These Hudson Valley Towns Googled 'Divorce' The Most: Report

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — It might not surprise you to find out that you weren't alone in researching divorce online during the pandemic, but where Hudson Valley towns ranked among those who were weighing their options via Google sheds some light on how our neighbors rode out the storm.

A study of Google search data revealed the top 100 NY cities for online divorce searches.

When divorce courts in New York started reopening during the summer of 2021, one local divorce lawyer reported working 16-hour days in order to cope with inquiries from New Yorkers who wanted out of their marriages. Even during the Christmas period, which was historically a more sedate time when it comes to divorces, business was booming, as couples were seeking to avoid tension among their families during celebrations. Overall, divorce inquiries were 45 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

DivorceAnswers.com, a website dedicated to legal information about divorce, analyzed New Yorkers’ online searches for the term ‘divorce lawyers’ during the pandemic. Their research revealed that in total, New Yorkers searched for ‘divorce lawyers’ 433,344 times during the pandemic.

The study also broke down these searches across cities in New York, which were weighted by population.

The city in the #1 spot with the highest number of searches for ‘divorce lawyers’ relative to population size was Merrick, with 8,400 online inquiries, amounting to 41.7 percent of its population of 20,130.

In last place, in position #100, with the fewest number of inquiries was New Rochelle, with just 1,680 online searches for ‘divorce lawyers’ during the pandemic. It seems possible that many New Rochelle couples enjoyed their time in lockdown together.

See if your Hudson Valley town made the list.

Hudson Valley towns with the most online divorce inquiries based on Google searches (March 2020 - March 2022):

• #7: Kiryas Joel
• #8: New City
• #11: Scarsdale
• #15: Newburgh
• #17: Middletown
• #22: Poughkeepsie
• #34: Kingston
• #36: Mamaroneck
• #43: Eastchester
• #44: Harrison
• #60: Monsey
• #64: White Plains
• #65: Ossining
• #66: Peekskill
• #79: Port Chester
• #86: Spring Valley
• #87: Mount Vernon
• #99: Yonkers
• #100: New Rochelle

While some studies found that divorces in certain states have actually fallen during the pandemic, it also seems that the pandemic has been a source for disputes among separating couples that didn’t exist before 2020.

The lockdowns enforced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to have led to a flood of divorce inquiries from unhappy couples across The Empire State.

Kris Lippi from ISoldMyHouse.com found that searches for one-bedroom rentals increased 37 percent since the start of the pandemic. Lockdowns were likely a contributing factor to this trend. Some marriages may have been hanging on by just a thread before the pandemic, and being forced to face these issues during lockdown may have been the breaking point for many couples.

Lauren Cook-McKay from DivorceAnswers.com observed that “spending more time together, having more time in general and having limited opportunities to leave the house may have resulted in some discovering their partner’s hidden traits, such as extra-marital affairs or dishonest behavior.” Another rare reason is that the financial turmoil caused by the pandemic meant that getting divorced made more financial sense. If the bread-winning spouse lost their job, the subsequent loss of income would result in a lower settlement.

34 percent of married people reported the pandemic had stressed their relationship, according to the Institute of Family Studies. However, while lockdowns and social isolation prompted many to separate and seek a divorce, marriage counselors have observed that for many couples, their relationships actually strengthened.