A new study has ranked nearly 200 US cities to determine which are the best places to live if you’re single — and the results may seem surprising.
Analysts at WalletHub didn’t miss any details in trying to figure out which cities came out on top, looking at 32 different factors that indicated how dating-friendly each city is.
After adding up the points, the site has named San Francisco, California the most friendly place for singles, followed by Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, and San Diego.
Get a date! WalletHub ranked the best US cities for singles
Fish in the sea: Analysts looked at 32 factors to determine single-friendliness, including percentage of single residents
According to data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 45 per cent of the U.S. adult population is unmarried.
Of course, not all of those singles are looking to get hitched or even enter a long-term relationship — but for those who are, there are some places that are much better to search for a soul mate (or bed mate) than others.
WalletHub weighed a long list of factors when ranking 182 cities, including the costs of self-care and going out (like the price of a movie, a cocktail, or a gym membership), and how many date options are on offer (like the number of restaurants and nightlife options on offer).
They also considered the number of dating opportunities, including how many singles there are in each city, the balance of genders, and the number of active Tinder users.
Something to do… They also considered the cost of dating and how many entertainment options are available
Though San Francisco was third-to-last in the ‘economics’ department, the city still came out on top thanks to its availability of fun activities and other singles.
In fact, many of the cities with the most to do are also the most expensive to live in, including other top-five cities Atlanta, LA, Denver, and San Diego.
Rounding out the top ten are Seattle; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis; and Portland, Maine.
Meanwhile, Boston came in at number 12, Honolulu at number 18, and New York at number 20. Even though New York came in first for fun and recreation, it placed dead last for economics due to the price of living. Pearl City, Hawaii came in last for recreation.
Burlington, Vermont came in first for dating opportunities, compared to Brownsville, Texas which came in last in that category.
Other surprising rankings include Orlando, Florida at 27, Salt Lake City, Utah at 29, and Omaha, Nebraska at 50.
Swipe right! Many of the cities with the most to do are also the most expensive
Moving backwards from the bottom of the list from South Burlington, Vermont are Brownsville, Texas; Pembroke Pine, Florida; Hialeah, Florida; and Warwick, Rhode Island.
WalletHub also provided data on a few specific metrics, including the cities with the highest percentage of singles in the population.
Detroit topped this list, with 74 per cent of the city currently unmarried. Fremont, California, meanwhile, has the lowest percentage of singles.
West Valley City, Utah has the best gender balance among singles, and residents of Gilbert, Arizona have the most dating opportunities.
Unsurprisingly, New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Orlando tied for first with the most nightlife options, while West Valley City has the least.
The cheapest beer and wine can be found in in Arizona, with Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, and Peoria all tying for first place in that category, while Rapid City, South Dakota shockingly has the highest beer and wine prices.