Marriages in the U.S. in 2022 Returned to Pre-Pandemic Levels
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In 2022, the United States witnessed a significant uptick in the number of marriages, reaching a total of 2,065,905[1]. This marked the first instance of surpassing the 2 million mark since 2019 when the figure stood at 2,015,603. The marriage rate also experienced a significant increase, reaching 6.2 per 1,000 population – the highest rate observed since 2018 (6.5).
Across the nation, 36 states and the District of Columbia reported marriage rates in 2022 that either matched or exceeded the levels seen in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the increases in Delaware, Hawaii, and Vermont were not statistically significant. Noteworthy is the uptick in marriage rates from 2021 to 2022 in 31 states and the District of Columbia.[2] In contrast, 12 states had declines in their marriage rates.
The most substantial percentage increases in 2022 compared with 2021 occurred in New York (21%), the District of Columbia (14%), and Hawaii (13%). Nevada maintained its status as the state with the highest marriage rate in 2022, although it experienced a 1% decrease from 2021.
The five states with the highest marriage rates in 2022 were:
- Nevada (25.9)
- Hawaii (14.4)
- Montana (9.9)
- Utah (9.9)
- Arkansas (7.9)
Additionally, the District of Columbia had one of the highest rates at 8.3. It’s important to note that these rates reflect the location where the marriage occurred and do not necessarily indicate the place of residence.
The number and rate of divorces in 2022 (673,989 and 2.4 per 1,000 population) [3] were down slightly from 2021, continuing a longstanding downward trend. The most recent low for the divorce rate was in 2020 when the rate was 2.3. The divorce data excludes California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico in national numbers.
National marriage and divorce rates as well as rates by state and the District of Columbia are available here: NVSS – Marriages and Divorces (cdc.gov)
[1] CDC/NCHS Vital Statistics System, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/marriage-divorce/national-marriage-divorce-rates-00-22.pdf
[2] CDC/NCHS Vital Statistics System, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/marriage-divorce/state-marriage-rates-90-95-99-22.pdf
[3] CDC/NCHS Vital Statistics System, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/marriage-divorce/state-divorce-rates-90-95-99-22.pdf