MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A sweeping nine-year analysis of marriage and divorce data reveals dramatic contrasts across Middle Tennessee, with several of the more rural counties posting some of the highest divorce-to-marriage ratios in the state — while urban Davidson County remains the lowest. WGNS gathered the numbers from data the Tennessee Department of Health with reports from county clerk offices and the Tennessee Office of Vital Records.
When all nine years are averaged together, Wilson County ranks as having the highest divorce rates among the counties studied in Middle Tennessee with a 67.6% divorce-to-marriage ratio, followed closely by Warren County at 67.4% and Sumner County at 66.7%. At the other end of the spectrum, Davidson County stands far below the regional norm with a long-term divorce average of just 33.0%, less than half the average of many surrounding counties.
Meanwhile, Rutherford County, which has led the region and the state in population growth during the study period, posted a nine-year average divorce rate of 63.5%, placing it 7th overall among the 12 counties analyzed, which unfortunately is well above the statewide average of 45.4%…