Cities with highest divorce rate in Illinois research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Illinois’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Illinois 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 Illinois is Harrisburg based on the most recent Census data.
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Harrisburg is 18.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in Illinois is South Barrington.
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South Barrington is 1.0% Divorced.
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Illinois is 6.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 612,366 people living in Illinois 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 Prairie 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 Illinois with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In Illinois 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 Illinois with the highest divorce rate? That would be Harrisburg, with 18.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall Illinois divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in Illinois is 6.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in Illinois.
For more Illinois reading, check out:
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In Illinois For 2024
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Population: 8,380
Divorce Rate: 18.0%
Divorcees: 1,206
Median Income: $38,937
More on Harrisburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,193
Divorce Rate: 17.0%
Divorcees: 978
Median Income: $55,717
More on Calumet Park: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 16,830
Divorce Rate: 17.0%
Divorcees: 2,288
Median Income: $45,953
More on Mattoon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 10,313
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 1,320
Median Income: $58,813
More on Wood River: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,167
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 661
Median Income: $47,763
More on Pana: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 8,904
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 1,139
Median Income: $48,390
More on Rock Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,168
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 860
Median Income: $41,974
More on West Frankfort: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,130
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 735
Median Income: $59,161
More on Chillicothe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,673
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 680
Median Income: $48,302
More on Hillsboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 17,639
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 2,116
Median Income: $55,944
More on Jacksonville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In Illinois 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 330 places in Illinois 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 Illinois the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Harrisburg.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out South Barrington, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Illinois.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in Illinois with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In Illinois After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In Illinois: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Prairie State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Illinois are Harrisburg, Calumet Park, Mattoon, Wood River, Pana, Rock Falls, West Frankfort, Chillicothe, Hillsboro, and Jacksonville.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Illinois 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 Illinois reading, check out:
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Illinois
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrisburg, IL | 8,380 | 1,206 | 18.0% |
| 2 | Calumet Park, IL | 7,193 | 978 | 17.0% |
| 3 | Mattoon, IL | 16,830 | 2,288 | 17.0% |
| 4 | Wood River, IL | 10,313 | 1,320 | 16.0% |
| 5 | Pana, IL | 5,167 | 661 | 16.0% |
| 6 | Rock Falls, IL | 8,904 | 1,139 | 16.0% |
