We used Saturday Night Science to analyze North Dakota’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in North Dakota based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in North Dakota is Kenmare, with 14.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data. The city with the lowest divorce rate in North Dakota is Reile’s Acres.
North Dakota is 5.0% divorced overall. There are some 31,393 people living in North Dakota 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 Dakota with the highest rates of divorcees.
14.0% divorced · #1 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
13.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
12.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
10.0% divorced · #5 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
10.0% divorced · #5 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
10.0% divorced · #5 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
Valley City is a city in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Barnes County. The population was 6,585 during the 2010 census, making it the thirteenth largest city in North Dakota. Valley City was founded in 1874.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
8.0% divorced · #12 highest divorce rate in North Dakota
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is North Dakota’s statewide median.
North Dakota statewide median: $76,657
On the map
Where North Dakota’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In North Dakota 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 51 places in North Dakota 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 North Dakota the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Kenmare.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Reile’s Acres, the city with the lowest divorce rate in North Dakota. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in North Dakota with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In North Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenmare | 1,002 | 112 | 14.0% |
| 2 | New Rockford | 1,260 | 131 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Rolla | 1,039 | 100 | 12.0% |
| 5 | Cando | 1,164 | 93 | 10.0% |
| 5 | Hillsboro | 1,704 | 136 | 10.0% |
| 5 | Hazen | 2,453 | 196 | 10.0% |
| 8 | Bottineau | 2,205 | 159 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Valley City | 6,541 | 471 | 9.0% |
| 8 | Langdon | 1,782 | 128 | 9.0% |
| 12 | Bowman | 1,499 | 96 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Harvey | 1,679 | 107 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Lisbon | 2,259 | 145 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Beulah | 3,040 | 195 | 8.0% |
| 12 | Mayville | 1,976 | 126 | 8.0% |
| 18 | Garrison | 1,397 | 78 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Park River | 1,458 | 82 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Hettinger | 1,250 | 70 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Jamestown | 15,787 | 884 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Northwood | 1,046 | 59 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Casselton | 2,953 | 165 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Devils Lake | 7,308 | 409 | 7.0% |
| 18 | Cavalier | 1,426 | 80 | 7.0% |
| 27 | Surrey | 1,721 | 83 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Minot | 47,791 | 2,294 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Bismarck | 75,556 | 3,627 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Washburn | 1,507 | 72 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Grand Forks | 59,042 | 2,834 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Crosby | 1,065 | 51 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Grafton | 4,102 | 197 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Carrington | 2,168 | 104 | 6.0% |
| 27 | Lincoln | 4,381 | 210 | 6.0% |
| 35 | Wahpeton | 8,010 | 320 | 5.0% |
| 35 | New Town | 2,721 | 109 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Burlington | 1,067 | 43 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Dickinson | 25,357 | 1,014 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Horace | 4,588 | 184 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Tioga | 1,657 | 66 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Mandan | 24,522 | 981 | 5.0% |
| 35 | Stanley | 2,097 | 84 | 5.0% |
| 41 | Williston | 28,056 | 898 | 4.0% |
| 41 | Fargo | 131,627 | 4,212 | 4.0% |
| 41 | Rugby | 2,481 | 79 | 4.0% |
| 44 | Velva | 1,083 | 26 | 3.0% |
| 44 | Oakes | 1,858 | 45 | 3.0% |
| 44 | West Fargo | 40,094 | 962 | 3.0% |
| 47 | Watford City | 6,039 | 97 | 2.0% |
| 47 | Thompson | 1,138 | 18 | 2.0% |
| 47 | Mapleton | 1,352 | 22 | 2.0% |
| 47 | Larimore | 1,240 | 20 | 2.0% |
| 50 | Ellendale | 1,033 | 8 | 1.0% |
| 50 | Reile’s Acres | 1,032 | 8 | 1.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 51 cities with more than 1,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In North Dakota After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Peace Garden State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in North Dakota are Kenmare, New Rockford, Rolla, Cando, Hillsboro, Hazen, Bottineau, Valley City, Langdon, and Bowman.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in North Dakota could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
