and Match.com doesn’t work that well in smaller towns either. “I’m a 30 year old woman looking for a man 30-35 in Beaumont, TX”… hmm. Settling out of fear or social pressure does not usually lead to a long, loving marriage and probably contributes to a higher divorce rate.

Financial stress is another one of the biggest factors that lead couples to divorce. Some of these states have the weakest economies in the nation. Difficulty finding good jobs can put a heavy burden on a marriage…and lead quickly to divorce court.

Every relationship is unique and “Complicated,” but the numbers don’t lie. The census bureau publishes this data to try to help the public make smarter and more informed decisions and decrease the divorce rate. While it might not be time to pack up your bags and move, it might be time to move on… a break-up is much easier than a divorce.