This is unlikely to come as a surprise, but it’s still worth stating: the pandemic had a negative effect on marriage rates across the United States. Experts are still monitoring the global effects of the pandemic on relationships; The Guardian noted last year that Australia’s divorce rate was increasing, while the New York Times recently polled readers about regrets they’ve had related to the pandemic and relationships.
Still, things are looking up in the U.S., with The Guardian citing government statistics indicating that marriages rates are up and divorce rates are down. At least, that’s what the National Center for Health Statistics’ data from 2022 — which was released this week — indicates. In 2022, the agency reports, the total number of marriages taking place across the nation exceeded two million for the first time since 2019.
From 2021 to 2022, 31 states saw their marriage rates rise, while 12 states saw theirs fall. Divorce rates across the nation also dropped from 2021 to 2022. Interestingly enough, the National Center for Health Statistics pointed to three locations as having significant year-over-year marriage rate increases: New York, the District of Columbia and Hawaii.
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If Scotland is any indication, then ayeThe decline in divorce rates seems to be in keeping with Census data released last year showing both divorce and marriage rates dropping between 2011 and 2021. While the latest National Center for Health Statistics numbers point to a nation getting back on its feet after the devastating onset of COVID-19, some of the pandemic’s long-term effects on marriage and divorce will take longer to parse — as is the case with so many other things.
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