scorecard
  1. Home
  2. strategy
  3. news
  4. January is 'divorce month' - here's what it costs to get divorced in every US state

January is 'divorce month' - here's what it costs to get divorced in every US state

Dominic-Madori Davis,Taylor Borden   

January is 'divorce month' - here's what it costs to get divorced in every US state
Strategy1 min read
divorce lawyer

Alex Cao/Getty Images

The divorce rate may be down, but the price of getting divorced is still high - it commonly costs over $10,000 in most states.

  • January is commonly known as a month where many people file for divorce.
  • The process, for many, can be costly.
  • GOBankingRates rounded up the average divorce filing fees and attorneys' fees in all 50 US states.
  • California is the most expensive state to file for divorce in, followed by Connecticut and Florida. The least expensive state to get a divorce in is North Dakota.
  • The average cost of getting divorced varies from state to state, but the majority have averages hovering above $10,000.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Even though the divorce rate in the US overall is down, divorce filings see an uptick at the start of a new year - so much so that January has been unofficially dubbed "divorce month" in legal circles nationwide.

While there are many concerns to take into account when it comes to divorce, one significant concern is the financial burden accompanying it. The final cost is known to be staggering and is determined by a number of factors including where the divorce is filed and who is hired to handle it.

GOBankingRates analyzed data from DivorceWriter.com and Lawyers.com to determine the average divorce attorneys' fees and filing fees in all 50 states. California, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the most expensive state to file for divorce in, while North Dakota is the least expensive. Most states have a cost above $10,000.

Many states charge a flat fee, but for those that do not, GOBankingRates used the average of local divorce filing fees. The fees delineated below are basic - other factors like shared children or property can raise the total cost of a divorce. In addition to cost information, the latest available divorce rates for each state are included below; this information was sourced from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here is the average cost of divorce in each state, arranged in alphabetical order.


Advertisement

Advertisement