Divorce statistics get repeated so often that most of the numbers in circulation are decades old, unsourced, or measuring something other than what they claim to measure. This page collects the California specific numbers that can actually be traced back to a named public source: the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, the Judicial Council of California's Court Statistics Report, and the Judicial Council's own fee schedule. Every figure below links to where it came from and states the year it covers.
Key Takeaway: California does not report divorce counts to the CDC, so its divorce rate has to be estimated from Census Bureau survey data rather than vital records. Using that data, California's 2024 refined divorce rate (13.1 per 1,000 married women) sits below the national rate (14.2). Statewide, 108,403 marital cases were filed in fiscal year 2023-24, down from 138,109 a decade earlier. The standard filing fee is $435, the joint petition fee is $870, and every divorce still requires a minimum 6 month wait.
If you search for "California divorce rate," you will find wildly different numbers depending on the source, and there is a real reason for that. California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico do not report divorce counts to the CDC's National Vital Statistics System. The CDC's own published table, Divorce Rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 2000-2023, lists California as "data not available" for every single year from 1995 through 2023.
The CDC's national divorce rate figures carry the same footnote. The 2023 national crude divorce rate of 2.4 per 1,000 population is explicitly calculated with California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico excluded, per the CDC/NCHS national marriage and divorce rate tables.
Because vital records data does not exist for California, every credible source that wants a California specific number has to build it from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) instead, which asks a representative sample of households about marital status and marriages or divorces in the past year. That is the approach this article uses throughout, and it is why the numbers below cite the ACS rather than the CDC wherever California is involved.
The most reliable ACS based estimate comes from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University, which publishes an annual "refined divorce rate" for every state: the number of women who divorced in the past 12 months per 1,000 married women aged 15 and older. This measure is considered more accurate than a simple population based rate because it accounts for how many people are actually married and therefore "at risk" of divorce in a given state.
For 2024, the numbers are:
- California: 13.1 divorces per 1,000 married women, ranked 36th of the 50 states and Washington DC (tied with New Mexico and Hawaii)
- United States: 14.2 divorces per 1,000 married women
The same report shows the national rate has been falling for years: from a peak of 22.8 in 1980 down to 14.2 in 2024, a decrease driven by fewer marriages overall and later ages at first marriage, not by relationships becoming more stable at every stage. Nationally, 986,810 women divorced in 2024, a slight decrease from 992,677 in 2023.
At the extremes, Oklahoma had the highest 2024 refined divorce rate (20.7) and Maine had the lowest (10.0), both from the same NCFMR analysis. California sits in the second quartile nationally, meaningfully below the national rate but not among the lowest divorce rate states.
<h2 id="how-many-californians-divorce">How Many Californians File for Divorce Each Year</h2>For an actual count rather than a rate, the best source is the Judicial Council of California's 2025 Court Statistics Report, which tracks every case filed in California's superior courts.
In fiscal year 2023-24 (July 2023 through June 2024):
- 108,403 marital case filings statewide, a category that includes dissolutions, legal separations, and nullities
- That is down from 138,109 marital filings in fiscal year 2014-15, a decline of roughly 21 percent over the ten year period the report covers
- Los Angeles County alone accounted for 25,682 of those filings, close to a quarter of the statewide total
- Statewide, family law also saw 210,326 other family law filings that year (paternity, child support, and related matters), separate from the marital case count above
These are counted as case filings by California's court system, which is a different measure than the ACS based divorce rate above; a filing does not always end in a finalized divorce, and a small number of filings are legal separations or nullities rather than dissolutions. Still, it is the most direct statewide count of how many California couples went to court over their marriage in a given year.
<h2 id="how-cases-resolve">How California Divorce Cases Actually Resolve</h2>One number worth knowing if you are worried about ending up in a courtroom battle: almost none of these cases actually go to trial. Of the 102,493 marital case dispositions recorded statewide in fiscal year 2023-24, only 2,781, about 2.7 percent, were resolved after trial. The remaining 97.3 percent resolved before trial, whether by default, stipulation, or dismissal.
That figure lines up with what most family law practice looks like in California: the overwhelming majority of marital cases are resolved by agreement or default rather than a contested trial. If your case is uncontested, our Complete Uncontested Divorce Checklist for California walks through every stage from filing to judgment.
