Has America entered its soul-mate era?

Fewer Americans are deleting social media, hitting the gym, and lawyering up than in years past.

The US divorce rate has been generally declining since peaking at 22.6 per 1,000 married women in 1979, with the downturn accelerating more quickly over the past decade, according to federal data dating back more than five decades.

As of last year, the US divorce rate stood at 14.6 per 1,000 married women. That figure is down from 19.6 a decade ago, and just shy of a four-decade low set in 2020 and 2021 (14.0).

✋ Yes, but: The recent decline in divorces has coincided with a similar – but slightly smaller – dip in US marriage rates, which fell from around 39 per 1,000 unmarried women a decade ago to 31.2 last year.

📝 Bottom line: It’s unclear exactly how many US marriages end in divorce, but experts say the rate is likely somewhere between 40% and 50%.

Note: While the Census Bureau publishes marriage and divorce figures for both men and women, female data has historically been selected when comparing across different eras.