Divorce happens relatively frequently in Texas and across the nation. Despite statistics indicating a plateau in divorces, that has not been the case in certain areas of the United States. In some, there has been a spike in divorce through 2019. As part of a recently released divorce study, researchers dissected the numbers and found which cities were experiencing this increase. Three cities in Texas were among the top 20.
Arlington, San Antonio and Corpus Christi among cities that saw spike in divorce
In its research, SmartAsset assessed the divorce rates in 2019 and changes in the five-year rate and the one-year rate from 2018 to 2019. The numbers had been stagnant across the nation from 2014 through 2019. It was 11% in 2014. It lowered by a minuscule amount in 2018 and remained the same for 2019. One city that saw a massive jump in that time frame was Hialeah, Florida where it rose from 9.7% to nearly 14%. It is difficult to find common denominators with the geography where divorce is on the rise. Cities across the nation have experienced it intermittently. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are absent from the top 10.
Three cities in Texas – Corpus Christi, Arlington and San Antonio – were in the top 20. Corpus Christi was fourth in the rankings overall, but was 13th based on its divorce rate in 2019 when it was at 13.9%. In the five years from 2014 to 2019, it saw a 1.5% increase. From 2018 to 2019, it rose by 1.7%. Arlington was 17th in the rankings. From 2014 to 2019, it saw a rise of 0.9% in divorces. For the year from 2018 to 2019, it was 1% and the divorce rate in 2019 was 12.5%. Finally, San Antonio saw no overall increase from 2014 to 2019. Still, there was a 1% increase from 2018 to 2019. For 2019, it had a 12.5% divorce rate. The study’s authors used Census Bureau data to come to these conclusions.
Divorce numbers may even be rising further with the ongoing health concerns
Since the statistics were only analyzed through 2019, there might even be a worse spike in divorce since early 2020 due to the ongoing societal challenges that have pressured relationships and led to anecdotal and statistical reports of more people calling it quits in their marriage. This information can be useful to people who are unsure of whether they are an outlier in experiencing marital troubles and if they are willing to take the steps to try and save the marriage or if a divorce is the best option. With the litany of issues that arise in a divorce including spousal support, child support, child custody, possession, property division and more, it is wise to have guidance with how to proceed. This is true regardless of age and circumstances. Advice should be sought immediately to have a comprehensive strategy from the start.