We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Nebraska’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Nebraska based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in Nebraska is North Platte, with 11.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data. The city with the lowest divorce rate in Nebraska is South Sioux City.
Nebraska is 6.0% divorced overall. There are some 94,977 people living in Nebraska 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 Nebraska with the highest rates of divorcees.
11.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Lincoln County, Nebraska
North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. The population was 24,733 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Gage County, Nebraska
Beatrice is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska. Its population was 12,459 at the 2010 census. It is located 40 miles south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
10.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Box Butte County, Nebraska
Alliance is a city in Box Butte County, in the northwestern part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. Its population was 8,491 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Butte County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.0% divorced · #5 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Washington County, Nebraska
Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.0% divorced · #5 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Gretna is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,441 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.0% divorced · #5 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
York County, Nebraska
York is a city in, and the county seat of, York County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,766. It is the home of York College and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Dodge County, Nebraska
Fremont is a city in Dodge County in the eastern portion of the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census. Fremont is the county seat and the home of Midland University.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Madison County, Nebraska
Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the Norfolk Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, in the western part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 15,039 at the 2010 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th largest city in Nebraska.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
7.0% divorced · #12 highest divorce rate in Nebraska
Located in
Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Gering is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 8,500 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Scotts Bluff County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
Nebraska statewide median: $76,475
On the map
Where Nebraska’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In Nebraska 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 32 places in Nebraska 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 Nebraska the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, North Platte.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out South Sioux City, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Nebraska. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Nebraska with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Nebraska
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Platte | 22,831 | 2,009 | 11.0% |
| 1 | Beatrice | 12,225 | 1,076 | 11.0% |
| 3 | Alliance | 8,075 | 646 | 10.0% |
| 5 | Blair | 7,914 | 570 | 9.0% |
| 5 | Gretna | 9,193 | 662 | 9.0% |
| 5 | York | 8,141 | 586 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Fremont | 27,567 | 1,764 | 8.0% |
| 8 | Norfolk | 26,054 | 1,667 | 8.0% |
| 8 | Scottsbluff | 14,376 | 920 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Gering | 8,550 | 479 | 7.0% |
| 12 | Grand Island | 52,884 | 2,962 | 7.0% |
| 12 | Hastings | 25,008 | 1,400 | 7.0% |
| 12 | Holdrege | 5,546 | 311 | 7.0% |
| 12 | McCook | 7,314 | 410 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Columbus | 24,488 | 1,175 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Kearney | 34,246 | 1,644 | 6.0% |
| 18 | La Vista | 16,563 | 795 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Lincoln | 294,856 | 14,153 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Ralston | 6,472 | 311 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Omaha | 488,837 | 23,464 | 6.0% |
| 18 | Plattsmouth | 6,731 | 323 | 6.0% |
| 23 | Nebraska City | 7,369 | 295 | 5.0% |
| 23 | Bellevue | 64,510 | 2,580 | 5.0% |
| 23 | Seward | 7,678 | 307 | 5.0% |
| 25 | Sidney | 6,419 | 205 | 4.0% |
| 25 | Papillion | 25,244 | 808 | 4.0% |
| 28 | Chadron | 5,160 | 124 | 3.0% |
| 28 | Lexington | 10,862 | 261 | 3.0% |
| 28 | Crete | 7,527 | 181 | 3.0% |
| 31 | Schuyler | 6,578 | 105 | 2.0% |
| 31 | Wayne | 6,121 | 98 | 2.0% |
| 31 | South Sioux City | 13,907 | 223 | 2.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 32 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In Nebraska After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Cornhusker State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Nebraska are North Platte, Beatrice, Alliance, Blair, Gretna, York, Fremont, Norfolk, Scottsbluff, and Gering.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Nebraska could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce. Not sold on Nebraska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Divorce In Nebraska FAQs
What city in Nebraska has the highest divorce rate?
North Platte has the highest divorce rate in Nebraska for 2026, with 11.0% of residents over 15 currently divorced. Beatrice and Alliance are next.
What is the divorce rate in Nebraska?
Nebraska 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 Nebraska?
The Nebraska cities with the highest divorce rates are North Platte, Beatrice, Alliance, Blair, Gretna, York, Fremont, Norfolk, Scottsbluff, and Gering. We ranked all 32 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Where do marriages last in Nebraska?
South Sioux City posts the lowest divorce rate of the 32 Nebraska 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.
