Cities with highest divorce rate in North Carolina research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze North Carolina’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in North Carolina 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 North Carolina is Forest City based on the most recent Census data.
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Forest City is 14.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in North Carolina is St. James.
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St. James is 0.0% Divorced.
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North Carolina is 5.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 423,373 people living in North Carolina over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2025.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Tar Heel 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 North Carolina with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In North Carolina 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 North Carolina with the highest divorce rate? That would be Forest City, with 14.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall North Carolina divorce rate? According to the 2019-2023 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in North Carolina is 5.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in North Carolina.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Richest Cities In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In North Carolina For 2025
/10
Population: 7,368
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 825
Median Income: $35,897
More on Forest City: Data
/10
Population: 5,027
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 522
Median Income: $56,534
More on Sawmills: Data
/10
Population: 14,547
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,512
Median Income: $42,702
More on Reidsville: Data
/10
Population: 5,157
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 536
Median Income: $40,556
More on Williamston: Data
/10
Population: 18,282
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 1,755
Median Income: $48,889
More on Lenoir: Data
/10
Population: 9,094
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 873
Median Income: $36,695
More on Rockingham: Data
/10
Population: 11,472
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 1,101
Median Income: $45,507
More on Kings Mountain: Data
/10
Population: 10,631
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 1,020
Median Income: $39,873
More on Mount Airy: Data
/10
Population: 8,897
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 854
Median Income: $48,135
More on Oxford: Data
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Population: 10,705
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 942
Median Income: $49,386
More on Tarboro: Data
How We Determined The Places In North Carolina 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 2019-2023 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 139 places in North Carolina 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 North Carolina the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Forest City.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out St. James, the city with the lowest divorce rate in North Carolina.
We updated this article for 2025 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in North Carolina with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In North Carolina After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In North Carolina: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Tar Heel State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in North Carolina are Forest City, Sawmills, Reidsville, Williamston, Lenoir, Rockingham, Kings Mountain, Mount Airy, Oxford, and Tarboro.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in North Carolina 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 North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Richest Cities In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In North Carolina
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest City, NC | 7,368 | 825 | 14.0% |
| 2 | Sawmills, NC | 5,027 | 522 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Reidsville, NC | 14,547 | 1,512 | 13.0% |
| 4 | Williamston, NC | 5,157 | 536 | 13.0% |
| 5 | Lenoir, NC | 18,282 | 1,755 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Rockingham, NC | 9,094 | 873 | 12.0% |
| 7 | Kings Mountain, NC | 11,472 | 1,101 | 12.0% |
| 8 | Mount Airy, NC | 10,631 | 1,020 | 12.0% |
| 9 | Oxford, NC | 8,897 | 854 | 12.0% |
| 10 | Tarboro, NC | 10,705 | 942 | 11.0% |
