We used Saturday Night Science to analyze North Carolina’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in North Carolina based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in North Carolina is Sawmills, with 15.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data. The city with the lowest divorce rate in North Carolina is Marvin.
North Carolina is 5.0% divorced overall. There are some 429,216 people living in North Carolina 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 North Carolina with the highest rates of divorcees.
15.0% divorced · #1 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Forest City, formerly known as “Burnt Chimney,” is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,476 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in Rutherford County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Caldwell County, North Carolina
Lenoir is a city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County. Lenoir is located in the Blue Ridge foothills. To the northeast are the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hibriten Mountain, located just east of the city limits, marks the western end of the Brushy Mountains range.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Rockingham County, North Carolina
Reidsville is a city in Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States. At the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 14,520.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #7 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Vance County, North Carolina
Henderson, a city with a population of 15,368 at the 2010 census, is the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #7 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Martin County, North Carolina
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #7 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Richmond County, North Carolina
Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States named after the Marquis of Rockingham. The population was 9,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County. Rockingham is the home of Rockingham Speedway, formerly the North Carolina Speedway, which was a staple of the NASCAR schedule for nearly 40 years, before the race was discontinued in 2004.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #7 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Robeson County, North Carolina
Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population has grown to 21,542 in the 2010 census from 20,795 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Robeson County. Lumberton, located in southern North Carolina’s Inner Banks region, is located on the Lumber River. Founded in 1787 by John Willis, an officer in the American Revolution, Lumberton was originally a shipping point for lumber used by the Navy, which was sent downriver to Georgetown, South Carolina. Most of the town’s growth, however, began shortly after World War II.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #7 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Surry County, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388. The town is widely known as the home of actor Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry on his eponymous show.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
10.0% divorced · #14 highest divorce rate in North Carolina
Located in
Randolph County, North Carolina
Archdale is a city in Guilford and Randolph counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 11,415 at the 2010 census, up from 9,014 at the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Carolina’s statewide median.
North Carolina statewide median: $72,388
On the map
Where North Carolina’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In North Carolina 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 142 places in North Carolina 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 North Carolina the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Sawmills.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Marvin, the city with the lowest divorce rate in North Carolina. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in North Carolina with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In North Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sawmills | 5,042 | 605 | 15.0% |
| 2 | Forest City | 7,363 | 766 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Lenoir | 18,299 | 1,757 | 12.0% |
| 3 | Reidsville | 14,585 | 1,400 | 12.0% |
| 7 | Henderson | 14,885 | 1,310 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Williamston | 5,112 | 450 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Rockingham | 8,967 | 789 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Lumberton | 18,859 | 1,660 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Mount Airy | 10,633 | 936 | 11.0% |
| 14 | Archdale | 12,087 | 967 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Eden | 15,356 | 1,228 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Cherryville | 6,226 | 498 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Asheboro | 27,580 | 2,206 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Lexington | 19,690 | 1,575 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Kinston | 19,505 | 1,560 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Roxboro | 8,182 | 655 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Ayden | 5,150 | 412 | 10.0% |
| 14 | Tarboro | 10,770 | 862 | 10.0% |
| 22 | Morganton | 17,646 | 1,271 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Dallas | 6,104 | 439 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Bessemer City | 5,580 | 402 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Goldsboro | 34,383 | 2,476 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Oxford | 8,914 | 642 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Butner | 8,065 | 581 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Clinton | 8,304 | 598 | 9.0% |
| 22 | Kings Mountain | 12,039 | 867 | 9.0% |
| 31 | Gastonia | 82,884 | 5,305 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Wilson | 48,370 | 3,096 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Salisbury | 35,825 | 2,293 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Rocky Mount | 54,297 | 3,475 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Long View | 5,011 | 321 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Marion | 7,579 | 485 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Hamlet | 5,961 | 382 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Laurinburg | 15,087 | 966 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Graham | 18,048 | 1,155 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Dunn | 8,559 | 548 | 8.0% |
| 42 | Kernersville | 27,830 | 1,558 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Shelby | 22,100 | 1,238 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Lincolnton | 11,783 | 660 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Trinity | 7,111 | 398 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Belmont | 15,546 | 871 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Albemarle | 16,762 | 939 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Nashville | 5,729 | 321 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Newton | 13,333 | 747 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Washington | 9,726 | 545 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Unionville | 6,954 | 389 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Statesville | 29,894 | 1,674 | 7.0% |
| 42 | Morehead City | 9,806 | 549 | 7.0% |
| 53 | Smithfield | 12,116 | 582 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Thomasville | 27,321 | 1,311 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Burlington | 59,610 | 2,861 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Mount Holly | 18,208 | 874 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Black Mountain | 8,513 | 409 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Roanoke Rapids | 14,856 | 713 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Waynesville | 10,502 | 504 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Walke | 5,873 | 282 | 6.0% |
| 53 | Aberdeen | 9,228 | 443 | 6.0% |
| 69 | Hendersonville | 15,408 | 616 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Fletcher | 8,098 | 324 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Garner | 34,473 | 1,379 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Kannapolis | 57,890 | 2,316 | 5.0% |
| 69 | New Bern | 32,734 | 1,309 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Lewisville | 13,828 | 553 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Siler City | 7,995 | 320 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Hickory | 44,258 | 1,770 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Wilmington | 120,805 | 4,832 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Locust | 5,840 | 234 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Greenville | 92,857 | 3,714 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Gibsonville | 9,467 | 379 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Conover | 8,580 | 343 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Mocksville | 6,068 | 243 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Elizabeth City | 18,871 | 755 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Winston-Salem | 252,037 | 10,081 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Greensboro | 301,198 | 12,048 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Concord | 108,719 | 4,349 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Angier | 6,241 | 250 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Mebane | 19,538 | 782 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Sanford | 31,478 | 1,259 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Pineville | 11,055 | 442 | 5.0% |
| 69 | Winterville | 10,725 | 429 | 5.0% |
| 69 | King | 7,408 | 296 | 5.0% |
| 89 | Wesley Chapel | 9,090 | 291 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Fayetteville | 210,815 | 6,746 | 4.0% |
| 89 | High Point | 116,245 | 3,720 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Stokesdale | 6,004 | 192 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Pleasant Garden | 5,060 | 162 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Asheville | 94,535 | 3,025 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Brevard | 7,897 | 253 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Clayton | 29,320 | 938 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Clemmons | 21,871 | 700 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Hope Mills | 17,939 | 574 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Woodfin | 8,048 | 258 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Durham | 291,467 | 9,327 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Hillsborough | 9,724 | 311 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Carolina Beach | 6,745 | 216 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Monroe | 36,759 | 1,176 | 4.0% |
| 89 | Zebulon | 8,711 | 279 | 4.0% |
| 105 | Oak Island | 9,030 | 217 | 3.0% |
| 105 | Leland | 29,607 | 711 | 3.0% |
| 105 | Boiling Spring Lakes | 6,347 | 152 | 3.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 142 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In North Carolina After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Tar Heel State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in North Carolina are Sawmills, Forest City, Lenoir, Reidsville, Henderson, Williamston, Rockingham, Lumberton, Mount Airy, and Archdale.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in North Carolina could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
