Divorce rates in US drop to 35-year low

Divorce rates in the US have plunged to a 35-year low according to the National Center for Family and Marriage research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Marriage rates, on the other hand, increased last year. In 2015, there were 32.2 marriages for every 1,000 unmarried women age 15 or older.

On the divorce side, the 2015 rate was 16.9 divorces per 1,000 married women age 15 or older, which is down from 17.6 in 2014 and a peak of almost 23 divorces in 1980.

It's hard to pin point, but factors could include the aging of the US population, changing gender roles or that not many people are getting married until they're older.

As co-habiting becomes less stigmatized, people don't look to marriage as quickly. Many couples now ask wedding guests to donate to charities or a honeymoon fund because they already have a blender and a salad spinner due to years of co-habitation.

Marriage rates had been declining for years in part because younger generations have waited longer to get married. But researchers have found that typical marriages still have about a 50% chance of lasting. This number has been widely debated, since first marriages are statistically much more likely to survive than second or third.

Divorce and marriage rates vary drastically in different groups of people. The wealthy and well-educated tend to marry and stay together much more than those who are less well-off.

Utah has the highest marriage rate in the US, but its divorce rate is higher than in 40% of states.