SALT LAKE CITY — A recentWalletHub study shows Utah has the lowest divorce and separation rate in the country. I wanted to find out what makes the Beehive State so successful in matrimonial bliss, so I asked Dr. Alan Hawkins, the manager of the Utah Marriage Commission and someone who has spent more than 3 decades studying marriage and family life at BYU.
He says Utah's top-ranked economy makes a difference in how people think about getting married, "Call it old fashioned, but there are a lot of women out there who still see that's an important criterion for the man they want to marry." Dr. Hawkins added, "They want to see that he can support a family and so, you know, that's something we tend to not think about, but I think is really important."
Another factor in the success of Utah's marriages? Dr. Hawkins says it is the culture that values marriage in Utah. "We're cultural creatures, we kind of tend to just flow with the culture, and it makes a difference when you've got a culture that where first of all, marriage is still pretty normal," Dr. Hawkins explained.
Utah also has a culture devoted to religion and not just the predominant group that settled the state in 1847. The 2024 analysis by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found that Utah has the largest conglomeration of religious adherents in the U.S. That study found that 76% of Utahns maintain religious affiliation with at least 19 religions supporting at least 10 congregations each. "We have a sense of kind of a higher meaning for the institution of marriage and its purpose in our lives and so I think the major religions in Utah, do a really good job of kind of building that that culture for and not just in the believing part of faith, but also in the belonging part of faith," Dr. Hawkins stated.
Did you know that Utah's government also has a stake in marriage? One Utah study estimated that the cost of divorce and lack of marital formation at more than $400 million a year in public funds, not counting personal expenses. The Governor's office created the Utah Marriage Commission in 1998 with the charge to strengthen relationships. They now offer hundreds of hours of free classes, podcasts, and resources to help form and sustain stronger relationships. Those resources are available here.
Another factor in Utah's marital success? Utahns are good at trying again. Dr. Hawkins told FOX 13 News that almost a third of marriages in Utah are remarriage. That puts Utah at the top ranking among other states.
