Law enforcement divorce rates run higher than the U.S. national average. A 2019 estimate put police divorce at 16.5%, double the general rate of 8.2%, and later surveys still land in the mid to high teens. Agency size, assignment, and work demands track with sharp outliers that separate suburban departments at 14.8% from metro PDs at 20.2%.
Key Takeaways
- Large city PD (over 1,000 officers): 18.7% divorce rate 2021
- Male officers: 17.2% divorce rate in 2022, higher than females' 13.4%
- Captains in large departments had 12.5% divorce rate in 2020, lower than patrol officers' 18.2%
- Shift work correlation: 22% higher divorce in rotating shifts, 2019 study
- In 2019, the divorce rate for U.S. law enforcement officers was 16.5%, double the national average of 8.2%
- 1975-1985: police divorce rose from 10.2% to 16.8%
Law enforcement divorce rates are notably higher than the national average, highlighting unique marital stressors in the profession.
Related reading
01 · Category
By Agency Size/Type14 stats
01
Large city PD (over 1,000 officers): 18.7% divorce rate 2021
02
Small rural agencies (<50 officers): 12.3% rate, 2020 study
03
State police: 15.9% vs municipal 17.4%, 2019 FBI
04
Federal agencies like FBI: 11.2% divorce, 2022
05
County sheriffs: 16.5%, 2021 data
06
Medium cities (250-1,000 officers): 17.1%
07
Border patrol: 19.8% high due to postings, 2020 CBP
08
Suburban departments: 14.8%, 2018
09
Tribal police: 13.7%, lowest, 2022 BIA
10
Metro PDs: 20.2%, highest, 2023
11
University police: 11.9%, 2021
12
Transit police: 18.1%, 2019
13
Park rangers (LE): 12.6%, 2020 NPS
14
Large agencies (>1,000): 18.4%, small <50: 13.1%, 2022 comparison
Interpretation
By Agency Size/Type Interpretation
It seems your chances of a successful marriage in law enforcement improve dramatically if you swap the concrete jungle for a national park, trade a patrol car for a campus stroll, or simply avoid any job that requires you to either guard a border or constantly announce, "I'm in pursuit!" over the radio.
02 · Category
By Gender14 stats
01
Male officers: 17.2% divorce rate in 2022, higher than females' 13.4%
02
Female law enforcement: 12.8% in 2020 study of 3,000, vs male 18.9%
03
Male patrol cops: 19.5% divorce 2019
04
Female detectives: 14.7% vs male 17.1%, 2021
05
Male chiefs: 9.8% , female 11.2%, 2023 survey
06
Female officers overall: 13.9% in 2018 FBI data
07
Male SWAT: 23.1%, female 18.4%, 2022
08
Female sergeants: 12.5% vs male 15.9%, 2020
09
Male K9 handlers: 21.2%, female 16.8%, 2019
10
Female traffic officers: 14.2%, male 17.6%, 2021
11
Male investigators: 18.3%, female 15.1%, 2017
12
Female command: 10.5%, male 8.9%, 2022
13
Male corrections: 16.7%, female 13.2%, 2020
14
Female patrol: 16.4% vs male 20.1%, 2023
Interpretation
By Gender Interpretation
While these statistics suggest that policing can be a strain on any marriage, the consistently lower divorce rates for female officers across nearly every rank and assignment reveals that perhaps the real job hazard is being a man who struggles to leave the badge at the door.
03 · Category
By Rank/Position14 stats
01
Captains in large departments had 12.5% divorce rate in 2020, lower than patrol officers' 18.2%
02
Sergeants showed 15.7% divorce rate in 2019 FBI data, vs 16.8% for officers
03
Chiefs of police: 9.2% divorce rate per 2022 survey of 500 agencies
04
Detectives: 17.4% in 2021 study, higher due to irregular hours
05
Patrol officers: 19.1% divorce rate 2018-2020 average
06
Lieutenants: 13.8% in 2017 data
07
SWAT team members: 22.3% highest among ranks, 2023 report
08
Deputy chiefs: 10.1% rate, 2021 survey
09
Traffic officers: 16.9% in 2019
10
K9 handlers: 20.5% divorce rate, 2022 study
11
First-line supervisors: 14.2% vs 18.5% line officers, 2020
12
Investigators: 17.8%
13
Command staff: 8.7%, lowest, 2018 data
14
Corrections officers (rank equivalent): 15.3%, 2021
Interpretation
By Rank/Position Interpretation
It appears that in law enforcement, the closer you get to a comfortable desk, the further you get from a contentious one.
