Cities with highest divorce rate in Pennsylvania research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Pennsylvania’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania is Lewi based on the most recent Census data.
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Lewi is 19.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in Pennsylvania is State College.
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State College is 2.0% Divorced.
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Pennsylvania is 7.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 727,395 people living in Pennsylvania 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 Keystone 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 Pennsylvania with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania with the highest divorce rate? That would be Lewi, with 19.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall Pennsylvania divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in Pennsylvania is 7.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in Pennsylvania.
For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Pennsylvania
- Worst Places To Live In Pennsylvania
- Cheapest Places To Live In Pennsylvania
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In Pennsylvania For 2024
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Population: 8,522
Divorce Rate: 19.0%
Divorcees: 1,295
Median Income: $36,166
More on Lewi: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 5,937
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 759
Median Income: $50,485
More on Clearfield: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 9,599
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 1,228
Median Income: $48,632
More on Oil City: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,645
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 722
Median Income: $45,880
More on New Brighton: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,262
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 673
Median Income: $36,071
More on Titusville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,241
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 628
Median Income: $40,969
More on Duquesne: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 13,358
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 1,496
Median Income: $50,548
More on Washington: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 8,818
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 987
Median Income: $52,681
More on Carbondale: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,279
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 591
Median Income: $59,940
More on Lehighton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In Pennsylvania 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 189 places in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Lewi.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out State College, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Pennsylvania.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in Pennsylvania with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In Pennsylvania After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In Pennsylvania: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Keystone State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Pennsylvania are Lewi, Clearfield, Oil City, New Brighton, Titusville, Duquesne, Washington, Vandergrift, Carbondale, and Lehighton.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Pennsylvania
- Worst Places To Live In Pennsylvania
- Cheapest Places To Live In Pennsylvania
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Pennsylvania
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewi, PA | 8,522 | 1,295 | 19.0% |
| 2 | Clearfield, PA | 5,937 | 759 | 16.0% |
| 3 | Oil City, PA | 9,599 | 1,228 | 16.0% |
| 4 | New Brighton, PA | 5,645 | 722 | 16.0% |
| 5 | Titusville, PA | 5,262 | 673 | 16.0% |
| 6 | Duquesne, PA | 5,241 | 628 | 15.0% |
| 7 | Washington, PA | 13,358 | 1,496 | 14.0% |
| 8 | Vandergrift, PA | 5,051 | 565 | 14.0% |
