People often try to apply a standard divorce rate to all Americans. For instance, you may have heard the oft-cited (and inaccurate) claim that 50% of marriages end in divorce.
There are a lot of problems with thinking of it this way. The truth is that different groups, areas and people all have very different rates. For instance, those who get married in their teens have a higher divorce rate than those who get married in their mid-20s. These people may appear very similar in many ways, but it’s clear that you can’t apply the same statistic to everyone.
Another thing to think about is how the size of your town can actually impact your rate. The rate is lower in small towns than it is in cities. Those in the city have far more people around them at any given time, they embrace a different lifestyle in many cases and they are more likely to end the relationships that they are in and look for something new.
In small towns, though, people are more likely to stay together. Is it just because of a lack of other options? Is rural life more stable? Do those in smaller towns tend to value marriage more than those in the city? There are a lot of potential reasons for the difference in rates, but, no matter why it works out this way, it just helps to show how different each individual relationship really is.
If you decide to get divorced, no matter where you live or when you got married, just make sure you understand your rights.