New Jersey’s marriage and divorce rates among nation’s lowest

The Census data say it all: New Jersey has the lowest divorce rate in the country.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s home to the happiest couples. The Star-Ledger took a look at the numbers, which also show the state has the second-lowest marriage rate in the nation, to find out why Garden State couples are more likely to stick it out.

Compare the Northeast with the South, where couples marry younger and have more “shotgun” weddings: 7.2 per 1,000 men and 7.5 per 1,000 women in the Northeast get divorced. Those numbers are 10.2 and 11.1 in the South. New Jersey’s average marrying age is also about two years older than the national average, and it’s in a part of the country where religion is less likely to influence marriage and cohabitation.

Another reason N.J. couples don’t quit? Divorce can be mighty expensive in the state, where the cost of living is higher.