Cities with highest divorce rate in California research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze California’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in California based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the highest divorce rate in California is Fort Bragg based on the most recent Census data.
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Fort Bragg is 17.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in California is San Marino.
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San Marino is 0.0% Divorced.
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California is 4.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 1,259,395 people living in California 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 Golden 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 California with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In California 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 California with the highest divorce rate? That would be Fort Bragg, with 17.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall California divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in California 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 California.
For more California reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In California
- Best Places To Live In California
- Cheapest Places To Live In California
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In California For 2024
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Population: 7,007
Divorce Rate: 17.0%
Divorcees: 952
Median Income: $47,662
More on Fort Bragg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 10,744
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 1,203
Median Income: $68,640
More on Placerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 14,576
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,515
Median Income: $47,367
More on Red Bluff: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 10,361
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,077
Median Income: $54,490
More on Shasta Lake: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 6,379
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 663
Median Income: $39,812
More on Crescent City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 12,681
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,318
Median Income: $52,012
More on Marysville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 13,964
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 1,340
Median Income: $49,855
More on Grass Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 12,757
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 1,224
Median Income: $80,438
More on Grover Beach: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,833
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 751
Median Income: $46,387
More on Yreka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,503
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 660
Median Income: $98,185
More on Sebastopol: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In California 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 428 places in California 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 California the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Fort Bragg.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out San Marino, the city with the lowest divorce rate in California.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in California with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In California After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In California: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Golden State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in California are Fort Bragg, Placerville, Red Bluff, Shasta Lake, Crescent City, Marysville, Grass Valley, Grover Beach, Yreka, and Sebastopol.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in California 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 California reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In California
- Best Places To Live In California
- Cheapest Places To Live In California
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In California
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Bragg, CA | 7,007 | 952 | 17.0% |
| 2 | Placerville, CA | 10,744 | 1,203 | 14.0% |
| 3 | Red Bluff, CA | 14,576 | 1,515 | 13.0% |
| 4 | Shasta Lake, CA | 10,361 | 1,077 | 13.0% |
| 5 | Crescent City, CA | 6,379 | 663 | 13.0% |
| 6 | Marysville, CA | 12,681 | 1,318 | 13.0% |
| 7 | Grass Valley, CA | 13,964 | 1,340 | 12.0% |
| 8 | Grover Beach, CA | 12,757 | 1,224 | 12.0% |
| 9 | Yreka, CA | 7,833 | 751 | 12.0% |
| 10 | Sebastopol, CA | 7,503 | 660 | 11.0% |
| 11 | Anderson, CA | 11,267 | 991 | 11.0% |
