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1 / 25#25. Home health aides
- Divorce rate: 23.4%
- Separation rate: 7.6%
- Median annual salary: $30,180 ($16,130 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 3.5 million people
Jobs with the highest divorce rates
An October 2024 analysis from the Census Bureau found that divorce rates in the U.S. fell by three percentage points between 2008 and 2022, from 10% to 7%. Marriage rates, on the other hand, stayed relatively stable during the same period, fluctuating between 16% and 18% throughout those 14 years.
These numbers vary significantly based on demographics. According to a September 2024 analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, race and education played a notable role in the divorce rates of adults born between 1957 and 1964. Black men and women were more likely to divorce than white men and women, and men and women who earned their bachelor's degrees or higher were less likely to divorce than those who did not. Age also factors in—a March 2025 report from Purdue University noted that while overall divorce rates have fallen in recent years, the amount of "gray divorces," those among couples ages 65 and older, has nearly tripled since the 1990s.
But there's another strong predictor for long-term marital success: work history. The BLS data showed that men who worked full-time for more years were more likely to stay married. Meanwhile, the opposite rang true for women—those who worked full-time for more years between ages 25 and 54 were less likely to remain in their first marriage.
In addition to the number of full-time years worked, the exact job a person does may also be a predictor of divorce. Using 2022 American Community Survey data, sourced via the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Stacker ranked the 25 U.S. jobs with the highest divorce rates, breaking ties by separation rates. Rates in this analysis are calculated as the number of people who are currently divorced out of all people who have ever been married within each occupation. Data looks only at current marital status, so those who were previously divorced but have since gotten remarried are not counted among divorced people. Stacker only considered occupations with a sample size larger than 100.
The analysis also includes 2022 employment and wage data for occupations, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which don't factor into the ranking.
Interestingly, people who either haven't had a job in the past five-plus years or never worked had a divorce rate of 21.4%, which was lower than all occupations on the list.
It stands to reason that married couples who are less likely to encounter financial hardships will have a better chance of staying together. If both people in a marriage have high-paying jobs, they can use their combined wealth in mutually beneficial ways. Married people in jobs with high average annual salaries, stability, and predictability will have more money to provide for a family and pay their bills, can enjoy luxuries such as vacations, and generally lead fulfilling lives.
Jobs with relatively low pay and irregular hours, like bartending or waiting tables, can cause a financial strain on a marriage. From another standpoint, those with jobs that require a lot of travel, like flight attendants or entertainers, may face marital stress because they're forced to spend a lot of time away from home. Others with physically demanding occupations often encounter low pay, long hours, and dangerous working conditions—each of which can lead to potential complications at home.
Continue reading to find out which jobs have the highest divorce rates in the U.S.
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2 / 25#24. Dancers and choreographers
- Divorce rate: 23.5%
- Separation rate: 3.0%
- Median annual salary: $50,990 ($4,680 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 14,330 people
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Divorce rate: 23.8%
- Separation rate: 2.6%
- Median annual salary: $48,780 ($2,470 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 159,940 people
Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Rehabilitation counselors
- Divorce rate: 23.9%
- Separation rate: 1.2%
- Median annual salary: $39,990 ($6,320 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 82,420 people
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Divorce rate: 23.9%
- Separation rate: 4.3%
- Median annual salary: $54,620 ($8,310 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 632,020 people
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6 / 25#20. Pharmacy aides
- Divorce rate: 24.3%
- Separation rate: 1.1%
- Median annual salary: $33,270 ($13,040 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 43,230 people
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
7 / 25#19. Residential advisors
- Divorce rate: 24.3%
- Separation rate: 5.7%
- Median annual salary: $35,720 ($10,590 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 86,770 people
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8 / 25#18. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Divorce rate: 24.4%
- Separation rate: 2.9%
- Median annual salary: $33,380 ($12,930 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 91,270 people
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9 / 25#17. Personal care aides
- Divorce rate: 24.5%
- Separation rate: 6.3%
- Median annual salary: $30,180 ($16,130 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 3.5 million people
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. Supervisors of personal care and service workers
- Divorce rate: 24.6%
- Separation rate: 1.8%
- Median annual salary: $48,210 ($1,900 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 205,440 people
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Anucha Cheechang // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Switchboard operators, including answering service
- Divorce rate: 24.7%
- Separation rate: 1.7%
- Median annual salary: $34,670 ($11,640 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 47,430 people
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12 / 25#14. Gambling services workers
- Divorce rate: 24.7%
- Separation rate: 3.5%
- Median annual salary: $29,470 ($16,840 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 91,460 people
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13 / 25#13. Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
- Divorce rate: 24.7%
- Separation rate: 3.8%
- Median annual salary: $35,070 ($11,240 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 67,750 people
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14 / 25#12. School bus monitors
- Divorce rate: 24.8%
- Separation rate: 4.9%
- Median annual salary: $29,880 ($16,430 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 64,100 people
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15 / 25#11. Telephone operators
- Divorce rate: 25.5%
- Separation rate: 3.7%
- Median annual salary: $38,330 ($7,980 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 4,030 people
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16 / 25#10. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
- Divorce rate: 25.6%
- Separation rate: 2.8%
- Median annual salary: $38,700 ($7,610 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 168,680 people
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Divorce rate: 25.7%
- Separation rate: 4.8%
- Median annual salary: $49,130 ($2,820 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 119,530 people
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Divorce rate: 25.9%
- Separation rate: 5.9%
- Median annual salary: $28,910 ($17,400 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 243,180 people
Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Umpires, referees, and other sports officials
- Divorce rate: 26.1%
- Separation rate: Not available
- Median annual salary: $36,010 ($10,300 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 12,720 people
NDAB Creativity // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Massage therapists
- Divorce rate: 27.6%
- Separation rate: 2.5%
- Median annual salary: $49,860 ($3,550 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 86,270 people
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branislavpudar // Shutterstock
21 / 25#5. Hazardous materials removal workers
- Divorce rate: 27.6%
- Separation rate: 4.6%
- Median annual salary: $46,690 ($380 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 46,780 people
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22 / 25#4. Bartenders
- Divorce rate: 27.8%
- Separation rate: 5.6%
- Median annual salary: $29,380 ($16,930 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 613,070 people
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23 / 25#3. Acupuncturists
- Divorce rate: 29.2%
- Separation rate: 1.1%
- Median annual salary: $72,220 ($25,910 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 7,800 people
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24 / 25#2. Metal furnace operators, tenders, pourers, and casters
- Divorce rate: 29.5%
- Separation rate: 1.4%
- Median annual salary: $47,675 ($1,365 above the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 25,390 people
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Telemarketers
- Divorce rate: 34.4%
- Separation rate: 3.4%
- Median annual salary: $31,030 ($15,280 below the national median for all jobs)
- Employment nationwide: 96,520 people
Data reporting and additional writing by Paxtyn Merten.
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