MONROE - Wedding bells rang more in Wisconsin last year.
In 2011, for the first time in more than three decades, the number of marriages in Wisconsin increased over the previous year.
Marriages have declined annually since 1980, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services' annual Marriages and Divorces report, released recently
Until 2011, that is, when 335 more couples married statewide than in 2010. It's a slight increase of just more than one percent.
Couples in Green County played a role in this increase, with 157 marriages reported in 2010 and 168 in 2011.
Lafayette County saw a decrease, however, from 93 marriages in 2010 to 71 in 2010.
Despite more people statewide getting married, Wisconsin's marriage rate didn't change. A rate of 5.3 per 1,000 residents remained identical to the 2010 rate.
Divorces and the overall divorce rate both went down statewide in 2011.
Green County mirrored state results with divorces, as well. There were 116 divorces and one annulment reported in 2011, compared to 125 divorces in 2010. Lafayette County bucked the state trend again, with two more divorces, 45, reported in 2011 than in 2010.
The 2011 state trend of fewer divorces also translated into a lower divorce rate over the previous year, from three to 2.9 per 1000 residents.
In both counties, the majority of these divorces (and slightly more than the state average of 54 percent) affected children under the age of 18.
Other notable findings from the 2011 study:
- Menominee has the distinction of being the only county without a single divorce in 2011. A divorce hasn't been reported there since one in 2008. Located north of Green Bay, the county is sparsely populated by mostly members of the Menominee Indian Tribe.
- The age of first-time brides and grooms continues to climb. The median age for first marriages in 2011 was 26 years for women and 27.5 years for men.
- Since 1960, the bride in a first marriage, on average, has been a year or two younger than the groom.
- Getting married in September was more popular than any other month. During the past seven years, the month with the fewest marriages was January.
In 2011, for the first time in more than three decades, the number of marriages in Wisconsin increased over the previous year.
Marriages have declined annually since 1980, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services' annual Marriages and Divorces report, released recently
Until 2011, that is, when 335 more couples married statewide than in 2010. It's a slight increase of just more than one percent.
Couples in Green County played a role in this increase, with 157 marriages reported in 2010 and 168 in 2011.
Lafayette County saw a decrease, however, from 93 marriages in 2010 to 71 in 2010.
Despite more people statewide getting married, Wisconsin's marriage rate didn't change. A rate of 5.3 per 1,000 residents remained identical to the 2010 rate.
Divorces and the overall divorce rate both went down statewide in 2011.
Green County mirrored state results with divorces, as well. There were 116 divorces and one annulment reported in 2011, compared to 125 divorces in 2010. Lafayette County bucked the state trend again, with two more divorces, 45, reported in 2011 than in 2010.
The 2011 state trend of fewer divorces also translated into a lower divorce rate over the previous year, from three to 2.9 per 1000 residents.
In both counties, the majority of these divorces (and slightly more than the state average of 54 percent) affected children under the age of 18.
Other notable findings from the 2011 study:
- Menominee has the distinction of being the only county without a single divorce in 2011. A divorce hasn't been reported there since one in 2008. Located north of Green Bay, the county is sparsely populated by mostly members of the Menominee Indian Tribe.
- The age of first-time brides and grooms continues to climb. The median age for first marriages in 2011 was 26 years for women and 27.5 years for men.
- Since 1960, the bride in a first marriage, on average, has been a year or two younger than the groom.
- Getting married in September was more popular than any other month. During the past seven years, the month with the fewest marriages was January.