10 Easiest States to Get a Divorce in America

The 10 easiest states to get a divorce in America are your best options to escape from a suffering marriage. The rate of divorce in the US is increasing.  In 2005, estimates suggested that one out of every five marriages would end up in divorce within just five years. The divorce rates in 2005 were an astronomical four times greater than the divorce rates 50 years ago. Estimates suggest that most marriages that end in divorce last around 8 years on average.

Now that divorce is so prevalent in society, it doesn’t hurt to know which states make filing for divorce an easy affair as compared to the nasty, horrid event that it usually is, as evident in the 11 most expensive divorce settlements in the world. Of course, one could argue that making divorce easier may also be one of the reasons for the high rate of divorce.

This is why we decided to rank the 10 easiest states to get a divorce in America. To achieve this, we used DivorceLaws to be able to figure out the states that had the lowest divorce filing fees as well as the states that are easiest to file for divorce. This was determined by a number of factors that include the filing fees as well as the divorce waiting period. Furthermore, we also used Bloomberg’s ranking of the states to further refine our ranking. Bloomberg’s ranking was based on a number of factors as well, such as court filing fees, a minimum period of separation, a minimum length of residency and the least number of days for the whole divorce process.

Now, let’s see those easiest states to get a divorce in America, starting with number 10:

10. Kansas

Ease of filing score: 87

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 7

Divorce filing fees: $180

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 25

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 13

Overall score: 15

7. Missouri

Ease of filing score: 87

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 7

Divorce filing fees: $180

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 25

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 10

Overall score: 14

7. Iowa

Ease of filing score: 93

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 4

Divorce filing fees: $185

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 26

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 11

Overall score: 14

7. New Mexico

Ease of filing score: 78

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 14

Divorce filing fees: $137

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 11

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 16

Overall score: 14

6. Mississippi

Ease of filing score: 80

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 12

Divorce filing fees: $52

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 1

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 26

Overall score: 13

5. Idaho

Ease of filing score: 72

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 15

Divorce filing fees: $129

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 8

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 4

Overall score: 9

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3. Alaska

Ease of filing score: 100

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 1

Divorce filing fees: $150

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 16

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 3

Overall score: 7

3. Maine

Ease of filing score: 88

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 6

Divorce filing fees: $120

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 7

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 7

Overall score: 7

2. South Dakota

Ease of filing score: 98

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 2

Divorce filing fees: $95

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 5

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 5

Overall score: 4

1. Wyoming

Ease of filing score: 95

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 3

Divorce filing fees: $70

Ranking according to divorce filing fees: 2

Ranking according to Bloomberg: 2

Overall score: 2

Ranked highly by both Bloomberg and our composite rankings, Wyoming easily tops the list of the 10 easiest states to get a divorce in America. But in order to file for divorce in Wyoming, you can’t just drive over to the state and go straight to the court. You have to be a resident for at least 2 months in order to be eligible to file for divorce. Of course, this is still extremely low compared to the national average of around six months waiting time before divorce is an option. The minimal processing time for the total ordeal is around 80 days. Furthermore, with an amount of just $70 for the divorce filing fees, the amount is the second lowest in all the states in the United States. In addition, the state does not require any period of separation before a person can file for divorce which is unusual considering that most states do employ such a period.