We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Minnesota’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Minnesota based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in Minnesota is Virginia, with 17.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data. The city with the lowest divorce rate in Minnesota is North Oaks.
Minnesota is 6.0% divorced overall. There are some 275,493 people living in Minnesota over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in Minnesota with the highest rates of divorcees.
17.0% divorced · #1 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
St. Louis County, Minnesota
Virginia is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mesabi Iron Range. The population was 8,712 at the 2010 census. According to a water tower in the middle of town, the city’s nickname is the “Queen City”, or “Queen City of the North”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
16.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
Koochiching County, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
Morrison County, Minnesota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
Wright County, Minnesota
Buffalo is a city, located 42 miles northwest of Minneapolis in Wright County, Minnesota. The population was 15,453 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
Carlton County, Minnesota
Cloquet kloh-KAY) is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 33. A portion of the city lies within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and also serves as one of three administrative centers for the Indian Reservation. The population was 12,124 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Mound is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,052 at the 2010 census. Mound is the birthplace of the Tonka truck, named after Lake Minnetonka. The Tonka Toys headquarters was originally in Mound, but moved to facilitate material deliveries. Mound is about twenty miles west of downtown Minneapolis, the county seat.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
McLeod County, Minnesota
Glencoe is the county seat of McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,631 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #13 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Lake City is a city in Goodhue and Wabasha counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It lies along Lake Pepin, a wide portion of the Mississippi River. The population was 5,063 at the 2010 census. Most of Lake City is located within Wabasha County with only a small portion in Goodhue County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #13 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #13 highest divorce rate in Minnesota
Located in
Scott County, Minnesota
Jordan is a city in Scott County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,470 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Minnesota’s statewide median.
Minnesota statewide median: $89,062
On the map
Where Minnesota’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In Minnesota That Get Un-Hitched The Most
We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2020-2024 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status. Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
Today, the analysis focuses on the 151 places in Minnesota with a population of over 5,000.
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Minnesota the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Virginia.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out North Oaks, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Minnesota. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Minnesota with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Minnesota
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | 8,332 | 1,133 | 17.0% |
| 2 | International Falls | 5,642 | 722 | 16.0% |
| 3 | Little Falls | 9,121 | 949 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Buffalo | 16,499 | 1,716 | 13.0% |
| 6 | Cloquet | 12,537 | 1,204 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Mound | 9,107 | 874 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Glencoe | 5,695 | 547 | 12.0% |
| 13 | Lake City | 5,034 | 443 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Montevideo | 5,315 | 468 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Jordan | 6,771 | 596 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Redwood Falls | 5,068 | 446 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Becker | 5,034 | 443 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Grand Rapids | 11,207 | 986 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Fairmont | 10,296 | 906 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Hibbing | 16,057 | 1,413 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Brainerd | 14,468 | 1,273 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Isanti | 7,210 | 634 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Cambridge | 10,307 | 907 | 11.0% |
| 21 | Princeton | 5,274 | 422 | 10.0% |
| 21 | Kasson | 7,050 | 564 | 10.0% |
| 21 | Red Wing | 16,758 | 1,341 | 10.0% |
| 21 | Hutchinson | 14,680 | 1,174 | 10.0% |
| 21 | Sauk Rapids | 13,852 | 1,108 | 10.0% |
| 29 | Stillwater | 19,355 | 1,394 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Litchfield | 6,576 | 473 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Thief River Falls | 8,823 | 635 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Baxter | 8,966 | 646 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Faribault | 24,631 | 1,773 | 9.0% |
| 29 | St. Francis | 8,372 | 603 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Albert Lea | 18,330 | 1,320 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Albertville | 8,207 | 591 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Detroit Lakes | 10,025 | 722 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Monticello | 14,858 | 1,070 | 9.0% |
| 29 | White Bear Lake | 23,908 | 1,721 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Zimmerman | 6,546 | 471 | 9.0% |
