We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Wisconsin’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Wisconsin based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in Wisconsin is Merrill, 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 Wisconsin is Twin Lakes.
Wisconsin is 7.0% divorced overall. There are some 331,232 people living in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin with the highest rates of divorcees.
15.0% divorced · #1 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Lincoln County, Wisconsin
Merrill is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located to the south of and adjacent to the Town of Merrill. The population was 9,661, according to the 2010 census. Merrill is part of the United States Census Bureau’s Merrill MSA, which includes all of Lincoln County. Together with the Wausau MSA, which includes all of Marathon County, it forms the Wausau-Merrill CSA.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Mayville is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, located along the Rock River and the Horicon Marsh. The population was 5,154 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The population was 13,195 at the 2010 census. The Village of Pewaukee, which was incorporated out of the town before it incorporated as a city, is surrounded by the city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin
Ripon is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,733 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Ripon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Evansville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,012 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Chippewa County, Wisconsin
Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 13,661 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Monroe County, Wisconsin
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 9,522 at the 2010 census. Sparta is known as the Bicycling Capital of America.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #10 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Dodge County, Wisconsin
Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The estimated population was 16,564 in 2016, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge County. It is the principal city of the Beaver Dam Micropolitan Statistical area. The city is located within the Town of Beaver Dam.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #10 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Shawano County, Wisconsin
Shawano is a city in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,305 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Shawano County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #10 highest divorce rate in Wisconsin
Located in
Waupaca County, Wisconsin
New London is a city in Outagamie and Waupaca Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Founded in 1851, the population was 7,295 at the 2010 census. Of this, 5,685 were in Waupaca County, and 1,640 were in Outagamie County. The city has a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, Irish Fest, and week-long festivities, when the city’s name is changed to “New Dublin” for the week.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Wisconsin’s statewide median.
Wisconsin statewide median: $77,485
On the map
Where Wisconsin’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In Wisconsin 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 146 places in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Merrill.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Twin Lakes, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Wisconsin. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Wisconsin with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Wisconsin
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrill | 9,356 | 1,123 | 15.0% |
| 3 | Mayville | 5,228 | 586 | 14.0% |
| 3 | Pewaukee | 8,196 | 918 | 14.0% |
| 3 | Ripon | 7,772 | 870 | 14.0% |
| 6 | Evansville | 5,782 | 601 | 13.0% |
| 6 | Chippewa Falls | 14,782 | 1,537 | 13.0% |
| 6 | Sparta | 9,950 | 1,035 | 13.0% |
| 10 | Beaver Dam | 16,565 | 1,590 | 12.0% |
| 10 | Shawano | 9,522 | 914 | 12.0% |
| 10 | New London | 7,726 | 742 | 12.0% |
| 10 | Wisconsin Rapids | 18,722 | 1,797 | 12.0% |
| 10 | West Allis | 59,612 | 5,723 | 12.0% |
| 10 | St. Francis | 9,004 | 864 | 12.0% |
| 19 | Slinger | 6,307 | 555 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Monroe | 10,587 | 932 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Cudahy | 17,853 | 1,571 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Baraboo | 12,769 | 1,124 | 11.0% |
| 19 | De Pere | 25,301 | 2,226 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Jackson | 8,003 | 704 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Jefferson | 7,732 | 680 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Waupaca | 6,283 | 553 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Sturgeon Bay | 9,806 | 863 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Edgerton | 6,014 | 529 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Sheboygan Falls | 8,547 | 752 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Two Rivers | 11,231 | 988 | 11.0% |
| 33 | Rhinelander | 8,316 | 665 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Weston | 15,749 | 1,260 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Manitowoc | 34,620 | 2,770 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Kimberly | 7,447 | 596 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Lake Mills | 6,470 | 518 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Prairie du Chien | 5,491 | 439 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Richland Center | 5,109 | 409 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Columbus | 5,488 | 439 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Waterford | 5,692 | 455 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Portage | 10,236 | 819 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Watertown | 22,774 | 1,822 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Berlin | 5,562 | 445 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Antigo | 8,069 | 646 | 10.0% |
| 33 | Allouez | 13,975 | 1,118 | 10.0% |
| 33 | McFarland | 9,160 | 733 | 10.0% |
| 52 | Milton | 5,706 | 411 | 9.0% |
| 52 | New Richmond | 10,539 | 759 | 9.0% |
| 52 | West Bend | 32,030 | 2,306 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Sheboygan | 49,645 | 3,574 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Lake Hallie | 7,285 | 525 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Marshfield | 18,700 | 1,346 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Oshkosh | 66,729 | 4,804 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Bellevue | 16,442 | 1,184 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Wausau | 39,996 | 2,880 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Superior | 26,677 | 1,921 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Ashland | 7,902 | 569 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Port Washington | 12,645 | 910 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Reedsburg | 10,168 | 732 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Plymouth | 8,890 | 640 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Oconomowoc | 19,080 | 1,374 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Fond du Lac | 44,494 | 3,204 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Mount Pleasant | 27,953 | 2,013 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Grafton | 12,445 | 896 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Greenfield | 37,345 | 2,689 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Waukesha | 71,233 | 5,129 | 9.0% |
| 52 | South Milwaukee | 20,442 | 1,472 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Janesville | 66,030 | 4,754 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Racine | 77,633 | 5,590 | 9.0% |
| 52 | Green Bay | 106,253 | 7,650 | 9.0% |
| 73 | Waupun | 11,174 | 715 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Glendale | 13,656 | 874 | 8.0% |
| 73 | West Salem | 5,330 | 341 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Germa | 20,962 | 1,342 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Fort Atkinson | 12,463 | 798 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Hales Corners | 7,689 | 492 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Tomah | 9,532 | 610 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Howard | 21,087 | 1,350 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Delafield | 7,202 | 461 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Menasha | 18,273 | 1,169 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Greendale | 14,594 | 934 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Cedarburg | 12,605 | 807 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Mukwonago | 8,415 | 539 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Stoughton | 13,033 | 834 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Neenah | 27,336 | 1,750 | 8.0% |
| 73 | DeForest | 11,501 | 736 | 8.0% |
| 73 | Elkhorn | 10,221 | 654 | 8.0% |
| 92 | Menomonee Falls | 39,539 | 2,214 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Kronenwetter | 8,395 | 470 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Muskego | 25,406 | 1,423 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Little Chute | 11,754 | 658 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Kaukauna | 17,706 | 992 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Holmen | 11,372 | 637 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Caledonia | 25,257 | 1,414 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Rice Lake | 9,030 | 506 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Hartford | 15,821 | 886 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Hartland | 9,972 | 558 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Fox Point | 6,683 | 374 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Appleton | 75,023 | 4,201 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Dodgeville | 5,042 | 282 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Sun Prairie | 37,570 | 2,104 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Beloit | 36,534 | 2,046 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Suamico | 12,985 | 727 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Ashwaubenon | 17,314 | 970 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Sturtevant | 6,772 | 379 | 7.0% |
| 92 | Oak Creek | 37,325 | 2,090 | 7.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 146 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In Wisconsin After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Badger State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Wisconsin are Merrill, Mayville, Pewaukee, Ripon, Evansville, Chippewa Falls, Sparta, Beaver Dam, Shawano, and New London.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Wisconsin could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
