Cities with highest divorce rate in Massachusetts research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Massachusetts’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Massachusetts based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the highest divorce rate in Massachusetts is Palmer Town based on the most recent Census data.
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Palmer Town is 13.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in Massachusetts is Cambridge.
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Cambridge is 1.0% Divorced.
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Massachusetts is 5.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 279,368 people living in Massachusetts over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2024.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Bay State.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
For today’s analysis, the focus will be on the number of currently divorced people.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in Massachusetts with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In Massachusetts With The Highest Divorce Rates
Let’s quickly recap before we dive into the Saturday Night Science behind the data.
What is the city in Massachusetts with the highest divorce rate? That would be Palmer Town, with 13.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall Massachusetts divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in Massachusetts is 5.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in Massachusetts.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In Massachusetts For 2024
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Population: 12,422
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,291
Median Income: $73,568
More on Palmer Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 17,669
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 1,413
Median Income: $55,182
More on Southbridge Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 41,621
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 2,996
Median Income: $65,963
More on Fitchburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 29,830
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 2,147
Median Income: $84,465
More on Gloucester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 19,031
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 1,370
Median Income: $98,901
More on Winthrop Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 17,279
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 1,244
Median Income: $91,010
More on Amesbury Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 12,937
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 931
Median Income: $49,525
More on North Adams: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 46,384
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 2,968
Median Income: $91,378
More on Attleboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 28,606
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 1,830
Median Income: $80,809
More on Agawam Town: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 67,273
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 4,305
Median Income: $81,989
More on Haverhill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In Massachusetts That Get Un-Hitched The Most
Since this is the 58th category of rankings we are compiling for the site, we had a pretty good idea of where to find data on marriage and divorce in America. We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2018-2022 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status.
Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
There are some interesting/fun/sad data like .1% of female Americans aged 15-19 are divorced, but 0% of males (That’s probably a rounding issue, but still).
But the national data is for another day. Today, the analysis focuses on the 52 places in Massachusetts with a population of over 12,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Massachusetts the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Palmer Town.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Cambridge, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Massachusetts.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in Massachusetts with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In Massachusetts After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In Massachusetts: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Bay State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Massachusetts are Palmer Town, Southbridge Town, Fitchburg, Gloucester, Winthrop Town, Amesbury Town, North Adams, Attleboro, Agawam Town, and Haverhill.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Massachusetts could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
And that’s probably for the best. Getting out of a toxic relationship is much better than staying in it.
Just make sure you have your running shoes ready to go.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Massachusetts
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmer Town, MA | 12,422 | 1,291 | 13.0% |
| 2 | Southbridge Town, MA | 17,669 | 1,413 | 10.0% |
| 3 | Fitchburg, MA | 41,621 | 2,996 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Gloucester, MA | 29,830 | 2,147 | 9.0% |
| 5 | Winthrop Town, MA | 19,031 | 1,370 | 9.0% |
| 6 | Amesbury Town, MA | 17,279 | 1,244 | 9.0% |
| 7 | North Adams, MA | 12,937 | 931 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Attleboro, MA | 46,384 | 2,968 | 8.0% |
| 9 | Agawam Town, MA | 28,606 | 1,830 | 8.0% |
| 10 | Haverhill, MA | 67,273 | 4,305 | 8.0% |
| 11 | Gardner, MA | 21,090 | 1,349 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Taunton, MA | 59,436 | 3,803 | 8.0% |
| 13 | Leominster, MA | 43,620 | 2,791 | 8.0% |
| 14 | Chicopee, MA | 55,441 | 3,548 | 8.0% |
| 15 | Weymouth Town, MA | 57,300 | 3,667 | 8.0% |
| 16 | Fall River, MA | 93,638 | 5,243 | 7.0% |
| 17 | Peabody, MA | 54,204 | 3,035 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Beverly, MA | 42,414 | 2,375 | 7.0% |
| 19 | Woburn, MA | 40,992 | 2,295 | 7.0% |
| 20 | New Bedford, MA | 100,620 | 5,634 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Easthampton Town, MA | 16,136 | 903 | 7.0% |
| 22 | West Springfield Town, MA | 28,755 | 1,610 | 7.0% |
| 23 | Pittsfield, MA | 43,730 | 2,448 | 7.0% |
| 24 | Barnstable Town, MA | 48,922 | 2,739 | 7.0% |
| 25 | Newburyport, MA | 18,356 | 1,027 | 7.0% |
| 26 | Westfield, MA | 40,794 | 2,284 | 7.0% |
| 27 | Worcester, MA | 204,191 | 9,801 | 6.0% |
| 28 | Braintree Town, MA | 38,748 | 1,859 | 6.0% |
| 29 | Salem, MA | 44,541 | 2,137 | 6.0% |
| 30 | Marlborough, MA | 41,391 | 1,986 | 6.0% |
| 31 | Brockton, MA | 104,713 | 4,188 | 5.0% |
| 32 | Methuen Town, MA | 52,812 | 2,112 | 5.0% |
| 33 | Holyoke, MA | 38,210 | 1,528 | 5.0% |
| 34 | Revere, MA | 60,577 | 2,423 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Lynn, MA | 100,653 | 4,026 | 5.0% |
| 36 | Northampton, MA | 28,245 | 1,129 | 5.0% |
| 37 | Watertown Town, MA | 35,181 | 1,125 | 4.0% |
| 38 | Quincy, MA | 100,981 | 3,231 | 4.0% |
| 39 | Franklin Town, MA | 32,777 | 1,048 | 4.0% |
| 40 | Springfield, MA | 155,305 | 4,969 | 4.0% |
| 41 | Melrose, MA | 29,477 | 943 | 4.0% |
| 42 | Lowell, MA | 114,737 | 3,671 | 4.0% |
| 43 | Everett, MA | 48,685 | 1,557 | 4.0% |
| 44 | Waltham, MA | 64,711 | 1,553 | 3.0% |
| 45 | Medford, MA | 61,748 | 1,481 | 3.0% |
| 46 | Malden, MA | 65,463 | 1,571 | 3.0% |
| 47 | Newton, MA | 88,453 | 2,122 | 3.0% |
| 48 | Somerville, MA | 80,464 | 1,287 | 2.0% |
| 49 | Chelsea, MA | 39,890 | 638 | 2.0% |
| 50 | Lawrence, MA | 88,067 | 1,409 | 2.0% |
| 51 | Boston, MA | 665,945 | 10,655 | 2.0% |
| 52 | Cambridge, MA | 117,962 | 943 | 1.0% |