| 11 | Henderson, NC | 14,922 | 1,313 | 11.0% |
| 12 | Cherryville, NC | 6,154 | 541 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Goldsboro, NC | 33,448 | 2,675 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Lumberton, NC | 19,220 | 1,537 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Kinston, NC | 19,576 | 1,566 | 10.0% |
| 16 | Newton, NC | 13,223 | 952 | 9.0% |
| 17 | Morganton, NC | 17,541 | 1,262 | 9.0% |
| 18 | Laurinburg, NC | 15,079 | 1,085 | 9.0% |
| 19 | Lexington, NC | 19,691 | 1,417 | 9.0% |
| 20 | Clinton, NC | 8,336 | 600 | 9.0% |
| 21 | Graham, NC | 17,537 | 1,262 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Hamlet, NC | 6,000 | 432 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Rocky Mount, NC | 54,175 | 3,900 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Bessemer City, NC | 5,508 | 396 | 9.0% |
| 25 | Asheboro, NC | 27,353 | 1,969 | 9.0% |
| 26 | Butner, NC | 7,996 | 575 | 9.0% |
| 27 | Wilson, NC | 47,740 | 3,055 | 8.0% |
| 28 | Thomasville, NC | 27,261 | 1,744 | 8.0% |
| 29 | Morehead City, NC | 9,696 | 620 | 8.0% |
| 30 | Washington, NC | 9,754 | 624 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Gastonia, NC | 81,632 | 5,224 | 8.0% |
| 32 | Roxboro, NC | 8,144 | 521 | 8.0% |
| 33 | Eden, NC | 15,353 | 982 | 8.0% |
| 34 | Archdale, NC | 11,992 | 767 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Dunn, NC | 8,512 | 544 | 8.0% |
| 36 | Albemarle, NC | 16,527 | 1,057 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Conover, NC | 8,491 | 543 | 8.0% |
| 38 | Dallas, NC | 6,012 | 384 | 8.0% |
| 39 | Shelby, NC | 21,868 | 1,399 | 8.0% |
| 40 | Lincolnton, NC | 11,503 | 644 | 7.0% |
| 41 | Burlington, NC | 58,599 | 3,281 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Salisbury, NC | 35,730 | 2,000 | 7.0% |
| 43 | Waynesville, NC | 10,408 | 582 | 7.0% |
| 44 | Marion, NC | 7,594 | 425 | 7.0% |
| 45 | Trinity, NC | 7,066 | 395 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Belmont, NC | 15,140 | 847 | 7.0% |
| 47 | Winterville, NC | 10,624 | 594 | 7.0% |
| 48 | New Bern, NC | 31,563 | 1,767 | 7.0% |
| 49 | King, NC | 7,345 | 352 | 6.0% |
| 50 | Angier, NC | 5,746 | 275 | 6.0% |
| 51 | Kernersville, NC | 27,439 | 1,317 | 6.0% |
| 52 | Kannapolis, NC | 56,470 | 2,710 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Lewisville, NC | 13,655 | 655 | 6.0% |
| 54 | Mount Holly, NC | 17,928 | 860 | 6.0% |
| 55 | Nashville, NC | 5,672 | 272 | 6.0% |
| 56 | Statesville, NC | 29,161 | 1,399 | 6.0% |
| 57 | Hendersonville, NC | 15,253 | 732 | 6.0% |
| 58 | Smithfield, NC | 11,798 | 566 | 6.0% |
| 59 | Unionville, NC | 6,826 | 327 | 6.0% |
| 60 | Elizabeth City, NC | 18,740 | 899 | 6.0% |
| 61 | Hickory, NC | 43,747 | 2,099 | 6.0% |
| 62 | Aberdeen, NC | 8,969 | 430 | 6.0% |
| 63 | Greenville, NC | 88,540 | 4,249 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Ayden, NC | 5,035 | 241 | 6.0% |
| 65 | Black Mountain, NC | 8,462 | 406 | 6.0% |
| 66 | Pineville, NC | 10,780 | 431 | 5.0% |
| 67 | Mills River, NC | 7,214 | 288 | 5.0% |
| 68 | Roanoke Rapids, NC | 15,024 | 600 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Mocksville, NC | 6,001 | 240 | 5.0% |
| 70 | Walke, NC | 5,793 | 231 | 5.0% |
| 71 | Mebane, NC | 18,899 | 755 | 5.0% |
| 72 | Sanford, NC | 30,833 | 1,233 | 5.0% |
| 73 | Oak Island, NC | 8,888 | 355 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Siler City, NC | 7,905 | 316 | 5.0% |
| 75 | Winston-Salem, NC | 250,887 | 10,035 | 5.0% |
| 76 | Zebulon, NC | 7,961 | 318 | 5.0% |
| 77 | Concord, NC | 106,518 | 4,260 | 5.0% |
| 78 | High Point, NC | 115,263 | 4,610 | 5.0% |
| 79 | Hope Mills, NC | 17,823 | 712 | 5.0% |
| 80 | Gibsonville, NC | 9,289 | 371 | 5.0% |
| 81 | Clemmons, NC | 21,574 | 862 | 5.0% |
| 82 | Clayton, NC | 28,043 | 1,121 | 5.0% |
| 83 | Greensboro, NC | 298,564 | 11,942 | 5.0% |
| 84 | Brevard, NC | 7,795 | 249 | 4.0% |
| 85 | Wendell, NC | 11,585 | 370 | 4.0% |
| 86 | Wesley Chapel, NC | 8,923 | 285 | 4.0% |
| 87 | Durham, NC | 288,465 | 9,230 | 4.0% |
| 88 | Fayetteville, NC | 209,692 | 6,710 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Wilmington, NC | 118,578 | 3,794 | 4.0% |
| 90 | Fletcher, NC | 8,022 | 256 | 4.0% |
| 91 | Garner, NC | 32,543 | 1,041 | 4.0% |
| 92 | Asheville, NC | 94,369 | 3,019 | 4.0% |
| 93 | Raleigh, NC | 470,763 | 15,064 | 4.0% |
| 94 | Stokesdale, NC | 5,943 | 190 | 4.0% |
| 95 | Woodfin, NC | 7,957 | 254 | 4.0% |
| 96 | Cramerton, NC | 5,376 | 172 | 4.0% |
| 97 | Monroe, NC | 35,596 | 1,139 | 4.0% |
| 98 | Hillsborough, NC | 9,656 | 308 | 4.0% |
| 99 | Knightdale, NC | 19,532 | 625 | 4.0% |
| 100 | Kill Devil Hills, NC | 7,727 | 247 | 4.0% |