The stress and chaos of military life can throw even the strongest relationships for a loop. Interestingly, however, military couples aren’t as destined for divorce as outsiders seem to think. Read on for fascinating statistics about the prevalence of military divorce — and how dramatically it can vary from one situation to the next:

Divorce Rate Holding Steady

For several years, the military divorce rate has hovered steadily around 3 percent. Surprisingly, this is quite similar to the divorce rate for the population as a whole; across most states, the divorce rate hit 3.2 percent in 2016.

In the military, the divorce rate is determined by comparing troops highlighted as married in the Pentagon’s personnel system with the number of annual reported divorces. This differs somewhat from the methodology for tracking the divorce rate in the greater population, but it’s still worth noting that divorce is not as prevalent in the military as most people suspect.

Differences in Divorce Rates

Women in the military are far more likely to divorce than their male counterparts. In the Marines, for example, the female divorce rate has remained around 7 percent since 2012, although it hit a high of 9.9 percent in 2010.

Rank can significantly impact divorce; a survey of United States Census data conducted by the firm Zippia revealed that first-line enlisted military supervisors are more likely to divorce than individuals in any other field. Divorce is also quite common in the niche field of military-enlisted tactical operations and air weapons.

Military involvement brings additional challenges to the divorce process, so it’s important to work with a family attorney well-versed in these issues. The law firm of Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd. can help; reach out at your earliest convenience to learn more about our impressive track record in military divorce.