12 Hardest States to get a Divorce in America

Many marriages in the US end up in divorce, but which are the 12 hardest states to get a divorce in America? Unfortunately, as time has gone by, the concept and sanctity of marriage have decreased significantly as well. In fact, the divorce rate has increased manifold and nearly half of all marriages in the United States are ending in divorce. This may be due to the fact that some states have made it easier to obtain a divorce, as can be seen in the 10 easiest states to get a divorce in America and the fact that at least in the US, there is no shame in being divorced, while the stigma associated with a divorcee in previous decades could haunt them till their death.

We decided to determine the 10 hardest states to get a divorce in America, i.e. the states where getting A divorce is even more a complicated and convoluted process than usual. To determine the ranking, we used DivorceLaws to obtain information regarding all the states which includes the states where it’s pretty hard to file for divorce as well as states where the divorce filing fee is exceptionally high as well.

We also used Bloomberg which has ranked all the states in the country according to the ease, or lack thereof, in filing for divorce. We have combined both the methods used and hence, created a unique ranking for the 10 hardest states to get a divorce in America. This has allowed us to come up with objective rankings, which aren’t biased towards any particular source.

Without further ado, here are the states where getting a divorce is an even bigger nightmare, starting with the number 12.

12. Texas

Ease of filing score: 40

Ranking according to ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 13

Divorce filing fees: $235

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 17

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 16

Overall score: 15

11. Wisconsin

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 37

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 10

Divorce filing fees: $188

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 24

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 11

Overall score: 15

10. Nebraska

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 30

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 6

Divorce filing fees: $157

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 33

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 7

Overall score: 15

7. Florida

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 60

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 25

Divorce filing fees: $409

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 1

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 17

Overall score: 14

7. Illinois

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 54

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 21

Divorce filing fees: $337

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 4

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 18

Overall score: 14

7. South Carolina

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 27

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 3

Divorce filing fees: $150

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 36

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 3

Overall score: 14

5. North Carolina

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 35

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 9

Divorce filing fees: $225

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 19

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 8

Overall score: 12

5. Arkansas

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 20

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 1

Divorce filing fees: $165

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 32

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 4

Overall score: 12

4. Pennsylvania

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 40

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 13

Divorce filing fees: $317

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 8

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 12

Overall score: 11

3. New Jersey

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 23

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 2

Divorce filing fees: $250

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 16

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 9

Overall score: 9

2. California

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 44

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 14

Divorce filing fees: $395

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 3

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 5

Overall score: 7

1. Vermont

Ease of filing score (hardest to easiest): 29

Ranking according to ease of filing score: 4

Divorce filing fees: $263

Ranking according to divorce filing fees (highest to lowest): 14

Ranking according to Bloomberg (hardest to easiest): 1

With overall score of 6, Vermont is the hardest state to get a divorce in America.