Researchers who conducted the census said the new findings were due to the fact that more people get married in the south. Couples in the northwest part of the county get married later in life.
By region, the South and West had the highest rates of marriage, at about 19 per 1,000. But they also led in divorce, each at about 10 per 1,000.
In the South, the divorce rate was at least one point higher for both sexes, said the report.
Maine, Alaska, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Nevada ranked at the top for divorce. New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York had the lowest divorce rates.
The statistics are part of the Marital Events of Americans: 2009 a study that examines marriage, divorce and widowhood in the vast country. The analysis is the first of its kind by the Census Bureau.
The national divorce rate in 2009 was 9.2 for every 1,000 men and 9.7 for every 1,000 women. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