| 9 | Carbondale, PA | 8,818 | 987 | 14.0% |
| 10 | Lehighton, PA | 5,279 | 591 | 14.0% |
| 11 | Palmerton, PA | 5,602 | 627 | 14.0% |
| 12 | Butler, PA | 13,387 | 1,499 | 14.0% |
| 13 | Monaca, PA | 5,587 | 581 | 13.0% |
| 14 | Mckeesport, PA | 17,749 | 1,845 | 13.0% |
| 15 | Turtle Creek, PA | 5,087 | 529 | 13.0% |
| 16 | Pottsville, PA | 13,386 | 1,392 | 13.0% |
| 17 | Somerset, PA | 6,030 | 627 | 13.0% |
| 18 | Pittston, PA | 7,601 | 790 | 13.0% |
| 19 | Old Forge, PA | 8,506 | 884 | 13.0% |
| 20 | Exeter, PA | 5,509 | 572 | 13.0% |
| 21 | Steelton, PA | 6,243 | 649 | 13.0% |
| 22 | Meadville, PA | 12,929 | 1,344 | 13.0% |
| 23 | Manheim, PA | 5,028 | 522 | 13.0% |
| 24 | Mckees Rocks, PA | 5,893 | 612 | 13.0% |
| 25 | Warren, PA | 9,353 | 897 | 12.0% |
| 26 | Connellsville, PA | 7,004 | 672 | 12.0% |
| 27 | Dubois, PA | 7,509 | 720 | 12.0% |
| 28 | Brookhaven, PA | 8,268 | 793 | 12.0% |
| 29 | New Castle, PA | 21,863 | 2,098 | 12.0% |
| 30 | Canonsburg, PA | 9,672 | 928 | 12.0% |
| 31 | Coraopolis, PA | 5,510 | 528 | 12.0% |
| 32 | Berwick, PA | 10,318 | 990 | 12.0% |
| 33 | Altoona, PA | 43,821 | 4,206 | 12.0% |
| 34 | Pott, PA | 23,356 | 2,055 | 11.0% |
| 35 | Ellwood City, PA | 7,684 | 676 | 11.0% |
| 36 | Johnstown, PA | 18,429 | 1,621 | 11.0% |
| 37 | Corry, PA | 6,209 | 546 | 11.0% |
| 38 | New Kensington, PA | 12,163 | 1,070 | 11.0% |
| 39 | Ambridge, PA | 6,937 | 610 | 11.0% |
| 40 | Middl, PA | 9,525 | 838 | 11.0% |
| 41 | Yeadon, PA | 12,017 | 1,057 | 11.0% |
| 42 | Tyrone, PA | 5,447 | 479 | 11.0% |
| 43 | Monessen, PA | 6,876 | 605 | 11.0% |
| 44 | Brentwood, PA | 9,982 | 878 | 11.0% |
| 45 | Oakmont, PA | 6,734 | 592 | 11.0% |
| 46 | Plymouth, PA | 5,771 | 507 | 11.0% |
| 47 | St. Marys, PA | 12,691 | 1,116 | 11.0% |
| 48 | Northampton, PA | 10,341 | 910 | 11.0% |
| 49 | Lansdowne, PA | 11,051 | 884 | 10.0% |
| 50 | Punxsutawney, PA | 5,730 | 458 | 10.0% |
| 51 | Beaver Falls, PA | 8,934 | 714 | 10.0% |
| 52 | Clifton Heights, PA | 6,834 | 546 | 10.0% |
| 53 | Birdsboro, PA | 5,106 | 408 | 10.0% |
| 54 | West Mifflin, PA | 19,506 | 1,560 | 10.0% |
| 55 | Sunbury, PA | 9,680 | 774 | 10.0% |
| 56 | Clairton, PA | 6,182 | 494 | 10.0% |
| 57 | Columbia, PA | 10,203 | 816 | 10.0% |
| 58 | Aliquippa, PA | 9,198 | 735 | 10.0% |
| 59 | Jeannette, PA | 8,790 | 703 | 10.0% |
| 60 | Shippensburg, PA | 5,688 | 455 | 10.0% |
| 61 | Media, PA | 5,860 | 468 | 10.0% |
| 62 | Carnegie, PA | 8,067 | 645 | 10.0% |
| 63 | Blakely, PA | 6,646 | 531 | 10.0% |
| 64 | Red Lion, PA | 6,499 | 519 | 10.0% |
| 65 | Hollidaysburg, PA | 5,630 | 450 | 10.0% |
| 66 | Taylor, PA | 6,274 | 501 | 10.0% |
| 67 | Mechanicsburg, PA | 9,402 | 752 | 10.0% |
| 68 | Lewisburg, PA | 5,284 | 380 | 9.0% |
| 69 | Schuylkill Haven, PA | 5,242 | 377 | 9.0% |
| 70 | Wilkinsburg, PA | 14,340 | 1,032 | 9.0% |
| 71 | Sayre, PA | 5,463 | 393 | 9.0% |
| 72 | Crafton, PA | 6,044 | 435 | 9.0% |
| 73 | Sharon, PA | 13,143 | 946 | 9.0% |
| 74 | Munhall, PA | 10,738 | 773 | 9.0% |
| 75 | Chambersburg, PA | 21,917 | 1,578 | 9.0% |
| 76 | Collingdale, PA | 8,865 | 638 | 9.0% |
| 77 | Dickson City, PA | 6,026 | 433 | 9.0% |
| 78 | Lower Burrell, PA | 11,701 | 842 | 9.0% |
| 79 | Glenolden, PA | 7,190 | 517 | 9.0% |
| 80 | White Oak, PA | 7,585 | 546 | 9.0% |
| 81 | Mount Carmel, PA | 5,723 | 412 | 9.0% |
| 82 | Uniontown, PA | 9,913 | 713 | 9.0% |
| 83 | Bristol, PA | 9,862 | 710 | 9.0% |
| 84 | Palmyra, PA | 7,783 | 560 | 9.0% |
| 85 | Tamaqua, PA | 6,911 | 497 | 9.0% |
| 86 | Lebanon, PA | 26,679 | 1,920 | 9.0% |
| 87 | Erie, PA | 94,826 | 6,827 | 9.0% |
| 88 | Catasauqua, PA | 6,512 | 468 | 9.0% |
| 89 | Williamsport, PA | 27,755 | 1,998 | 9.0% |
| 90 | Dunmore, PA | 14,082 | 1,013 | 9.0% |
| 91 | Helle, PA | 6,109 | 439 | 9.0% |
| 92 | Greensburg, PA | 14,876 | 1,071 | 9.0% |
| 93 | Greenville, PA | 5,568 | 400 | 9.0% |
| 94 | Folcroft, PA | 6,758 | 486 | 9.0% |
| 95 | West York, PA | 5,069 | 364 | 9.0% |
| 96 | Swissvale, PA | 8,588 | 549 | 8.0% |
| 97 | Bellevue, PA | 8,236 | 527 | 8.0% |
| 98 | Ambler, PA | 6,775 | 433 | 8.0% |
| 99 | Lock Haven, PA | 8,422 | 539 | 8.0% |
| 100 | Phoenixville, PA | 18,723 | 1,198 | 8.0% |
