Family attorneys in Pasadena have seen divorce rise all across the country thanks largely in part to an increase in poverty and unemployment. Now a new survey confirms suspicious that the economic downturn and increase in divorce are directly linked. 24/7 Wall Street analyzed a study released by the Census Bureau which tracks marriage and divorce in 2009. States with high divorce rates were also places that got hit hardest by the economic slump. Oklahoma tops the list as the state with the highest divorce rate.
In Rogers and Hammerstein's legendary musical, one of the show-stopping numbers is "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning." But in the real world, the people of Oklahoma have very little to sing about. According to the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, 32 percent of Oklahoma adults who have been married have been divorced. The agency reports that financial troubles are cited as the top reason marriages break up in Oklahoma and it's easy to see why. The median household income in the state is $45,878, which is the 18th lowest in the country, while the percentage below poverty line is 16.2 percent, the 15th highest in the country.
Rounding out the top three states with the highest divorce rates on 24/7 Wall Street's list are Arkansas at No. 2 and Alaska at No. 3. Arkansas has the second-highest poverty rate in the U.S. as well as the second-lowest median income. Alaska, while having a high median income of over $61,000, has the highest divorce rate for women in the United States.