| 44 | Anoka | 17,970 | 1,150 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Belle Plaine | 7,423 | 475 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Waseca | 9,164 | 586 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Fergus Falls | 14,181 | 908 | 8.0% |
| 44 | North Mankato | 14,211 | 910 | 8.0% |
| 44 | New Ulm | 14,056 | 900 | 8.0% |
| 44 | St. Joseph | 7,021 | 449 | 8.0% |
| 44 | St. Anthony | 9,671 | 619 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Bemidji | 15,569 | 996 | 8.0% |
| 44 | St. Michael | 20,010 | 1,281 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Alexandria | 14,735 | 943 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Delano | 6,942 | 444 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Champlin | 23,294 | 1,491 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Robbinsdale | 14,234 | 911 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Ramsey | 28,421 | 1,819 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Big Lake | 12,367 | 791 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Coon Rapids | 63,468 | 4,062 | 8.0% |
| 64 | Vadnais Heights | 12,838 | 719 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Spring Lake Park | 7,032 | 394 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Duluth | 87,093 | 4,877 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Willmar | 21,378 | 1,197 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Mounds View | 12,926 | 724 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Oakdale | 28,585 | 1,601 | 7.0% |
| 64 | New Hope | 21,181 | 1,186 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Inver Grove Heights | 35,906 | 2,011 | 7.0% |
| 64 | West St. Paul | 21,382 | 1,197 | 7.0% |
| 64 | East Bethel | 12,115 | 678 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Winona | 26,009 | 1,457 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Elk River | 26,793 | 1,500 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Crystal | 22,476 | 1,259 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Farmington | 23,902 | 1,339 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Forest Lake | 20,729 | 1,161 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Hastings | 22,117 | 1,239 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Blaine | 72,488 | 4,059 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Orono | 8,195 | 459 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Stewartville | 6,807 | 381 | 7.0% |
| 64 | North Branch | 11,565 | 648 | 7.0% |
| 64 | St. Paul Park | 5,457 | 306 | 7.0% |
| 64 | South St. Paul | 20,611 | 1,154 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Minnetonka | 53,064 | 2,972 | 7.0% |
| 87 | Austin | 26,358 | 1,265 | 6.0% |
| 87 | St. Cloud | 70,629 | 3,390 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Crookston | 7,344 | 353 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Chanhassen | 26,006 | 1,248 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Columbia Heights | 22,155 | 1,063 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Shoreview | 26,714 | 1,282 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Dayton | 9,095 | 437 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Cottage Grove | 40,992 | 1,968 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Maplewood | 40,695 | 1,953 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Chaska | 28,706 | 1,378 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Little Canada | 10,514 | 505 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Sartell | 19,758 | 948 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Marshall | 13,896 | 667 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Apple Valley | 55,679 | 2,673 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Owatonna | 26,498 | 1,272 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Shakopee | 46,012 | 2,209 | 6.0% |
| 87 | St. Peter | 12,185 | 585 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Waite Park | 8,399 | 403 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Oak Grove | 9,130 | 438 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Hugo | 16,340 | 784 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Ham Lake | 16,702 | 802 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Edina | 53,262 | 2,557 | 6.0% |
| 87 | Hopkins | 18,819 | 903 | 6.0% |
| 113 | Roseville | 35,802 | 1,432 | 5.0% |
| 113 | St. Paul | 307,284 | 12,291 | 5.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 151 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In Minnesota After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the North Star State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Minnesota are Virginia, International Falls, Little Falls, Buffalo, Cloquet, Mound, Glencoe, Lake City, Montevideo, and Jordan.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Minnesota could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce. Not sold on Minnesota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Divorce In Minnesota FAQs
What city in Minnesota has the highest divorce rate?
Virginia has the highest divorce rate in Minnesota for 2026, with 17.0% of residents over 15 currently divorced. International Falls and Little Falls are next.
What is the divorce rate in Minnesota?
Minnesota is 6.0% divorced overall, versus a US divorce rate of 10.9%. That counts residents over 15 who are currently divorced, per the Census American Community Survey.
What are the divorce capitals of Minnesota?
The Minnesota cities with the highest divorce rates are Virginia, International Falls, Little Falls, Buffalo, Cloquet, Mound, Glencoe, Lake City, Montevideo, and Jordan. We ranked all 151 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Where do marriages last in Minnesota?
North Oaks posts the lowest divorce rate of the 151 Minnesota cities we ranked. Whatever they are doing there, it appears to be working.
How do you measure divorce rates?
We use the share of residents aged 15 and over who report being currently divorced in the Census American Community Survey. It is a snapshot of marital status today, not a count of divorces filed each year.
