Cities with highest divorce rate in North Dakota research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze North Dakota’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in North Dakota based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
-
The city with the highest divorce rate in North Dakota is Kenmare based on the most recent Census data.
-
Kenmare is 15.0% Divorced.
-
The city with the lowest divorce rate in North Dakota is Watford City.
-
Watford City is 2.0% Divorced.
-
North Dakota is 5.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 31,174 people living in North Dakota 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 Peace Garden 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 Dakota with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In North Dakota 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 Dakota with the highest divorce rate? That would be Kenmare, with 15.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall North Dakota divorce rate? According to the 2019-2023 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in North Dakota 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 Dakota.
For more North Dakota reading, check out:
- Safest Places In North Dakota
- Best Places To Live In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In North Dakota For 2025
1. Kenmare
Population: 1,027
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 123
Median Income: $64,167
More on Kenmare:
2. Cando
/10
Population: 1,199
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 105
Median Income: $49,375
More on Cando:
3. Hazen
/10
Population: 2,509
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 220
Median Income: $72,094
More on Hazen:
4. Hillsboro
/10
Population: 1,643
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 131
Median Income: $77,844
More on Hillsboro:
5. Garrison
/10
Population: 1,456
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 116
Median Income: $68,646
More on Garrison:
6. New Rockford
/10
Population: 1,325
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 106
Median Income: $47,969
More on New Rockford:
7. Langdon
/10
Population: 1,835
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 132
Median Income: $63,664
More on Langdon:
8. Harvey
/10
Population: 1,720
Divorce Rate: 9.0%
Divorcees: 123
Median Income: $42,368
More on Harvey:
9. Bottineau
/10
Population: 2,063
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 132
Median Income: $70,882
More on Bottineau:
/10
Population: 6,554
Divorce Rate: 8.0%
Divorcees: 419
Median Income: $56,471
More on Valley City: Data
How We Determined The Places In North Dakota 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 47 places in North Dakota with a population of over 1,000.
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 Dakota the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Kenmare.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Watford City, the city with the lowest divorce rate in North Dakota.
We updated this article for 2025 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in North Dakota with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In North Dakota 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 Dakota: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Peace Garden State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in North Dakota are Kenmare, Cando, Hazen, Hillsboro, Garrison, New Rockford, Langdon, Harvey, Bottineau, and Valley City.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in North Dakota 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 Dakota reading, check out:
- Safest Places In North Dakota
- Best Places To Live In North Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Dakota
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In North Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenmare, ND | 1,027 | 123 | 15.0% |
| 2 | Cando, ND | 1,199 | 105 | 11.0% |
| 3 | Hazen, ND | 2,509 | 220 | 11.0% |
| 4 | Hillsboro, ND | 1,643 | 131 | 10.0% |
| 5 | Garrison, ND | 1,456 | 116 | 10.0% |
| 6 | New Rockford, ND | 1,325 | 106 | 10.0% |
| 7 | Langdon, ND | 1,835 | 132 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Harvey, ND | 1,720 | 123 | 9.0% |
| 9 | Bottineau, ND | 2,063 | 132 | 8.0% |
| 10 | Valley City, ND | 6,554 | 419 | 8.0% |
| 11 | Rolla, ND | 1,164 | 74 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Devils Lake, ND | 7,170 | 458 | 8.0% |
| 13 | Lisbon, ND | 2,262 | 144 | 8.0% |
| 14 | Grafton, ND | 4,128 | 264 | 8.0% |
| 15 | Jamestown, ND | 15,774 | 883 | 7.0% |
| 16 | Hettinger, ND | 1,141 | 63 | 7.0% |
| 17 | Lincoln, ND | 4,309 | 241 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Cavalier, ND | 1,304 | 73 | 7.0% |
| 19 | Casselton, ND | 2,640 | 147 | 7.0% |
| 20 | Carrington, ND | 2,171 | 121 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Bismarck, ND | 74,146 | 4,152 | 7.0% |
| 22 | Minot, ND | 47,922 | 2,300 | 6.0% |
| 23 | Tioga, ND | 1,525 | 73 | 6.0% |
| 24 | Mayville, ND | 2,050 | 98 | 6.0% |
| 25 | Park River, ND | 1,483 | 71 | 6.0% |
| 26 | New Town, ND | 2,725 | 130 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Beulah, ND | 3,058 | 146 | 6.0% |
| 28 | Williston, ND | 27,964 | 1,342 | 6.0% |
| 29 | Bowman, ND | 1,523 | 73 | 6.0% |
| 30 | Grand Forks, ND | 58,882 | 2,826 | 6.0% |
| 31 | Crosby, ND | 1,116 | 53 | 6.0% |
| 32 | Dickinson, ND | 25,216 | 1,210 | 6.0% |
| 33 | Wahpeton, ND | 7,996 | 319 | 5.0% |
| 34 | Surrey, ND | 1,672 | 66 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Stanley, ND | 2,089 | 83 | 5.0% |
| 36 | Mandan, ND | 24,293 | 971 | 5.0% |
| 37 | Rugby, ND | 2,555 | 102 | 5.0% |
| 38 | Fargo, ND | 129,064 | 4,130 | 4.0% |
| 39 | Horace, ND | 3,964 | 126 | 4.0% |
| 40 | Burlington, ND | 1,169 | 37 | 4.0% |
| 41 | Washburn, ND | 1,434 | 45 | 4.0% |
| 42 | Oakes, ND | 2,046 | 65 | 4.0% |
| 43 | Thompson, ND | 1,092 | 26 | 3.0% |
| 44 | West Fargo, ND | 39,325 | 943 | 3.0% |
| 45 | Larimore, ND | 1,262 | 20 | 2.0% |
| 46 | Mapleton, ND | 1,243 | 19 | 2.0% |
| 47 | Watford City, ND | 6,016 | 96 | 2.0% |