We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Nevada’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Nevada based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in Nevada is Yerington, 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 Nevada is Mesquite.
Nevada is 1.0% divorced overall. There are some 25,476 people living in Nevada 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 Nevada with the highest rates of divorcees.
11.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. The city incorporated in 1907. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, the first county seat being established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. After the Dayton Court House burned down in 1909, the seat was moved to Yerington in 1911.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Nevada
7.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Located in
Churchill County, Nevada
Fallon is a city in Churchill County, Nevada, United States. The population was 8,606 at time of the 2010 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahontan Valley.
Fallon and Churchill County are mostly agricultural areas. Although the area is arid, approximately 50,000 acres of its pastureland are irrigated with water from the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. The principal crop grown is alfalfa for livestock feed. The “Heart O’ Gold” cantaloupes of Churchill County were once distributed across the United States, but are now grown mostly for consumption in Nevada.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in Nevada
3.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Located in
Lyon County, Nevada
Coordinates: 393555N 1191254W 39.59861; -119.21500 Fernley is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States, east of the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area. The city incorporated in 2001; prior to that it was a census-designated place. The population of the city was 19,368 at the 2010 census. Fernley is home to the Reno-Fernley Raceway.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
3.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Located in
Humboldt County, Nevada
Winnemucca ) is the only incorporated city in and is the county seat of Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 7,396, up 3.1 percent from the 2000 census figure of 7,174. Interstate 80 passes through the city, where it meets U.S. Route 95.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
3.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Located in
Washoe County, Nevada
Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It was founded in 1904 and incorporated on March 15, 1905, and is located just east of Reno. The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau population count was 90,264. It is the fifth most populous city in Nevada. It is named after the late Nevada Governor John Sparks, a member of the Silver Party.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
3.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nevada
3.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Nevada
Located in
Elko County, Nevada
Coordinates: 4050N 11546W 40.833; -115.767 Elko is the largest city and county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 18,297 at the 2010 census. The city straddles the Humboldt River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nevada’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Nevada’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In Nevada 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 18 places in Nevada with a population of over 1,000.
- 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 Nevada the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Yerington.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Mesquite, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Nevada. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Nevada with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Nevada
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yerington | 3,150 | 277 | 11.0% |
| 1 | Lovelock | 1,481 | 130 | 11.0% |
| 3 | Ely | 3,929 | 220 | 7.0% |
| 4 | Fallon | 9,463 | 303 | 4.0% |
| 4 | Wells | 1,352 | 43 | 4.0% |
| 8 | Fernley | 24,225 | 581 | 3.0% |
| 8 | Winnemucca | 8,361 | 201 | 3.0% |
| 8 | Sparks | 110,024 | 2,641 | 3.0% |
| 8 | Caliente | 1,146 | 28 | 3.0% |
| 8 | Elko | 20,696 | 497 | 3.0% |
| 11 | Reno | 273,212 | 4,371 | 2.0% |
| 11 | Carlin | 2,088 | 33 | 2.0% |
| 14 | Las Vegas | 660,400 | 5,283 | 1.0% |
| 14 | North Las Vegas | 278,595 | 2,229 | 1.0% |
| 14 | Boulder City | 14,919 | 119 | 1.0% |
| 14 | Henderson | 332,141 | 2,657 | 1.0% |
| 17 | West Wendover | 4,514 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 17 | Mesquite | 22,059 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 18 cities with more than 1,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In Nevada After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Silver State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Nevada are Yerington, Lovelock, Ely, Fallon, Wells, Fernley, Winnemucca, Sparks, Caliente, and Elko.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Nevada could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