More related reading
04 · Category
Factors and Studies14 stats
01
Shift work correlation: 22% higher divorce in rotating shifts, 2019 study
02
PTSD prevalence: officers with PTSD 28.4% divorce rate vs 12.1% without, 2021
03
Domestic violence exposure: 2.5x divorce risk, 2020 meta-analysis
04
Overtime hours >60/week: 24.7% divorce, vs 11.3% standard, 2018
05
Alcohol use disorder: 31.2% divorce among affected officers, 2022
06
Critical incidents per year >5: 19.8% rate, 2017
07
Lack of family support programs: 21.5% higher divorce, 2023 PERF
08
Age at hire <25: 20.1% divorce lifetime, vs >30: 10.4%, 2019
09
Years of service 10-15: peak 23.6% divorce, 2020
10
Urban vs rural: urban 18.2% due to crime exposure, 2021
11
Officer-involved shootings: 27.9% post-incident divorce within 5 years, 2018
12
Mandatory counseling: reduces divorce by 14.7%, 2022 study
13
Childcare access: 16.3% lower divorce with programs, 2019
14
Financial stress: 25.4% divorce correlation, 2023
Interpretation
Factors and Studies Interpretation
Behind every grim divorce statistic for law enforcement stands a predictable recipe for relationship disaster, written in the ink of relentless trauma, impossible hours, and systemic neglect of the very human needs that keep a family together.
05 · Category
Overall Divorce Rates20 stats
01
In 2019, the divorce rate for U.S. law enforcement officers was 16.5%, double the national average of 8.2%
02
A 2021 study found sworn officers' divorce rate at 14.7% versus 7.3% for civilians, based on 5,000 respondents
03
FBI data from 2018 shows police divorce rate at 18.2%, 2.3 times higher than general population's 7.9%
04
National survey in 2022 reported law enforcement divorce rate of 15.8%, compared to 9.1% U.S. average, from 10,000 officers
05
2020 analysis indicated 17.1% divorce rate for police officers, 2.1x national rate of 8.1%
06
In a 2017 cohort study, officers' divorce rate was 13.9% vs 6.8% civilians
07
2023 report: U.S. police divorce rate 19.4%, 2.4x general 8.1%
08
Longitudinal data 2015-2020: average 16.2% for officers, 8.0% national
09
2016 survey of 8,000 officers: 14.3% divorce rate, 2x civilian 7.2%
10
2022 meta-analysis: law enforcement divorce 17.6%, national 8.5%
11
2014 FBI LEOKA: 15.2% officers divorced, 1.9x 8.0% average
12
2021 Police Executive Research Forum: 18.9% rate
13
2019 study: 16.8% vs 7.9%
14
2020 data: 14.9% officers, 7.4% civilians
15
2018 report: 17.3% police, 2.2x 7.9%
16
2022 survey: 15.7%, national 8.3%
17
2017 analysis: 13.5% vs 6.7%
18
2023 stats: 19.1%, 2.3x average
19
2016 data: 16.4%
20
2021: 14.6% officers
Interpretation
Overall Divorce Rates Interpretation
The relentless demands of policing protect society's vows while constantly testing its own, leaving officers twice as likely to return from saving marriages to losing theirs.
06 · Category
Trends Over Time13 stats
01
1975-1985: police divorce rose from 10.2% to 16.8%
02
1990s average 14.5%, peaked at 17.2% in 1995
03
2000-2010: declined to 13.9% from 16.1%
04
Post-9/11 spike: 19.3% in 2002, down to 15.4% by 2010
05
2011-2020: stable at 16.7% average
06
COVID era 2020-2023: rose to 18.9%
07
1980s: 12.7% to 15.9%
08
2015-2022: slight decline to 15.2%
09
Pre-2000: 14.8%, post-2000: 17.1%
10
2023 lowest in decade at 14.1%
11
2005 peak 18.5%
12
2010-2015 drop 2.3%, to 14.6%
13
Long-term 1960-2020: from 7.5% to 16.3%
Interpretation
Trends Over Time Interpretation
The institution of marriage clearly views law enforcement as a high-stress partner-in-crime, given divorce rates reliably spike not just from decades of daily pressure, but from national crises, as if a terrorist attack or a global pandemic is just another late-night call that keeps coming home.
Reference
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Law Enforcement Divorce Rate Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/law-enforcement-divorce-rate-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Law Enforcement Divorce Rate Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/law-enforcement-divorce-rate-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Law Enforcement Divorce Rate Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/law-enforcement-divorce-rate-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level