We all heard the statistics during the pandemic — pretty much everyone was getting divorced. And while divorce rates have since stabilized, we certainly don’t seem to be in a golden age of marriage, at least if social media is to be believed.
Of course, the success of a marital relationship ultimately comes down to compatibility and trust, but when personal finance website WalletHub decided to dig into the data on which American states are happiest, they found some interesting correlations with divorce rates that could prove instructive on how to predict a relationship’s longevity.
WalletHub’s study revealed the top 5 U.S. states where couples are least likely to divorce.
WalletHub’s “Happiest States In America” study ranks all 50 states in order of overall happiness.
To come up with the ranking, WalletHub and its team of experts analyzed each state on the basis of three main criteria: Emotional & Physical Well-Being, Work Environment and Community & Environment.
These three categories comprised 30 different metrics, from the local economy to the weather and even sleep statistics that give a picture of a state’s overall happiness. They revealed that Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, Utah, and Delaware are the happiest states overall.
But they were also able to get a glimpse into more specific issues, including divorce. In fact, divorce was one of the metrics by which they evaluated that “community & environment” score.
Some of the top 5 U.S. states where couples are most likely to make it for the long haul overlap with the happiest states overall, but others have a few surprises that might prove instructive about which factors in our lives might have an impact on our marriages.
1. Utah
Uh, okay, this is awkward. Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is headquartered in Utah, aren’t exactly known for their high divorce rates due to the church’s stance on marriage.
But it turns out there’s more to it than just religion. WalletHub also found that Utah scores very well when it comes to other stressors that tend to be kryptonite for a marriage.
The state is tied for the third lowest long-term unemployment rate in the country while also having the lowest work hours in the entire country. A stable economy and work-life balance? No wonder Utah’s couples go the long haul.
2. North Dakota
It’s a similar story in North Dakota, which was one of the states with which Utah was tied for the lowest long-term unemployment rate in the country in WalletHub’s data.
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The stress and strain of losing a job or being unemployed has been shown to seriously stress a marriage. A 40-year Harvard study, for instance, found that men had a 3.3% chance of getting divorced in any given year, compared to 2.5% for men with secure employment.
3. New Jersey
Unexpectedly, given the stereotypes about the Garden State, the home of Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi and an area so full of chemical factories it’s literally called the Chemical Coast, it is the third-happiest state in America overall, and that clearly spills over into its marriages.
WalletHub found the state has the lowest incidence of childhood trauma, the second-highest life satisfaction rate, and the second-lowest rate of depression.
Plus, it has some of the highest incomes in WalletHub’s study. It’s a lot easier to have a stable marriage when you’re so carefree.
4. Hawaii
Hawaii was far and away the happiest state in America in WalletHub’s study, and much like New Jersey, it carries over into people’s relationships. Unsurprisingly, given that it’s literally paradise, Hawaiians reported the highest levels of life satisfaction and lowest rate of depression.
It, too, has the economy to match, with low unemployment and high incomes, plus high ratings for physical health, activity, leisure time — basically, the living is REALLY good in Hawaii. What’s to divorce over when life’s a beach?
5. Minnesota
Minnesota coming in among the top five is a no-brainer when you look at the data — vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s home state ranks at the top of all three of WalletHub’s core data areas.
It ranked #12 in emotional and physical well-being, fourth in work happiness, and eighth in community and environment.
Basically, Minnesotans are sound of body and mind, like their jobs, have good work-life balance, and are very community-minded — all things that put them in the top 10 happiest states overall and apparently lead to rock-solid marriages, too. Which surely offsets those wicked winters and that weird — but charming — accent as well.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.
