Recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics find that Florida has one of the highest rates in the country for residents who have married more than two times. The rate for Florida men was 30.5 percent in 2012; 29.4 percent for women.
Can we tie this trend to the Sunshine State’s population age? Maybe. The oldest members of the baby-boom generation are the most likely to have married three or more times. Among people in their sixties, 9.1 percent of men and 7.6 percent of women have married at least three times.
Florida’s remarriage data isn’t reflective of what the nation is experiencing as a whole. Most Americans have still only walked down the aisle once. The report showed 52.3 percent of Americans 15 years or older have been married once, 13.5 percent have married twice, and 3.6 percent have married three or more times.
Remarriage numbers vary dramatically from region to region. In the South and West, people say “I do” early and repeatedly. In areas where Americans tie the knot at a young age, like in the South, it’s more likely they’ll divorce and marry once again.
Arkansas tops the list with 35 percent of married adults who have said “I do” more than once. The Pacific Northwest and Nevada (Vegas!) joins the South as areas with high remarrying rates. However, in the Northeast, second and third marriages are out of the ordinary. New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts, and Washington D.C. have the lowest remarriage rates.
Three Florida cities are among the top 20 metropolitan areas with residents who have been married twice or more — Punta Gorda, Panama City and Ocala all have remarriage rates higher than 36 percent.
