These Are The Best And Worst States For Singles In 2023

By  Emma Taubenfeld
A woman leaning on a man's shoulder facing away from the camera surrounded by candles while watching a sunset over a city. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Dating is challenging no matter how you slice it, but location could play more of a factor than you think. While it may seem obvious that places with larger cities offer a bigger dating pool, there are a few other elements to take into consideration, besides population. To determine which place is best for singles, WalletHub just conducted a study comparing the 50 states across three categories: Dating Economics, Dating Opportunities, and Romance and Fun.

When it comes to Dating Economics, each state earned points in categories such as the average price of beer, movie costs, unemployment rate, and median credit score. If a person's income stretches farther because of more affordable options in their city, this may mean more frequent dates. States like South Dakota, Utah, and Nebraska ranked the highest overall in this category.

Dating Opportunities evaluated the number of single adults, online dating opportunities, online dating participation, and the number of adults vaccinated against COVID-19. Unsurprisingly, states with larger cities like New York, California, and Florida took the crown.

As for Romance and Fun, WalletHub measured the amount of restaurants, movie theaters, music festivals, and nightlife per capita, among crime rate and online dating safety. After crunching the numbers, New York, California, and Florida, also scored the highest.

The study additionally noted that New Mexico has the highest percentage of single adults, California has the most recreational facilities, and North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate for the single population.

While there are pros and cons to dating wherever you live, the definitive ranking of the best states for singles, according to WalletHub, is below.

Best States for Singles:

  1. California
  2. New York
  3. Florida
  4. Texas
  5. Pennsylvania

Worst States for Singles:

  1. West Virginia
  2. Arkansas
  3. North Dakota
  4. Wyoming
  5. Kentucky

You can read the full report on WalletHub.com, but if at first glance you're feeling discouraged based on where you reside, just remember that dating is what you make of it. Plus, with Valentine's Day on the horizon, love is certainly in the air.

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