Military Divorce Rate Statistics Published by the Pentagon

When a couple in Texas or elsewhere around the country decide to end a marriage, it can be a traumatic experience for those involved. If it is a military divorce, there may be a host of additional issues to address during the process. The Pentagon recently released data from 2017 regarding divorce statistics in the armed services.

For the past four years, the divorce rate among all service members has remained around 3 percent. For 2017, the rate was 3.1 percent, slightly lower than the 3.2 percent rate for 2016. The Defense Manpower Data Center determines the rate by using the number of married troops at the beginning of a fiscal year versus the number of divorces during the same period.

The Rand Corporation, a leading national research company, has compiled the data by branch, gender and pay grade. Female service members have a considerably higher divorce rate than that of males. The Army, Navy and Air Force have seen the rates be fairly stable or declining over several years. However, the divorce rate for women in the Marines has actually increased several times in recent years. Some researchers have speculated that women have a more difficult time in that branch due to policies that are not conducive to married life.

It is worth noting that the divorce rate for the country is calculated in a different manner than that of military personnel. Though the latest divorce rate available for the country was roughly 3.2 percent, it is difficult to compare to the military rate since the methodology for collecting the numbers is not the same. However, researchers note that there has been a decline in the marriage rate for both military and civilian couples.

A military divorce may pose some complications and should not be handled on one’s own. A Texas divorce attorney familiar with the intricacies of military divorces can be a valuable resource during the proceedings. An experienced lawyer will advocate for the client, whether he or she is the service member or a military spouse.