Over the past 20 years, both marriage and divorce rates in Connecticut have followed parallel trends, with fluctuations in these rates largely driven by economic conditions and shifting cultural attitudes toward marriage and divorce. In 2022, Connecticut ranked 23rd in divorce rates and 26th in marriage rates among U.S. states, based on the rate per 1,000 people in the population. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, both rates shifted together in Connecticut. Economic conditions play a pivotal role in marital stability. David McGrath, partner at Louden, Katz, McGrath & Bryan, a West Hartford law firm, said divorce rates tend to fluctuate with the economy. “From my experience, when the economy is doing badly, there tends to be a temporary slowdown in the number of cases filed. When the economy is doing well, there's generally a burst or an increase in the number of divorces,” he said. “I suspect that good economic times, in the same way that they allow people to make the choices they want to make for divorce, are also the same that would lead people to make the choices they want to make for marriage. Honeymoons cost money, weddings cost a lot of money traditionally, and so when times are good, people are going to get married.” Marriage rates in Connecticut have fluctuated, reaching a peak of 5.9 per 1,000 residents in 2010, before declining to 4.3 in 2020, the lowest rate in 20 years. However, by 2022, the marriage rate climbed to 6 per 1,000 residents.  Divorce rates have shown a decline, from 3.3 per 1,000 in 2002 to a low of 1.6 in 2020, also the lowest rate in 20 years, with a slight increase to 2.8 by 2022, according to data from National Center for Health Statistics. “My theory on this subject is that there was a period when the divorce rate appeared to be rising, and a lot of that was influenced by the fact that it was culturally taboo for a long time,” said McGrath. “People stayed in marriages in the '60s, '70s and '80s for reasons that no longer exist, in cases where they would now get divorced because it's much more culturally acceptable.” McGrath believes that this surge was a result of a "backlog of pent-up demand," which has since stabilized as those who wanted divorces have obtained them. In absolute numbers, according to data from the Connecticut Judicial Branch, there was a 30% drop in divorce filings over the last 20 years. In 2002-03, there were 13,841 divorces filed, compared to 9,698 in 2022-23. The highest number of divorces during this period occurred in 2009-10, with 14,587 filings. Since 2010, the numbers have steadily declined, with a sharp drop between 2017-18 and 2019-20, where divorces fell from 11,281 to 9,185, a decrease of around 19%. “I'm seeing a lot more cases with folks married months to a year, coming into the office, pulling the trigger on a divorce a lot sooner than they normally would have,” said Attorney Alicia Chalumeau of the Chalumeau Law Group in Norwalk. “Post-COVID, you're seeing a lot more folks just literally go with knee-jerk reactions to whatever the circumstances are and filing right away.” Chalumeau believes this is an effect of societal changes. Edward Bryan, a partner at Louden, Katz, McGrath & Bryan, points to the rise in women's income relative to men as another crucial factor influencing divorce trends.  “The increase in women’s earnings compared to men has provided greater financial independence, allowing more women the freedom to choose divorce when necessary,” he said. Women’s economic empowerment reduces the reliance on a single earner, thereby making the decision to divorce more accessible and acceptable. Marriage numbers have also shown a modest rise. Between 2013 and 2022, the number of marriages in the past year for individuals aged 15 and over saw slight increases for both men and women, according to the American Community Survey. From 2013 to 2017, marriages involving men increased about 1.7%. For women, there was an increase of approximately 0.6%.  Alongside these shifts, the median duration of marriage in Connecticut has remained relatively stable, with the average marriage lasting about 20 years, according to Census data. When it comes to age, for individuals entering their first marriage, the mean age is 32.4 years for the groom and 30.8 years for the bride, according to the Department of Public Health.  Chalumeau also said that more affluent individuals are choosing not to marry to avoid the complexities of financial and custodial arrangements. “Definitely finding a lot more and more affluent folks making a decision to not get married and to not have to deal with the intermingling of finances,” she said. Both McGrath and Bryan said rising levels of marital conflict are complicating divorce proceedings. Bryan explained that increased conflict prolongs cases. “And whenever there's more conflict, cases take vastly more time and resources to resolve,” he said. “It takes a lot of energy to bring that temperature down, or to get those cases through to the conclusion.”