When it comes to matters of the heart, your job might be doing more heavy lifting than you think. In a revealing study, statistician Nathan Yau analyzed data from the American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau to uncover how divorce rates vary across nearly 500 occupations. The results? These 13 jobs top the list for the highest divorce rates in the US.
Gaming Managers
Gaming managers top the list of occupations with the highest divorce rates, with 52.9% of individuals in this role reportedly experiencing marital breakdown. The nature of the job, marked by high stress, long and irregular hours, and a social environment often centered around alcohol, can strain personal relationships.
This is especially evident in states like Nevada, where casino employment is dense and divorce rates are among the highest. Factors like substance abuse may intensify the pressures on marriage in this profession.
Bartenders
Bartenders face a 52.7% divorce rate, one of the highest among all professions. The job’s late-night shifts, unpredictable hours, and alcohol-fueled environment can challenge the stability of the relationship.
Constant exposure to intoxicated patrons and the pressure of low wages add to the strain. With many bartenders in their early to mid-30s, a life stage often marked by transition, emotional impulsivity may also play a role in the high rate of marital breakdown.
Flight Attendants
Flight attendants face a 50.5% divorce rate, placing them high on the list of at-risk professions. Their demanding schedules often mean frequent travel, long periods away from home, and high-stress environments, all of which can create emotional distance.
While the job offers the allure of travel, in reality, it involves irregular hours, limited downtime, and ongoing separation from loved ones. For many in this profession, maintaining a stable personal life while navigating constant mobility proves to be a significant challenge.
Gaming Services Workers
In the world of casinos, gaming services workers face a unique set of challenges that may take a toll on their personal lives. With a divorce rate of 50.3%, this profession sits near the top of the list for marital breakdowns.
The environment is a potent mix of high stress, late-night shifts, and constant exposure to alcohol and impulsive behavior from patrons. Add to that the 24/7 operations that often demand work on weekends and holidays, and it becomes clear how maintaining a stable relationship in this field can be particularly tough.
Rolling Machine Setters And Operators
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders face a 50.1% divorce rate, placing them fifth on the list. Their work is physically demanding and often done in shifts.
Long hours leave little time or energy for family life. These roles often come with lower pay, less education, and job insecurity. All of this adds pressure, making relationships harder to sustain.
Switchboard Operator
Few jobs test patience like that of a switchboard operator. Constantly fielding high volumes of calls from frustrated or upset individuals can be emotionally draining. With a divorce rate of 49.7%, this role ranks high among professions where work stress often spills into home life.
The repetitive nature of the job, coupled with limited fulfillment and little room for upward mobility, can leave workers exhausted and disengaged, making it harder to maintain strong personal relationships.
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters and Operators
Long shifts, physical exhaustion, and limited growth opportunities are just a few of the realities faced by people in this profession. Often working in industrial settings under high pressure, these workers carry job stress home with them.
That strain of work, paired with modest wages, lower educational requirements, and irregular hours that disrupt family routines. It’s no surprise, then, that this profession sees a divorce rate of 49.6%, reflecting how the grind of blue-collar labor can quietly erode personal connection over time.
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Operators
Long, repetitive shifts and physically demanding tasks characterize the daily work of textile knitting and weaving machine operators. The work often offers little fulfillment and modest pay, leaving many employees drained by the end of the day.
Exhaustion can spill over into home life, making it harder to maintain emotional connection and patience in a relationship. Unsurprisingly, this profession sees one of the highest divorce rates—48.9%. This highlights how job dissatisfaction and fatigue can quietly erode personal bonds.
Telemarketers
Telemarketers face a 47.8% divorce rate, and it’s not hard to see why. Day after day, they repeat the same scripts, field rejection, and absorb frustration from strangers on the other end of the line.
That emotional wear and tear doesn’t just stay at work; it often follows them home. Stress, monotony, and burnout can erode patience and connection, making it harder to show up fully in a relationship. Over time, that disconnect can take a real toll on a marriage.
Massage Therapists
Massage therapy may seem like a calming profession, but it also comes with its own unique relationship challenges. With a divorce rate of 47.8%, massage therapists rank among the jobs most linked to marital strain. The role involves frequent one-on-one contact in private settings, which can sometimes spark jealousy or trust issues.
It’s also a female-dominated field, and studies have found that working women may face a higher risk of divorce than those who don’t work outside the home. Add in the emotional labor of caring for clients and the blurred boundaries that can come with the job, and it’s easy to see how personal relationships might feel the pressure.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocation Nurses
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses face a divorce rate of 47%, reflecting the intense demands of their profession. Long shifts, overnight duties, and holiday work often mean extended time away from home, making it difficult to maintain consistent family routines.
Add to that the emotional toll of caring for patients, the financial strain of modest wages, and the challenge of balancing caregiving at work and home, and it’s clear why relationships in this field can be especially vulnerable.
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers
Correctional supervisors operate in one of the most high-pressure environments imaginable, and it shows in their personal lives. With a divorce rate of 46.9%, this profession ranks among the most relationship-straining.
The job demands long hours, constant vigilance, and exposure to trauma, often leading to mental health challenges like PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The biggest struggle for many in this field is the clash between work and family life. When the emotional weight of the job follows you home, maintaining a stable relationship becomes a significant challenge.
Dancers and Choreographers
Behind the curtain of stage lights and standing ovations lies this profession that quietly strains personal relationships. Dancers and choreographers, with a divorce rate of 46.8%, often face long hours, constant travel, and financial instability.
The physical and emotional demands of performance, coupled with intense dedication to their craft, can leave little room for nurturing a marriage. Add to that the pressures of body image, especially in ballet, and the toll on mental health becomes clear—issues like low self-esteem and disordered eating can further complicate intimacy and connection at home.
