The Most Expensive States To Get a Divorce

It’s common to hear that half of all marriages end in divorce. However, the divorce rate is actually going down. The rate was at its highest in 1979, with 22.8 divorces per 1,000 people, according to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green University. As of 2017, there were only 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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That’s good news for people looking to tie the knot, because the cost of getting a divorce is staggering. In addition to the fees associated with filing for divorce, attorneys’ fees vary greatly by state and can cost almost $14,000. Many Americans may struggle to afford these fees, hindering their ability to leave a potentially toxic marriage.

At the same time, it’s cheaper to file for divorce in some states compared to others. If you think that divorce is a possibility down the line, it’s smart to understand the potential impact on your finances. That’s why GOBankingRates analyzed data from DivorceWriter.com and Lawyers.com to find the average divorce filing fees and attorneys’ fees in all 50 states. Note that some states charge flat rates; however, many states have filing fees that vary by county. For states that don’t have a flat rate, the average of local divorce filing fees was used. It’s also important to know that the cost of getting a divorce can depend on whether you share children or property with your ex.

Last updated: Dec. 16, 2020

• Average divorce filing fee: $435
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $13,800

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• Average divorce filing fee: $360
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,200

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• Average divorce filing fee: $380
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,700

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• Average divorce filing fee: $300
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,400

• Average divorce filing fee: $300
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,300

• Average divorce filing fee: $210
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $13,500

• Average divorce filing fee: $405
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $314
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $320
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,400

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• Average divorce filing fee: $289
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,900

• Average divorce filing fee: $325
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $325
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $200
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $250
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,300

• Average divorce filing fee: $230
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,400

• Average divorce filing fee: $155
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $12,800

• Average divorce filing fee: $200
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $256
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,300

• Average divorce filing fee: $225
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,800

• Average divorce filing fee: $264
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,900

• Average divorce filing fee: $263
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,900

• Average divorce filing fee: $230
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,300

• Average divorce filing fee: $251
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,700

• Average divorce filing fee: $225
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,900

• Average divorce filing fee: $150
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,500

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• Average divorce filing fee: $203
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,200

• Average divorce filing fee: $165
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $11,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $240
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,200

• Average divorce filing fee: $213
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,800

• Average divorce filing fee: $170
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $160
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,400

• Average divorce filing fee: $150
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,300

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• Average divorce filing fee: $185
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,300

• Average divorce filing fee: $207
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,800

• Average divorce filing fee: $200
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,900

• Average divorce filing fee: $150
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $10,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $193
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,900

• Average divorce filing fee: $177
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $153
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $150
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,800

• Average divorce filing fee: $238
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $6,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $160
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,200

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• Average divorce filing fee: $158
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,200

• Average divorce filing fee: $145
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,400

• Average divorce filing fee: $120
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,800

• Average divorce filing fee: $150
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,100

• Average divorce filing fee: $95
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,600

• Average divorce filing fee: $70
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $9,000

• Average divorce filing fee: $63
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,700

• Average divorce filing fee: $80
• Average divorce attorneys’ fees: $8,200

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Methodology: These findings are the result of a GOBankingRates study of divorce fees and conditions in all 50 states. The study used two fundamental criteria to generate a ranking for all 50 states: (1) court fee to file a divorce, collected from local court sites and online fee schedules by DivorceWriter.com (some states have flat rates, but most have filing fees that vary locally by county, sourced from individual state and county court websites; for states that don’t have a flat rate, the average of local divorce filing fees was taken), and (2) average attorneys’ fees, sourced from Lawyers.com. All data used to conduct this study was sourced on Jan. 24, 2019.