These Jobs Have the Highest Rates of Divorce for People Under 30

In the United States, divorce rates are pretty staggering, although they aren’t the highest in the world. (You can call the Maldives international divorce champions). All the couple’s therapy in America can’t atone for a near 50% divorce rate, but there’s certainly one thing that paints a clearer picture of why some couples split: their jobs.  

From the career guidance site Zippia, comes a data set portraying divorce rates according to job and industry for people under 30. Using Public Use Microsample Data from the US Census Bureau, the data indicates which industries are most prone to collapsing a marriage, and it isn’t particularly surprising to see military trades standing atop the mountain of heartache. First-line enlisted military supervisors under the age of 30 have a 30% divorce rate, making that the most divorced profession, according to the census. After that, logisticians take second place, followed by automotive service mechanics and technicians rounding out the top three.

Take a look at the top 20; you’ll see a lot of engineering and technical trades dominating the list, followed by food service, electricians, carpenters and other hard-scrabble, physically demanding jobs.

There’s a reason military jobs often portend a greater degree of divorce: a career of military service is really hard. Military people move around a lot, bare witness to the chaos of armed conflict, and generally lead stressful lives. It’s hard reacclimating to normal civilian life after a prolonged stint in the service, although the struggle is more severe for some former service members than others. The rates of PTSD varies by conflict and the extent of service, although it remains a prevalent issue that might prove critical in upending a marriage.

Although the divorce rates for servicemen and women are quite jarring for those under 30, they’re a lot less severe for older couples and have been gradually cratering for some time: In 2015, the divorce rate among active and enlisted troops was 3%. Interestingly, Zippia points to a 2008 Princeton study which found divorce rates to be higher for enlisted women than their male counterparts.

Expectedly, you’ll find that the nation’s highest earners, doctors, are nowhere to be found on the list. 

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