According to the CDC, there is a divorce in the United States every 36 seconds. That amounts to hundreds of thousands of divorces every year. This might not be surprising, given the well-known statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce.

Here are some lesser-known stats on marriage in America…

The more times you try it, the less likely it is to last. Second and third marriages are more likely to end in divorce than first marriages. According to statistics, about 40% of first marriages end in divorce; 60% of second marriages and 70-75% of third marriages.

Divorce rates also change depending on your age. Divorce rates are highest for those in their early 20s and significantly lower for those in their late 30s, for example.

You are more likely to get divorced if:

– You don’t have kids
– Your parents were not happily married
– You got married before your 25th birthday
– You lived together before you are married
– You didn’t go to college
– You live in a more conservative state
– You live in Oklahoma, Arkansas or Alaska, which have the highest divorce rates in the country.

Some other interesting facts: Divorce, custody and support stats are different for men vs. women. Women file for divorce in about 2/3 of the cases. Mothers are more likely to get a support award, and they also are more likely to default on a support obligation. The majority of children with divorced parents live with their mother.

Celebrity marriages and divorces don’t seem to fit the mold. Instead, they often take it to the extreme. Take Britney Spears’ divorce after a brief 2-day marriage to a friend, or the long list of celebrity divorce settlements topping $100 million. Mel Gibson reportedly paid his ex $425 million in their divorce.

In the U.S., the average timing for divorce is 8 years into the marriage. The average time before remarriage is 3 years. No one gets married thinking it will happen to them, but as statistics show, it happens every day.