| 12 | Fortuna, CA | 12,527 | 1,102 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Clearlake, CA | 16,612 | 1,328 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Jackson, CA | 5,004 | 400 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Auburn, CA | 13,773 | 1,101 | 10.0% |
| 16 | Lakeport, CA | 5,014 | 401 | 10.0% |
| 17 | Redding, CA | 93,327 | 7,466 | 10.0% |
| 18 | Oroville, CA | 20,283 | 1,622 | 10.0% |
| 19 | Tehachapi, CA | 12,855 | 1,028 | 10.0% |
| 20 | Calimesa, CA | 10,366 | 829 | 10.0% |
| 21 | Eureka, CA | 26,519 | 1,909 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Loomis, CA | 6,831 | 491 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Big Bear Lake, CA | 5,059 | 364 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Ukiah, CA | 16,496 | 1,187 | 9.0% |
| 25 | Chowchilla, CA | 18,772 | 1,351 | 9.0% |
| 26 | Orland, CA | 8,221 | 591 | 9.0% |
| 27 | El Paso De Robles (Paso Robles), CA | 31,595 | 2,022 | 8.0% |
| 28 | Morro Bay, CA | 10,766 | 689 | 8.0% |
| 29 | Gridley, CA | 7,444 | 476 | 8.0% |
| 30 | Willows, CA | 6,201 | 396 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Grand Terrace, CA | 13,104 | 838 | 8.0% |
| 32 | Hughson, CA | 7,523 | 481 | 8.0% |
| 33 | Capitola, CA | 9,921 | 634 | 8.0% |
| 34 | Exeter, CA | 10,327 | 660 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Martinez, CA | 37,093 | 2,373 | 8.0% |
| 36 | Healdsburg, CA | 11,481 | 734 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Taft, CA | 7,414 | 474 | 8.0% |
| 38 | Citrus Heights, CA | 87,127 | 5,576 | 8.0% |
| 39 | Santa Rosa, CA | 178,221 | 9,980 | 7.0% |
| 40 | Apple Valley, CA | 75,603 | 4,233 | 7.0% |
| 41 | California City, CA | 15,002 | 840 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Scotts Valley, CA | 12,239 | 685 | 7.0% |
| 43 | Visalia, CA | 141,466 | 7,922 | 7.0% |
| 44 | San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA | 110,358 | 6,180 | 7.0% |
| 45 | Hemet, CA | 89,651 | 5,020 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Windsor, CA | 26,320 | 1,473 | 7.0% |
| 47 | Kingsburg, CA | 12,490 | 699 | 7.0% |
| 48 | Hollister, CA | 42,093 | 2,357 | 7.0% |
| 49 | Chico, CA | 102,790 | 5,756 | 7.0% |
| 50 | Hanford, CA | 57,920 | 3,243 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Atascadero, CA | 29,758 | 1,666 | 7.0% |
| 52 | Calipatria, CA | 6,579 | 368 | 7.0% |
| 53 | Yucca Valley, CA | 21,700 | 1,215 | 7.0% |
| 54 | Rio Vista, CA | 10,074 | 564 | 7.0% |
| 55 | Clovis, CA | 120,607 | 6,753 | 7.0% |
| 56 | Ione, CA | 5,364 | 300 | 7.0% |
| 57 | Modesto, CA | 218,308 | 12,225 | 7.0% |
| 58 | Corning, CA | 8,196 | 458 | 7.0% |
| 59 | Sierra Madre, CA | 11,151 | 624 | 7.0% |
| 60 | Selma, CA | 24,576 | 1,376 | 7.0% |
| 61 | Blythe, CA | 17,949 | 1,005 | 7.0% |
| 62 | Canyon Lake, CA | 11,108 | 622 | 7.0% |
| 63 | Roseville, CA | 148,879 | 8,337 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Ridgecrest, CA | 28,118 | 1,574 | 7.0% |
| 65 | Manteca, CA | 83,897 | 4,027 | 6.0% |
| 66 | Paradise, CA | 6,666 | 319 | 6.0% |
| 67 | Pacific Grove, CA | 15,098 | 724 | 6.0% |
| 68 | Monterey, CA | 30,007 | 1,440 | 6.0% |
| 69 | Sonoma, CA | 10,702 | 513 | 6.0% |
| 70 | Ojai, CA | 7,610 | 365 | 6.0% |
| 71 | Petaluma, CA | 59,682 | 2,864 | 6.0% |
| 72 | Turlock, CA | 72,504 | 3,480 | 6.0% |
| 73 | Brawley, CA | 26,509 | 1,272 | 6.0% |
| 74 | Buellton, CA | 5,151 | 247 | 6.0% |
| 75 | Rancho Cordova, CA | 79,128 | 3,798 | 6.0% |
| 76 | Barstow, CA | 25,235 | 1,211 | 6.0% |
| 77 | Newport Beach, CA | 85,159 | 4,087 | 6.0% |
| 78 | Desert Hot Springs, CA | 32,386 | 1,554 | 6.0% |
| 79 | Oakdale, CA | 23,120 | 1,109 | 6.0% |
| 80 | Woodland, CA | 61,227 | 2,938 | 6.0% |
| 81 | Solvang, CA | 6,035 | 289 | 6.0% |
| 82 | Folsom, CA | 81,077 | 3,891 | 6.0% |
| 83 | Arroyo Grande, CA | 18,435 | 884 | 6.0% |
| 84 | Pleasant Hill, CA | 34,504 | 1,656 | 6.0% |
| 85 | South Lake Tahoe, CA | 21,346 | 1,024 | 6.0% |
| 86 | Yuba City, CA | 69,535 | 3,337 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Antioch, CA | 115,016 | 5,520 | 6.0% |
| 88 | Galt, CA | 25,350 | 1,216 | 6.0% |
| 89 | Fillmore, CA | 16,455 | 789 | 6.0% |
| 90 | Hesperia, CA | 99,878 | 4,794 | 6.0% |
| 91 | Cotati, CA | 7,545 | 362 | 6.0% |
| 92 | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 7,253 | 348 | 6.0% |
| 93 | Norco, CA | 25,328 | 1,215 | 6.0% |
| 94 | La Mesa, CA | 60,888 | 2,922 | 6.0% |
| 95 | La Habra, CA | 62,904 | 3,019 | 6.0% |
| 96 | Rohnert Park, CA | 44,461 | 2,134 | 6.0% |
| 97 | Corte Madera, CA | 10,155 | 487 | 6.0% |
| 98 | Benicia, CA | 27,040 | 1,297 | 6.0% |
| 99 | Lemon Grove, CA | 27,482 | 1,319 | 6.0% |
| 100 | Seal Beach, CA | 25,046 | 1,202 | 6.0% |
This is awesome data! Working on my thesis and have found myself relying on Road Snacks a ton.
Found this article ( https://www.roadsnacks.net/california-divorce-rates/ ) especially helpful. Thanks