Cities with highest divorce rate in Washington research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Washington’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Washington based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
-
The city with the highest divorce rate in Washington is Centralia based on the most recent Census data.
-
Centralia is 12.0% Divorced.
-
The city with the lowest divorce rate in Washington is Ridgefield.
-
Ridgefield is 1.0% Divorced.
-
Washington is 4.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 246,033 people living in Washington 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 Evergreen 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 Washington with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In Washington 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 Washington with the highest divorce rate? That would be Centralia, with 12.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall Washington divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in Washington is 4.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in Washington.
For more Washington reading, check out:
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In Washington For 2024
/10
Population: 18,234
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 1,750
Median Income: $50,422
More on Centralia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 8,742
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 699
Median Income: $47,614
More on Hoquiam: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,462
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 393
Median Income: $79,084
More on Sultan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Connell
/10
Population: 5,175
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 372
Median Income: $61,000
More on Connell: Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 9,361
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 673
Median Income: $68,737
More on Burlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 10,570
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 761
Median Income: $57,857
More on Airway Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 8,203
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 590
Median Income: $66,843
More on Selah: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
/10
Population: 6,138
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 392
Median Income: $64,622
More on Prosser: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 12,661
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 810
Median Income: $59,405
More on Kelso: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In Washington 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 121 places in Washington with a population of over 5,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Washington the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Centralia.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Ridgefield, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Washington.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in Washington with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In Washington After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In Washington: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Evergreen State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Washington are Centralia, Hoquiam, Sultan, Connell, Burlington, Airway Heights, Selah, Buckley, Prosser, and Kelso.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Washington 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 Washington reading, check out:
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Washington
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centralia, WA | 18,234 | 1,750 | 12.0% |
| 2 | Hoquiam, WA | 8,742 | 699 | 10.0% |
| 3 | Sultan, WA | 5,462 | 393 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Connell, WA | 5,175 | 372 | 9.0% |
| 5 | Burlington, WA | 9,361 | 673 | 9.0% |
| 6 | Airway Heights, WA | 10,570 | 761 | 9.0% |
| 7 | Selah, WA | 8,203 | 590 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Buckley, WA | 5,191 | 332 | 8.0% |
| 9 | Prosser, WA | 6,138 | 392 | 8.0% |
| 10 | Kelso, WA | 12,661 | 810 | 8.0% |
