According to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), there were 24,258 divorces statewide in 2015, which is the most recent year for which divorce data is available. This data also does not include those individuals who divorced out of state and later moved to Washington. The number of divorces makes up about 3.4 per thousand residents of the state.
Statistics from DOH also show that about half of the state’s total divorces do not involve any minor children. About 4,600 divorces involved one child, and almost 5,000 involved two children. A significantly smaller amount of divorces in the state involved three children (1,711) and four or more children (634).
The Washington counties with the highest divorce rates were Lincoln County at 269.7 per 1,000 residents and Wahkiakum County at 190.5 per 1,000 residents. The other counties in the state have divorce rates ranging from 0.8 to 4.6 divorces per 1,000 residents. Unsurprisingly, the most populous counties in the state, such as King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties, had the highest numbers of divorces.
Oddly enough, Lincoln County, with a population of about 10,000, had a huge number of divorces as compared with other counties of similar sizes. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that this county is one of the few counties in the nation where you can get divorced by mail and never have to appear in court. Plus, neither party is required to live in the county in order to get divorced, although they do need to agree on filing for divorce in Lincoln County. These are two features that make the county an attractive choice for getting divorced quickly and easily.
The divorce attorneys at Pacific Northwest Family Law know how to handle all aspects of Washington divorce and family law cases. No matter what type of issues your divorce may involve, we are here to help and give you the advice that you need. Contact our office by e-mailing us at [email protected]or call us at 1-509-792-3591 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced divorce lawyers.