<h2 id="age-and-duration">Median Age at Divorce and How Long Marriages Last</h2>The Census Bureau does not publish state level breakdowns of age at divorce or marriage duration, so the figures in this section are national, not California specific. They are still useful context for understanding who is divorcing and when.
Median age at first divorce, 2023: 43.3 for men and 41.9 for women, both historic highs. In 1970 the comparable figures were 30.5 for men and 27.7 for women; the age at first divorce has risen steadily alongside a later median age at first marriage. Source: Westrick-Payne, K.K. (2025). Median Age at First Divorce, 2023. Family Profiles, FP-25-23. National Center for Family and Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, based on 2023 ACS 1 year estimates via IPUMS USA.
Median length of marriages that end in divorce, 2023: 12 years, up from 10 years in 2008. Roughly 16 percent of 2023 divorces occurred within the first 5 years of marriage, another 24 percent occurred in years 5 through 9 (putting 40 percent of divorces within the first decade), and about 22 percent occurred after 25 or more years of marriage. Source: Pew Research Center, 8 Facts About Divorce, Marriage and Remarriage in the United States (October 16, 2025), citing American Community Survey data.
Share of ever-married adults who have divorced: about one third (33%) of ever-married Americans had experienced a divorce as of 2023, per the same Pew Research Center analysis of ACS data. That is a meaningfully different, and more defensible, statistic than the frequently repeated but unsourced claim that "50 percent of marriages end in divorce."
<h2 id="what-it-costs">What a California Divorce Costs</h2>Cost breaks into two separate pieces: the court's filing fee, which is fixed by statute, and attorney or professional fees, which vary widely.
Court filing fees, per the Judicial Council of California's Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026:
- Petition for Dissolution of Marriage (Form FL-100): $435
- Response to a Petition: $435
- Joint Petition (Form FL-700), which covers the appearance of both spouses in a single fee: $870
- Fee waivers are available for those who qualify, using Form FW-001
Attorney and professional fees are the larger and more variable cost. The most cited nationwide data point comes from a Martindale-Nolo Research survey of divorced individuals, which found an average total attorney cost of $11,300 per spouse and a median of $7,000. Costs varied sharply by how contested the case was: divorces with no contested issues averaged $4,100, while cases that went to trial on two or more issues averaged $23,300. That survey is national, not California specific, and was conducted in 2019, the most recent large scale published survey of its kind; treat it as a general benchmark rather than a current California figure. Source: Martindale-Nolo Research survey data, as reported by The Motley Fool, The Average Cost of Divorce.
For a full breakdown of filing fees, fee waivers, and how document preparation compares to hiring an attorney, see How Much Does Divorce Cost in California? Filing Fees and Fee Waivers.
Regardless of cost or how a case is filed, California law imposes a mandatory 6 month waiting period on every divorce, and no court has the authority to shorten it. What differs is when that clock starts.
- Standard case: the 6 month period begins on the date the respondent is served with the Petition
- Joint petition (Form FL-700): the petition is deemed served on both spouses the moment it is filed, so the clock starts on the filing date instead
- Legal separation: has no waiting period at all, since it does not end the marriage
In either divorce scenario, the earliest a case can be finalized is 6 months and 1 day after the case is deemed served. Financial disclosures, the response period (for standard cases), and judgment paperwork add real time on top of that floor. Source: Judicial Council of California, Form FL-700-INFO.
If you are filing together with your spouse, our guide How to File a Joint Divorce Petition in California: FL-700 Guide covers the full process form by form.
<h2 id="2026-changes">What Changed for California Divorce in 2026</h2>Two statutes reshaped California family law procedure heading into 2026.
Senate Bill 1427 (Chapter 190, Statutes of 2024), became operative January 1, 2026. It created the joint divorce petition process described above: Form FL-700 lets agreeing spouses file together as Petitioner 1 and Petitioner 2, with no service of process and no 30 day response deadline. Source: California Legislative Information, SB 1427. Our companion article, The New California Divorce Law for 2026: What SB 1427 Changes, covers the full statute.
