Marriages and Divorces
This page provides access to annual statistics on marriages and divorces that occurred in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Stats, ch. 69 authorizes the State Registrar in the Department of Health Services (DHS) to supervise and direct the collection of marriage and divorce data. This statute also specifies how local registrars are to collect and file certificates of marriage and how clerks of court are to report divorces granted in their courts.
The sources of data for the annual Wisconsin Marriages and Divorces report are certificates of marriage and divorce maintained by DHS.
Key findings
- There was a spike in divorces at the end of World War II, and rates climbed again after 1960, peaking in the early 1980s.
- There has been a steady decline in marriage rates since 1980, with a more recent leveling off around 2010.
- Wisconsin marriage trends have mirrored trends in the country with the rates being consistently lower.
- There was a noticeable drop in marriage and divorce rates during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic for both the United States and Wisconsin.
- In 2021, the marriage rate in Wisconsin increased from the previous year for the first time since 2014 (4.5 in 2020 to 5.0 per 1,000 people in 2021).
Downloadable data tables
- Wisconsin Marriages and Divorces Data Tables, 2023 (Excel)
- Wisconsin Marriages and Divorces Data Tables, 2021 and 2022 (Excel)
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