Cities with highest divorce rate in West Virginia research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze West Virginia’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in West Virginia 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 West Virginia is Clarksburg based on the most recent Census data.
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Clarksburg is 16.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in West Virginia is Charles Town.
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Charles Town is 3.0% Divorced.
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West Virginia is 9.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 129,093 people living in West Virginia 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 Mountain 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 West Virginia with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In West Virginia 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 West Virginia with the highest divorce rate? That would be Clarksburg, with 16.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall West Virginia divorce rate? According to the 2018-2022 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in West Virginia is 9.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in West Virginia.
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In West Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In West Virginia For 2024
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Population: 15,977
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 2,045
Median Income: $46,595
More on Clarksburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 13,527
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 1,731
Median Income: $58,756
More on South Charleston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 17,132
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 2,055
Median Income: $41,277
More on Beckley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 7,418
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 890
Median Income: $48,396
More on Dunbar: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 8,056
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 902
Median Income: $46,070
More on Moundsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 29,685
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 3,324
Median Income: $41,921
More on Parkersburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 6,935
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 721
Median Income: $39,875
More on Elkins: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 10,753
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,118
Median Income: $60,524
More on St. Albans: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 8,157
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 848
Median Income: $48,050
More on Oak Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 48,415
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 4,647
Median Income: $58,902
More on Charleston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Places In West Virginia 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 25 places in West Virginia 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 West Virginia the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Clarksburg.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Charles Town, the city with the lowest divorce rate in West Virginia.
We updated this article for 2024 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in West Virginia with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In West Virginia After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In West Virginia: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Mountain State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in West Virginia are Clarksburg, South Charleston, Beckley, Dunbar, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Elkins, St. Albans, Oak Hill, and Charleston.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in West Virginia 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 West Virginia reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In West Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
- Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In West Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarksburg, WV | 15,977 | 2,045 | 16.0% |
| 2 | South Charleston, WV | 13,527 | 1,731 | 16.0% |
| 3 | Beckley, WV | 17,132 | 2,055 | 15.0% |
| 4 | Dunbar, WV | 7,418 | 890 | 15.0% |
| 5 | Moundsville, WV | 8,056 | 902 | 14.0% |
| 6 | Parkersburg, WV | 29,685 | 3,324 | 14.0% |
| 7 | Elkins, WV | 6,935 | 721 | 13.0% |
| 8 | St. Albans, WV | 10,753 | 1,118 | 13.0% |
| 9 | Oak Hill, WV | 8,157 | 848 | 13.0% |
| 10 | Charleston, WV | 48,415 | 4,647 | 12.0% |
| 11 | Nitro, WV | 6,540 | 627 | 12.0% |
| 12 | New Martinsville, WV | 5,210 | 500 | 12.0% |
| 13 | Hurricane, WV | 6,908 | 607 | 11.0% |
| 14 | Princeton, WV | 5,833 | 513 | 11.0% |
| 15 | Huntington, WV | 46,637 | 3,730 | 10.0% |
| 16 | Bluefield, WV | 9,619 | 692 | 9.0% |
| 17 | Buckhannon, WV | 5,201 | 374 | 9.0% |
| 18 | Wheeling, WV | 26,900 | 1,936 | 9.0% |
| 19 | Vienna, WV | 10,642 | 766 | 9.0% |
| 20 | Fairmont, WV | 18,402 | 1,030 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Weirton, WV | 18,971 | 1,062 | 7.0% |
| 22 | Martinsburg, WV | 18,678 | 896 | 6.0% |
| 23 | Bridgeport, WV | 9,255 | 370 | 5.0% |
| 24 | Morgantown, WV | 30,220 | 725 | 3.0% |
| 25 | Charles Town, WV | 6,584 | 158 | 3.0% |