Senate Bill 343 (Chapter 213, Statutes of 2023), approved September 22, 2023, overhauled California's statewide child support guideline formula for the first time since 1992. Its revised guideline calculation took effect September 1, 2024. A second phase of the law took effect January 1, 2026: local child support agencies must now use specified income calculation methods, including a parent's earning capacity, when that parent's actual income cannot be documented from sufficient evidence. The law also replaced a fixed dollar threshold for the low income adjustment with a standard tied to full time minimum wage earnings, so the threshold adjusts automatically each year rather than requiring a separate legislative update. Source: California Legislative Information, SB 343.
Neither law changes the 6 month waiting period, the filing fees, or the financial disclosure requirements described earlier in this article.
<h2 id="faqs">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>Does California report its divorce rate to the CDC?
No. California is one of five states (along with Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico) that does not report divorce counts to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) National Vital Statistics System. The CDC's own state divorce rate table lists California as "data not available" for every year since 1995. Because of this gap, researchers and journalists use the Census Bureau's American Community Survey to estimate California's divorce rate instead. See CDC/NCHS, Divorce Rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 2000-2023.
What is California's divorce rate compared to the national average?
Using American Community Survey data, California's refined divorce rate was 13.1 women divorcing per 1,000 married women in 2024, compared to a national rate of 14.2. That places California 36th among the 50 states and Washington DC, tied with New Mexico and Hawaii. Source: Bowling Green State University National Center for Family and Marriage Research, Refined Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024 (Family Profile FP-25-31).
How much does it cost to file for divorce in California in 2026?
The standard court filing fee for a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is $435, and the same $435 fee applies to a Response. A joint petition on Form FL-700 costs $870, which covers the appearance of both spouses. These are the statewide fees listed in the Judicial Council of California's Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026. Attorney fees are separate from the filing fee; see our full cost breakdown for how those add up.
How long does a California divorce take at minimum?
California requires a mandatory 6 month waiting period before any divorce can be finalized, and no court can shorten it. For a standard case the clock starts on the date the respondent is served; for a joint petition under Form FL-700 it starts on the date of filing, since the petition is deemed served on both spouses immediately. The earliest possible finalization date is 6 months and 1 day after that starting point. Legal separation has no waiting period. Source: Judicial Council of California, Form FL-700-INFO.
Is it still true that half of marriages end in divorce?
That figure is outdated and does not describe current marriages. What is verifiable: about one third (33%) of ever-married Americans have experienced a divorce, according to Pew Research Center's analysis of 2023 American Community Survey data. Divorce rates have also been falling for over a decade; the national refined divorce rate dropped from 22.8 in 1980 to 14.2 in 2024, per the National Center for Family and Marriage Research. There is no reliable "50 percent of marriages end in divorce" statistic tied to a specific, current, named source.
What changed in California divorce law for 2026?
Two changes matter most. Senate Bill 1427 (Chapter 190, Statutes of 2024) became operative January 1, 2026, and created the joint divorce petition on Form FL-700, letting agreeing spouses file together with no service of process. Separately, Senate Bill 343 (Chapter 213, Statutes of 2023), which overhauled California's child support guideline formula, had its core formula take effect September 1, 2024, and as of January 1, 2026 requires local child support agencies to use specified income calculation methods, including earning capacity, when a parent's actual income cannot be documented. Sources: California Legislative Information, SB 1427 and SB 343 bill text.
How Virdix Helps With California Divorce Paperwork
Understanding the numbers is one thing; getting your own paperwork right is another. Virdix prepares California divorce documents based on the same Judicial Council forms referenced throughout this article:
- Plain-language questionnaire that maps your answers to the correct Judicial Council forms
- County-specific filing guidance for all 58 California Superior Courts
- Checklists for disclosures and judgment, the two stages that most often stall an otherwise straightforward case
- Support for both standard and joint petition (FL-700) filings
Explore our California divorce guides by county or start your paperwork today.
Start Your California Divorce Paperwork →
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Virdix is a document preparation service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed California family law attorney.
Sources: CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, Divorce Rates by State 1990-2023 and National Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends; National Center for Family and Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, Refined Divorce Rate in the U.S.: Geographic Variation, 2024 (FP-25-31) and Median Age at First Divorce, 2023 (FP-25-23); Pew Research Center, 8 Facts About Divorce, Marriage and Remarriage in the United States; Judicial Council of California, 2025 Court Statistics Report and Statewide Civil Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026 and Form FL-700-INFO; California Legislative Information, SB 1427 and SB 343; Martindale-Nolo Research survey data as reported by The Motley Fool.