| 7 | West Frankfort, IL | 7,168 | 860 | 15.0% |
| 8 | Chillicothe, IL | 6,130 | 735 | 15.0% |
| 9 | Hillsboro, IL | 5,673 | 680 | 15.0% |
| 10 | Jacksonville, IL | 17,639 | 2,116 | 15.0% |
| 11 | Mount Carmel, IL | 6,978 | 837 | 15.0% |
| 12 | Herrin, IL | 12,344 | 1,382 | 14.0% |
| 13 | Rochelle, IL | 9,417 | 1,054 | 14.0% |
| 14 | Benton, IL | 6,999 | 783 | 14.0% |
| 15 | Murphysboro, IL | 7,101 | 795 | 14.0% |
| 16 | Streator, IL | 12,279 | 1,375 | 14.0% |
| 17 | Olney, IL | 8,995 | 1,007 | 14.0% |
| 18 | Princeton, IL | 7,749 | 867 | 14.0% |
| 19 | Crestwood, IL | 10,737 | 1,116 | 13.0% |
| 20 | Clinton, IL | 6,889 | 716 | 13.0% |
| 21 | Carmi, IL | 5,042 | 524 | 13.0% |
| 22 | Spring Valley, IL | 5,518 | 573 | 13.0% |
| 23 | Crete, IL | 8,425 | 876 | 13.0% |
| 24 | Alton, IL | 25,642 | 2,666 | 13.0% |
| 25 | Jerseyville, IL | 7,623 | 792 | 13.0% |
| 26 | Coal City, IL | 5,218 | 542 | 13.0% |
| 27 | Fox Lake, IL | 10,798 | 1,122 | 13.0% |
| 28 | Bartonville, IL | 5,952 | 619 | 13.0% |
| 29 | Taylorville, IL | 11,318 | 1,086 | 12.0% |
| 30 | East Alton, IL | 5,782 | 555 | 12.0% |
| 31 | Pekin, IL | 32,075 | 3,079 | 12.0% |
| 32 | Mount Vernon, IL | 14,740 | 1,415 | 12.0% |
| 33 | Milan, IL | 5,066 | 486 | 12.0% |
| 34 | Vandalia, IL | 6,058 | 581 | 12.0% |
| 35 | Centralia, IL | 12,096 | 1,161 | 12.0% |
| 36 | Galesburg, IL | 29,923 | 2,872 | 12.0% |
| 37 | Du Quoin, IL | 5,822 | 558 | 12.0% |
| 38 | Monee, IL | 5,120 | 491 | 12.0% |
| 39 | Danville, IL | 29,100 | 2,793 | 12.0% |
| 40 | Marion, IL | 16,867 | 1,619 | 12.0% |
| 41 | Island Lake, IL | 8,039 | 771 | 12.0% |
| 42 | Peoria Heights, IL | 5,890 | 565 | 12.0% |
| 43 | Freeport, IL | 23,884 | 2,292 | 12.0% |
| 44 | Pontiac, IL | 11,451 | 1,099 | 12.0% |
| 45 | Litchfield, IL | 6,937 | 610 | 11.0% |
| 46 | Pinckneyville, IL | 5,104 | 449 | 11.0% |
| 47 | Springfield, IL | 114,214 | 10,050 | 11.0% |
| 48 | Effingham, IL | 12,244 | 1,077 | 11.0% |
| 49 | Dolton, IL | 21,283 | 1,872 | 11.0% |
| 50 | Elburn, IL | 5,958 | 524 | 11.0% |
| 51 | Canton, IL | 13,380 | 1,177 | 11.0% |
| 52 | Carlinville, IL | 5,724 | 503 | 11.0% |
| 53 | Bradley, IL | 15,379 | 1,353 | 11.0% |
| 54 | Colona, IL | 5,404 | 475 | 11.0% |
| 55 | Wilmington, IL | 5,525 | 486 | 11.0% |
| 56 | Quincy, IL | 39,441 | 3,470 | 11.0% |
| 57 | Park Forest, IL | 21,042 | 1,851 | 11.0% |
| 58 | Robinson, IL | 7,089 | 623 | 11.0% |
| 59 | Dixon, IL | 15,573 | 1,370 | 11.0% |
| 60 | University Park, IL | 7,328 | 644 | 11.0% |
| 61 | Geneseo, IL | 6,421 | 565 | 11.0% |
| 62 | Greenville, IL | 7,121 | 626 | 11.0% |
| 63 | Genoa, IL | 5,044 | 403 | 10.0% |
| 64 | Belvidere, IL | 25,389 | 2,031 | 10.0% |
| 65 | Bethalto, IL | 9,281 | 742 | 10.0% |
| 66 | Salem, IL | 7,228 | 578 | 10.0% |
| 67 | Markham, IL | 11,592 | 927 | 10.0% |
| 68 | Sauk Village, IL | 9,862 | 788 | 10.0% |
| 69 | Riverdale, IL | 10,528 | 842 | 10.0% |
| 70 | Monticello, IL | 6,337 | 506 | 10.0% |
| 71 | Ottawa, IL | 18,708 | 1,496 | 10.0% |
| 72 | Lincoln, IL | 13,371 | 1,069 | 10.0% |
| 73 | Silvis, IL | 7,936 | 634 | 10.0% |
| 74 | Plano, IL | 11,113 | 889 | 10.0% |
| 75 | Peru, IL | 9,831 | 786 | 10.0% |
| 76 | Kewanee, IL | 12,179 | 974 | 10.0% |
| 77 | Hazel Crest, IL | 13,737 | 1,098 | 10.0% |
| 78 | Lakemoor, IL | 6,128 | 490 | 10.0% |
| 79 | Granite City, IL | 27,026 | 2,162 | 10.0% |
| 80 | Mchenry, IL | 27,493 | 2,199 | 10.0% |
| 81 | Sterling, IL | 14,852 | 1,188 | 10.0% |
| 82 | Forest Park, IL | 14,165 | 1,019 | 9.0% |
| 83 | Chatham, IL | 14,437 | 1,039 | 9.0% |
| 84 | Morris, IL | 14,491 | 1,043 | 9.0% |
| 85 | Lynwood, IL | 9,087 | 654 | 9.0% |
| 86 | Crest Hill, IL | 19,886 | 1,431 | 9.0% |
| 87 | Eureka, IL | 5,504 | 396 | 9.0% |
| 88 | Rantoul, IL | 12,544 | 903 | 9.0% |
| 89 | Savoy, IL | 8,682 | 625 | 9.0% |
| 90 | Manteno, IL | 8,632 | 621 | 9.0% |
| 91 | Calumet City, IL | 35,708 | 2,570 | 9.0% |
| 92 | Brookfield, IL | 19,349 | 1,393 | 9.0% |
| 93 | North Riverside, IL | 7,245 | 521 | 9.0% |
| 94 | Glenwood, IL | 8,542 | 615 | 9.0% |
| 95 | Waterloo, IL | 11,012 | 792 | 9.0% |
| 96 | Rockford, IL | 148,173 | 10,668 | 9.0% |
| 97 | Roscoe, IL | 11,134 | 801 | 9.0% |
| 98 | Decatur, IL | 70,975 | 5,110 | 9.0% |
| 99 | Countryside, IL | 6,322 | 455 | 9.0% |
| 100 | Chester, IL | 6,941 | 499 | 9.0% |
