America's Prenup Planning Index

Where are couples more likely to have or want a prenup? This index combines reported prenup use and interest with state divorce-rate and household-income scores across all 50 states.

States Leading the Way in Prenup Planning

Key Findings

Three metric leaders

Nevada tops three measures

100.0

Nevada records the highest relative scores for prenup use, prenup interest and the state divorce-rate measure.

Household income

California ranks highest

89.6

California records the highest household-income score in the dataset.

Regional pattern

The Northeast is most represented

4 of 10

New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut all place in the top 10.

6 Topics Couples May Raise During Prenup Planning

Some topics may belong in a prenup. Others may require a different legal document or may simply guide a couple's private discussion.

Read the Avvo Stories article
01

Social media

Couples may discuss expectations for sharing private information online. A lawyer can explain whether a written restriction would be enforceable.

02

Pet ownership and care

Couples may discuss who would keep a pet and how care costs would be handled. State-law treatment of pets varies.

03

Events that trigger agreement terms

Couples may define when particular agreement terms take effect, subject to state law. Legal marital status is determined separately.

04

Substance-use commitments

Testing, treatment or financial terms can raise privacy, public-policy and enforceability concerns and should be reviewed by a lawyer.

05

Personal and lifestyle expectations

Some couples discuss lifestyle commitments, although personal terms may not be legally enforceable.

06

Debt allocation

Couples may identify separate debts and responsibility for future debts. Their agreement generally does not bind third-party creditors.

Important: These are discussion topics drawn from Avvo Stories, not a list of provisions courts will necessarily enforce. Prenups primarily address financial and property rights. Personal terms and matters such as healthcare directives require state-specific advice and may need different legal documents.
2-minute financial planning check

Could a prenup conversation be useful?

Answer seven short prompts to identify financial topics you may want to discuss together or with a family law attorney. This tool does not determine whether a prenup is right for you.

Private in your browser. Answers are not submitted or stored. This is general information, not legal advice.
Question 1 of 7
This self-assessment provides general information only. It is not legal advice and does not predict relationship outcomes.

Explore the complete ranking

Search for a state or switch the table between highest and lowest composite scores.

Swipe to see all metrics →
RankStateIndex scorePrenup use scorePrenup interest scoreDivorce-rate scoreHousehold-income scoreSurvey sampleSurvey sample confidence
Methodology

How We Calculated the Index

Four relative scores were combined into one index. Scores run from 0 to 100 and are not raw percentages.

40%

Prenup use

Relative score for surveyed married or engaged adults who report having a prenup.

30%

Prenup interest

Relative score for surveyed adults who want a prenup but do not currently have one.

15%

Divorce-rate measure

State-level divorce-rate score. It does not represent a couple's personal chance of divorce.

15%

Household income

Median household-income score used as a broad proxy for financial scale, not personal assets.

22,444

Survey sample

Online responses across every state. Samples below 200 are marked Low Confidence in the ranking.

0–100

Reading the scores

Higher values show a stronger relative position within this dataset. They are not probabilities or dollar amounts.

Sources and limitations: The index uses the supplied survey data, CDC/NCHS state divorce data and Census ACS household-income estimates. Survey field dates, questions, weighting details and dataset years should be documented before external publication.

CDC/NCHS dataCensus ACS data

Want to understand your options?

A family law attorney can explain what a prenup may cover, how state law applies and what steps are required for a valid agreement.

Find a family law attorney who handles prenups