Regardless of where one lives, divorce is seldom easy, even when it is amicable. At some point, there is usually disagreement on who gets what or parental rights. After all, if the spouses agreed on everything, there would not be a divorce. Though, a recent study did find that one’s state can affect the divorce process.
The Divorce Disaster Index
The website, Best Life, utilized data from Time, Business Insider, FindLaw and World Population Review to create a 100-point scale, the Divorce Disaster Index. Best Life used the index to compare how states treat divorces. Best Life used data on how long it takes to finalize a divorce, average filing fees from each state, average attorneys’ fees and each state’s divorce rate. Then, Best Life weighted each value to create their index.
The worst state
In general, Best Life found that a divorce has never been more expensive. The worst state is the worst by a huge margin, mostly because of how expensive it is to get a divorce there and how long it takes to get a divorce. That state is, unsurprisingly, California. On average, it takes at least 6 months to get a divorce and cost about $30,000 total
Where does Texas rank?
We rank in the top 10 at 7. Here, it takes between 60 and 90 days to finalize a divorce and costs over $25,000. These numbers are significantly higher than the easiest state to get a divorce, New Mexico. In that state, it only takes 30 days to get divorced and only costs about $13,000.
For those in Dallas, Texas, or the surrounding communities in Dallas County, Collin, Denton and Rockwall counties, do not fret or run to New Mexico to file for divorce. These numbers are averages, so it is likely that one’s situation will not be as extreme as many of those factored into these numbers.