| 11 | Chehalis, WA | 7,512 | 480 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Longview, WA | 37,722 | 2,112 | 7.0% |
| 13 | Stanwood, WA | 8,051 | 450 | 7.0% |
| 14 | Ocean Shores, WA | 6,838 | 382 | 7.0% |
| 15 | Aberdeen, WA | 16,969 | 950 | 7.0% |
| 16 | Wenatchee, WA | 35,365 | 1,980 | 7.0% |
| 17 | Enumclaw, WA | 12,630 | 707 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Spokane Valley, WA | 103,761 | 5,810 | 7.0% |
| 19 | Arlington, WA | 20,263 | 1,134 | 7.0% |
| 20 | Ellensburg, WA | 19,003 | 1,064 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Snohomish, WA | 10,133 | 567 | 7.0% |
| 22 | Port Townsend, WA | 10,161 | 569 | 7.0% |
| 23 | Port Angeles, WA | 20,007 | 1,120 | 7.0% |
| 24 | Spokane, WA | 227,922 | 12,763 | 7.0% |
| 25 | Clarkston, WA | 7,222 | 346 | 6.0% |
| 26 | Sumner, WA | 10,589 | 508 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Marysville, WA | 70,847 | 3,400 | 6.0% |
| 28 | Orting, WA | 8,898 | 427 | 6.0% |
| 29 | East Wenatchee, WA | 14,065 | 675 | 6.0% |
| 30 | Moses Lake, WA | 25,155 | 1,207 | 6.0% |
| 31 | Sequim, WA | 8,073 | 387 | 6.0% |
| 32 | Mount Vernon, WA | 35,120 | 1,685 | 6.0% |
| 33 | Shelton, WA | 10,484 | 503 | 6.0% |
| 34 | Puyallup, WA | 42,610 | 2,045 | 6.0% |
| 35 | Des Moines, WA | 32,667 | 1,568 | 6.0% |
| 36 | Everett, WA | 110,847 | 5,320 | 6.0% |
| 37 | Yakima, WA | 96,764 | 4,644 | 6.0% |
| 38 | Milton, WA | 8,543 | 410 | 6.0% |
| 39 | Fircrest, WA | 7,098 | 340 | 6.0% |
| 40 | Edgewood, WA | 12,397 | 495 | 5.0% |
| 41 | Brier, WA | 6,539 | 261 | 5.0% |
| 42 | Mukilteo, WA | 21,365 | 854 | 5.0% |
| 43 | Ferndale, WA | 15,130 | 605 | 5.0% |
| 44 | Tacoma, WA | 219,234 | 8,769 | 5.0% |
| 45 | Othello, WA | 8,582 | 343 | 5.0% |
| 46 | Kennewick, WA | 83,823 | 3,352 | 5.0% |
| 47 | Woodland, WA | 6,463 | 258 | 5.0% |
| 48 | Olympia, WA | 55,151 | 2,206 | 5.0% |
| 49 | Mill Creek, WA | 20,797 | 831 | 5.0% |
| 50 | Monroe, WA | 19,632 | 785 | 5.0% |
| 51 | Walla Walla, WA | 33,842 | 1,353 | 5.0% |
| 52 | Bremerton, WA | 43,983 | 1,759 | 5.0% |
| 53 | Mountlake Terrace, WA | 21,350 | 854 | 5.0% |
| 54 | Auburn, WA | 85,623 | 3,424 | 5.0% |
| 55 | Pacific, WA | 7,097 | 283 | 5.0% |
| 56 | Tumwater, WA | 25,617 | 1,024 | 5.0% |
| 57 | Sedro-Woolley, WA | 12,470 | 498 | 5.0% |
| 58 | Gig Harbor, WA | 11,917 | 476 | 5.0% |
| 59 | Covington, WA | 20,814 | 832 | 5.0% |
| 60 | Lake Stevens, WA | 38,816 | 1,552 | 5.0% |
| 61 | Port Orchard, WA | 15,820 | 632 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Lynnwood, WA | 39,867 | 1,594 | 5.0% |
| 63 | Burien, WA | 51,505 | 2,060 | 5.0% |
| 64 | Grandview, WA | 10,922 | 349 | 4.0% |
| 65 | Lake Forest Park, WA | 13,462 | 430 | 4.0% |
| 66 | Yelm, WA | 10,438 | 334 | 4.0% |
| 67 | Washougal, WA | 16,828 | 538 | 4.0% |
| 68 | Edmonds, WA | 42,705 | 1,366 | 4.0% |
| 69 | Maple Valley, WA | 27,889 | 892 | 4.0% |
| 70 | West Richland, WA | 16,547 | 529 | 4.0% |
| 71 | Ephrata, WA | 8,419 | 269 | 4.0% |
| 72 | Lynden, WA | 15,723 | 503 | 4.0% |
| 73 | Anacortes, WA | 17,667 | 565 | 4.0% |
| 74 | Quincy, WA | 7,754 | 248 | 4.0% |
| 75 | Poulsbo, WA | 11,824 | 378 | 4.0% |
| 76 | Lakewood, WA | 63,142 | 2,020 | 4.0% |
| 77 | Bellingham, WA | 91,353 | 2,923 | 4.0% |
| 78 | Liberty Lake, WA | 12,026 | 384 | 4.0% |
| 79 | University Place, WA | 34,696 | 1,110 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Union Gap, WA | 6,512 | 208 | 4.0% |
| 81 | Federal Way, WA | 99,614 | 3,187 | 4.0% |
| 82 | Richland, WA | 60,867 | 1,947 | 4.0% |
| 83 | Fife, WA | 10,887 | 348 | 4.0% |
| 84 | College Place, WA | 9,796 | 313 | 4.0% |
| 85 | Normandy Park, WA | 6,697 | 214 | 4.0% |
| 86 | Oak Harbor, WA | 24,458 | 782 | 4.0% |
| 87 | Kirkland, WA | 92,015 | 2,208 | 3.0% |
| 88 | Pasco, WA | 77,274 | 1,854 | 3.0% |
| 89 | Sunnyside, WA | 16,329 | 391 | 3.0% |
| 90 | Battle Ground, WA | 20,888 | 501 | 3.0% |
| 91 | Duvall, WA | 8,128 | 195 | 3.0% |
| 92 | Blaine, WA | 5,865 | 140 | 3.0% |
| 93 | Issaquah, WA | 39,400 | 945 | 3.0% |
| 94 | Bothell, WA | 47,917 | 1,150 | 3.0% |
| 95 | Snoqualmie, WA | 13,762 | 330 | 3.0% |
| 96 | Black Diamond, WA | 5,314 | 127 | 3.0% |
| 97 | Shoreline, WA | 58,673 | 1,408 | 3.0% |
| 98 | Seattle, WA | 734,603 | 17,630 | 3.0% |
| 99 | Bonney Lake, WA | 22,590 | 542 | 3.0% |
| 100 | Seatac, WA | 30,927 | 742 | 3.0% |