A Dayton Daily News examination of Montgomery County public records shows that in 2025, February was smack-dab in the middle when it came to what months people were filing paperwork to end their marriages, whether through divorce or dissolution.
Court records showed 237 divorce or dissolution cases were filed in February, ranking it sixth out of the 12 months for such cases.
The romance of Valentine’s Day apparently won out over animosity between spouses. Only eight cases were filed on Feb. 14.
According to the database search, July was the worst month for couples, with 266 divorce or dissolution filings.
June was the best for relationships with just 158 filings.
A total of 2,593 cases were filed in Montgomery County in 2025, according to the clerk’s online record search, which tracks Divorce with Children (676 cases), Divorce without Children (861), Dissolution with Children (434), and Dissolution without Children (622).
According to the Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court and Common Pleas Court 2024 official annual report, there were a total of 2,242 new case filings that year - 1,215 for divorce and 1,027 for dissolution.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Across Ohio and the country, divorce rates have been declining since the 1980s.
An October 2025 report from the Pew Research Center shows the divorce rate has dropped from 22.6 per 1,000 couples in 1980 to 14.4 in 2023.
Numerous factors have contributed to the decline, according to the report, including an increase in cohabitation instead of traditional marriage, more people marrying later in life and higher overall education levels.
The exception has been the so-called “Gray Divorce.” The rate of divorce for those 50 and older doubled between 1990 and 2010, and tripled for those over 65.
One factor driving the older set to end their marriages is longer life spans.
Comunale said the vast majority of people he sees getting divorced do so in mid-life. With the population living longer, that midpoint is moved back.
Who is ending their marriages may have changed, but the reasons why remain the same, said Comunale.
“It’s the scenarios you hear about: infidelity, financial, substance abuse,” he said.
On the plus side, people today are making more of an effort to salvage things before deciding to call it quits.
Comunale said when he started practicing three decades ago, things like marriage counseling and mental health weren’t part of the mainstream conversation.
“Thirty years ago, it was considered more taboo to seek help. Now the majority that come to me have seen some type of counseling,” he said.
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