FEATURED STORIES...

(Click on the images to open in a new tab)

Inside the Numbers: Statistical Insights on Divorce Timing

December 12, 2023•2 min read

University of Washington Associate sociology professor Julie Brines and doctoral candidate Brian Serafini analyzed the numbers of people that filed for divorce in Washington state from 2001 to 2015. What they found is that March had the highest number of filings and December the lowest.

This makes sense because most people don't want to file during the holiday season. Then after the holidays have passed and they realize that they don't want to spend another holiday like the most recent then start filing.

In the most commonly cited article it shows a chart that looks like the top of Batman's head, two very large peaks in March and August are the top of his ears.

Divorce Filings by Month in Washington State

News articles and statistics often reference this article because it is the only study that has been conducted that actually puts some numbers on the rate of divorce on a monthly basis.

Unfortunately this chart is terrible.

It makes it look like there is a massive change in March and a huge drop off after August. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I love statistics and math and I want to be honest in what we do. So I did some digging.

In another article Julie Brines mentions some actual numbers: March had 570 divorce filings, August had 558, and December had 430.

This is what I needed to analyze the numbers. I recreated the chart and mapped a new chart on top of the chart above in order to get as close to the "ln" numbers shown. Then I was able to turn the "ln" numbers into actual numbers using the 3 numbers above as a reference.

From this I was able to translate the numbers and put them into 2 years of data to see how they actually compare month to month.

ACTUAL divorce filings from month to month

A Better View of How Many people file each month

This graph shows that, indeed there is a fairly large drop off in filings from November to December (19%) and then the number of people filing rebounds just above previous levels. The rate continues to rise slightly until March and then it tapers back to the average levels. And yes, there is a small bump in August again until the numbers start to drop off, SLIGHTLY until December hits again.

How does this affect you?

If you are considering divorce and need help you will find that lawyers know that January through March is when they will have more people looking for help. Rates may go up, availability goes down.

The courts will have more people filing which could mean more delays.

Nevertheless, the differences aren't as massive as you might think. So, if you are ready to file OR if you are not wanting a divorce now you have better perspective on what others are doing.

Learn more about how to manage the difficult emotions at Rebuilders.net

Kevin Van Liere

Divorce Coach, CEO of Rebuilders International

Back to Blog

Divorce Support & Recovery

Welcome to the #1 most comprehensive divorce recovery program in the world.

Does the Rebuilders

System Really Work?

Below you’ll see that the Rebuilders International system really works, why it is unique, and what we do. We will let this information stand for itself! And yes, of course results will vary but with only a few hours a week you can have a life changing experience.

The Rebuilders Background:

40 Years Of Changing People's Lives.

Meet Dr. Bruce Fisher

The founder of the Rebuilders program was Dr. Bruce Fisher (1931-1998). He was born in Iowa but spent most of his adult life in Boulder, Colorado. He was a popular divorce therapist, author, teach and a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. As he worked with clients dealing with divorce he realized that traditional therapy didn’t work efficiently.

He began working with his clients in groups and eventually found that there are 19 “steps” that people must work through to effectively “Rebuild” their lives. From this work he wrote the book “Rebuilding When Your Relationship Ends.” We still use this book as a reference in our classes. Since he wrote the book over 30 years ago we have learned a lot and the program has evolved considerably. Now we find that there are more “steps” and that there are some elements that Dr. Fisher wasn’t aware of or misunderstood. However, he still created a powerful foundation for the program that we run today.

See The Data...

"I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to have taken this journey with you and the class. It’s been very mind blowing and a real eye opener. It changed my life."

Mike

How our program works...

Head

Your thinking, mindset, beliefs, and values all influence how you respond to the traumatic experience of divorce. We show you how to step outside of the rumination about the past. Learn to step outside of the normal traps that keep people stuck thinking about the past.

Heart

Many people suppress, depress, or repress their feelings. Divorce brings so many “difficult” feelings. We give you tools to work through them, use them, and feel the “good” feelings again -like HAPPINESS, JOY, AND LOVE.

Identity

In marriages people “lose” themselves. When the marriage ends they don’t know who they are as a single person. We help you connect with yourself so that you can be comfortable being alone in your own skin.

The Program Works Regardless of Your Situation!

Considering Divorce?

Learn what you can do find the best path forward

It is a very difficult time in your life when you are facing the possibility of divorce. We offer a wide variety of tools, information and personal coaching to help you.

In the Divorce Process?

Divorce Resources – Support for All Stages of Divorce

When you are dealing with divorce there is a lot going on. There are legal issues, financial issues, emotional issues, parenting issues and more. When faced with all of these pressures we see that people that pay attention to the emotional effect of divorce are better able to navigate everything else much better.

Divorced?

The Papers are signed...

Whether you are recently divorced or it has been years, the wounds from divorce are real. Time does not heal all wounds, it just scabs over them. So if you are ready to learn more about what you can do to HEAL then click below.

Get guidance on how to best recover during this very challenging time in your life.

Subscribe to listen to our daily podcast

PAGE HEADLINE (ALL CAPS, BOLD) - PRIMARY COLORS (USE FIRST) & LINK COLOR

RB Logo Red #EC1C24

RB Grey #8D918B

RB Blue #1E3888

RB Dark Blue #172B68

RB Yellow #F5E663

RB Red #B51730

SUB-PAGE HEADLINE (32M, 50D) (ALL CAPS, BOLD) - PRIMARY COLORS (USE FIRST) & LINK COLOR

Sub-Title (22M, 35D) (BOLD) - Primary Colors (Underline) & LINK COLOR

Shades of Grey on RB Grey

RB Grey 1 (F2F3F2) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (F2F3F2)

RB Grey 2 (D8DAD8) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (D8DAD8)

RB Grey 3 (BFC1BE) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 4 (A5A8A3) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (A5A8A3)

RB Grey 5 (8B8F89) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (8B8F89)

RB Grey 6 (727670) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (727670)

RB Grey 7 (585C57) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (585C57)

RB Grey 8 (3F413E) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (3F413E)

RB Grey 9 (262725) - RB Grey 1 BOLD 262725

RB Grey 10 (0D0D0C) - RB Grey 1 BOLD 0D0D0C

Shades of Grey on White

RB Grey 1 (F2F3F2) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (F2F3F2)

RB Grey 2 (D8DAD8) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (D8DAD8)

RB Grey 3 (BFC1BE) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 4 (A5A8A3) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (A5A8A3)

RB Grey 5 (8B8F89) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 6 (727670) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 7 (585C57) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 8 (3F413E) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 9 (262725) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

RB Grey 10 (0D0D0C) - RB Grey 1 BOLD (BFC1BE)

Shades of Blue on RB Grey

RB Blue 1 (EAEEFA) - RB Blue 1 BOLD (EAEEFA)

RB Blue 2 (COCCF1) - RB Blue 2 BOLD (COCCF1)

RB Blue 3 (97ABE8) - RB Blue 3 BOLD (97ABE8)

RB Blue 4 (6D89DF) - RB Blue 4 BOLD (6D89DF)

RB Blue 5 (4367D6) - RB Blue 5 BOLD (4367D6)

RB Blue 6 (294DBC) - RB Blue 6 BOLD (294DBC)

RB Blue 7 (203C92) - RB Blue 7 BOLD (203C92)

RB Blue 8 (172B68) - RB Blue 8 BOLD (172B68)

RB Blue 9 (0E1A3F) - RB Blue 9 BOLD (0E1A3F)

RB Blue 10 (050915) - RB Blue 10 BOLD (050915)

Shades of Blue on White