Marriage rate is on the rise in NJ, but down nationwide

While the nation has seen a sizeable decrease in the rate of folks tying the knot, the marriage rate in New Jersey has jumped by 8% over the last 10 years, according to an analysis released Tuesday.

And with that jump, there's been no change in the Garden State's divorce rate.

The new report from QuoteWizard, a LendingTree company, finds New Jersey is one of 15 states that experienced an increase in their marriage rate from 2009 to 2018. New Jersey was ranked as the 6th-most marriage-happy state, based on its rate increase.

When considering all 50 states, the marriage rate decreased by 7.74%. And nearly all states with a higher marriage rate over the 10-year period also saw a decline in their divorce rate.

QuoteWizard analyzed National Centers for Health Statistics data on marriage and divorce rates, and compared them over a 10 year period per 1,000 people.

New Jersey's marriage rate in 2009 was 5%, according to the data. In 2018, it was 5.4%. The divorce rate remained the same in New Jersey, but declined nationally by 19.55% over the 10 years analyzed.

"In 2009, there was a 2.7% rate of divorce per 1,000 people in New Jersey," said research analyst Adam Johnson. "That was also the same figure in 2018."

Only New York and Utah posted a divorce-rate increase over the 10-year period, according to the data. A handful of states did not have complete divorce data available.