Prairie State Wire

Illinois ranked 48th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in a new study by the Giggster website that examines which jurisdictions recorded the highest marriage rates in 2020.

In the Prairie State, only 3.9 per 1,000 people decided to wed in 2020, according to a Giggster study based on data for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In comparison, Illinois’ marriage rate in the year 2000 was 6.9 per 1,000, the study found.

Some reasons for the declining marriage rates in the U.S. include women gaining more equity in the workforce and on company payrolls, researchers said. In addition, marriage rates can fluctuate as a result of historical events, such as the declining rates during the Great Depression and rising rates at the conclusion of World War II. 

Nevada had the highest marriage rate at 2.1%, or 21 per 1,000, but that rate might be due to the state’s reputation for providing quickie 10-minute marriages, according to Giggster. On the flip side, Nevada also leads the nation in divorces, the researchers said.

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Which States Have the Highest Marriage Rates?

Rank	State	2020 Marriage Rate (per 1,000)	2000 Marriage Rate (per 1,000)
1	Nevada	21	72.2
2	Montana	10.4	7.3
3	Utah	8.4	10.8
4	Arkansas	7.8	15.4
5	Hawaii	7.4	20.6
6	Idaho	7.3	10.8
7	Tennessee	7.3	15.5
8	Alabama	7.2	10.1
9	Wyoming	6.8	10
10	Colorado	6.7	8.3
11	District of Columbia	6.5	4.9
12	New Hampshire	6.1	9.4
13	South Dakota	6	9.4
14	Vermont	6	10
15	Oklahoma	5.9	---
16	Indiana	5.8	7.9
17	Maine	5.8	8.8
18	Alaska	5.7	8.9
19	Florida	5.7	8.9
20	Mississippi	5.7	6.9
21	South Carolina	5.7	10.6
22	Missouri	5.6	7.8
23	West Virginia	5.6	8.7
24	North Carolina	5.5	8.2
25	North Dakota	5.3	7.2
26	Texas	5.3	9.4
27	Virginia	5.3	8.8
28	Oregon	5.2	7.6
29	Georgia	5.1	6.8
30	Nebraska	5	7.6
31	Arizona	4.9	7.5
32	Iowa	4.9	6.9
33	Kansas	4.9	8.3
34	Kentucky	4.9	9.8
35	Ohio	4.8	7.8
36	Washington	4.8	6.9
37	Pennsylvania	4.6	6
38	New York	4.5	7.1
39	Rhode Island	4.5	7.6
40	Wisconsin	4.5	6.7
41	Delaware	4.4	6.5
42	Minnesota	4.4	6.8
43	Connecticut	4.3	5.7
44	Maryland	4.3	7.5
45	Michigan	4.2	6.7
46	New Jersey	4.1	6
47	Massachusetts	4	5.8
48	Illinois	3.9	6.9
49	Louisiana	3.4	9.1
50	New Mexico	3.4	8
51	California	3.2	5.8

Source: Giggster.com