According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2012 estimates), Nevada had the highest divorce rate (per 1,000 people) in the U.S. The states with the next highest rates, in order, were Maine, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Vermont . (The states with the lowest divorce rates were Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and North Dakota.)
The statistics on which these conclusions are based are, in our opinion, questionable at best. To paraphrase the old Neil Sedaka tune, breaking up is hard to count.
The Census uses what’s called the "crude divorce rate," which includes children and single people who aren’t at risk for divorce. By comparison, the "refined divorce rate" is based on the number of divorces per 1,000 married women and is considered a much more accurate measure. Unfortunately, these studies are few and far between and we couldn’t come up with any that compared rates by states.
However, according to a different study a year earlier (2011), Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alaska, Alabama, and Kentucky were the top five divorce states; Nevada was sixth and only Oklahoma appeared in both lists. So we’re hesitant to cite percentages and comparisons.
Still, there’s no arguing the fact that Nevada has long been known to have a higher-than-average divorce rate, so your question, why is this so, seems like a natural to us.
One can never really know for sure, especially when it comes to relationship issues, but here are some possibilities.
As reported in a few previous QoDs (most recently, Sept. 30, 2012), Nevada divorces (the new euphemism, as popularized by Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, is "conscious uncoupling") are quicker and easier than those in many other states, and they have been for more than 100 years. Thus, Nevada has a well-earned reputation as a divorce capital and no doubt people still come here and set up residency for 42 days to qualify for no-fault divorces, which can be finalized in as few as a couple weeks, in some cases.
Similarly, the ease of getting married here could be assumed to promote impromptu or hasty legal couplings, without much thought to the probability of long-term success. Well-publicized examples include the shortest celebrity marriage on record, Britney Spears and her childhood friend Jason Alexander, who tied the knot for 55 hours, one-1,274th as long as the average American marriage that ends in divorce (eight years). And who can forget the connubial bliss of Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra, which dragged on and on for five months, though Rodman filed for an annulment after nine days?
Another cause is that couples continue to move to Nevada, especially Las Vegas, for second (or third or fourth) chances in lives that have bottomed out elsewhere. So they often arrive under financial stress and with other problems. At the same time, recent arrivals usually don’t have friends or family nearby, which often hinders an ability to alleviate the stresses.
The same issues are true for single people who move here. Men and women without family or close friends might be more susceptible to ill-advised marriages (unconscious coupling?) simply to ward off isolation and loneliness.
We’ve also seen statistics on the jobs with the highest divorce rates. According to dailyinfographic.com, dancers/choreographers, for some reason, have the highest, at nearly 44%. Yikes. Bartenders, massage therapists, and casino cashiers are second through fourth, at 38%-34%, respectively. So four out of the top five most divorce-prone jobs, according to one website anyway, are common in the Silver State.
Nevada’s high unemployment and foreclosure rates also shake the foundations of marriages. Since the recession began, a number of studies have come out providing ample evidence that job loss increases the odds of divorce. (Of course, in researching this answer, we also saw a study that suggested the recession actually lowered the divorce rate, as unhappy couples postponed splitting up until they could better afford it.)
Finally, as you mention, lifestyle is certainly a conspicuous factor. Gambling and drinking, two common activities here, certainly exacerbate relationship issues. Not many marriages survive alcoholism and/or compulsive gambling. And again, many people who move here end up succumbing to these, and other, relationship-destroying temptations.
All in all, Las Vegas can be a tough place for sustaining a long-term relationship, something couples considering moving here, especially to retire, should think long and hard about.
