Hermiz Law, a Troy-based family law firm, today released an analysis of Michigan divorce filing trends under the state's no-fault divorce statute.

TROY, MI, UNITED STATES, March 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Hermiz Law, a Troy-based family law firm, today released an analysis of Michigan divorce filing trends spanning more than five decades under the state's no-fault divorce statute, MCL 552.6. The review, which draws on Michigan Department of Health and Human Services vital records and Michigan Courts caseload data, found that statewide divorce filings have declined approximately 44 percent since 2004 and that the state's divorce rate has fallen to 4.1 per 1,000 population in 2023 — a figure the firm identified as the lowest recorded in over a century of state data.

The analysis also found that Michigan's marriage rate has declined from 20.7 per 1,000 population in 1970 to 10.0 per 1,000 in 2023, according to Michigan DHHS records. The median age at divorce in Michigan has risen to 44 for men and 41 for women, a trend consistent with national data from Bowling Green State University showing that divorce rates among adults over 50 have doubled since 1990 and that divorces among adults over 65 have more than tripled during the same period.

At the county level, the firm's review of 2023 Michigan Courts caseload reports found that Wayne County recorded 5,380 new divorce filings, Oakland County recorded 3,525, and Macomb County recorded 2,770. In Oakland County, 54 percent of new divorce filings involved no minor children. In Macomb County, more than 76 percent of divorce cases involving children were resolved through settlement, default, or uncontested proceedings, according to the court data.

"The data reflects a significant shift in who is filing for divorce and under what circumstances," said Madana Hermiz, founding divorce attorney at Hermiz Law. "Families navigating divorce in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties today are dealing with longer marriages, more complex retirement portfolios, and different custody considerations than families did when this law was adopted. As a divorce lawyer working with these families, understanding those changes is essential to achieving equitable outcomes."

Michigan adopted its no-fault divorce law on January 1, 1972, under Public Act 75 of 1971, becoming one of the first states to eliminate fault-based grounds for divorce. Under the statute, the sole ground for divorce is that the marriage relationship has broken down with no reasonable likelihood of preservation. The law replaced a prior system that required proof of specific grounds including adultery, cruelty, or desertion.

A 2006 peer-reviewed study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics by economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers found that states adopting no-fault divorce laws experienced an 8 to 16 percent decline in female suicide rates, an approximately 30 percent decline in domestic violence, and a 10 percent decline in women murdered by intimate partners. A separate 2006 study by Wolfers published in the American Economic Review found that initial increases in divorce rates following no-fault adoption reversed within a decade.

No Michigan legislator has introduced a bill to amend or repeal MCL 552.6 in the past decade, according to a review of the Michigan Legislature's bill tracking system and the LegiScan database. Bills proposing to restrict or repeal no-fault divorce in other states — including Oklahoma's SB 1958 in 2024, South Dakota's HB 1254 in 2024, and Texas's HB 3401 in 2025 — have each failed to advance past committee. No state has repealed its no-fault divorce law to date.

A September 2023 Pew Research Center survey of 5,073 U.S. adults found that 55 percent of respondents said unhappy couples tend to stay in bad marriages too long, while 43 percent said couples get divorced too quickly. A Gallup Values and Beliefs poll found that 73 percent of Americans consider divorce morally acceptable, a record high.

The full analysis, including county-level data breakdowns and historical context dating to the passage of Public Act 75 in 1971, is available on the Hermiz Law website at hermizlaw.com/blog/michigans-no-fault-divorce-law-is-54-years-old . Families seeking information about divorce proceedings in Oakland, Wayne, or Macomb counties may contact the firm directly for a consultation.

Madana Hermiz
Hermiz Law
+1 248-825-8042
email us here
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