In the aftermath of a global pandemic and in the wake of a recession, the dating field can be hard to navigate. The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that 50% of the U.S. adult population is single — never married, divorced or widowed. To help singles better play the dating game, WalletHub compiled a report ranking the best and worst U.S. cities for single adults.
Rankings
Best cities for singles
- Seattle, Washington.
- Madison, Wisconsin.
- Denver, Colorado.
- San Francisco, California.
- Portland, Oregon.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Austin, Texas.
- Honolulu, Hawaii.
- San Diego, California.
- Atlanta, Georgia.
Worst cities for singles
- Warwick, Rhode Island.
- Glendale, California.
- Brownsville, Texas.
- Hialeah, Florida.
- Fort Smith, Arkansas.
- Shreveport, Louisiana.
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- Dover, Delaware.
- Columbia, Maryland.
- Montgomery, Alabama.
Methodology
In a ranking of the best and worst U.S. cities for single adults, WalletHub ranked the 150 most populated U.S. cities based on three main categories: Dating opportunities, with a weight of 50 points, and economics and fun & recreation, both weighted at 25 points.
In these categories lay a number of subcategories that factored into each city's ranking. Subcategories included the average cost of a date, options for entertainment and recreation within a city and the number of single people residing in each city.
Seattle
Seattle ranked No. 1 in WalletHub’s report of best and worst U.S. cities for singles, with an almost even ratio of men to women. While the city ranked low in economics, it came in at No. 2 for dating possibilities and No. 7 for fun and recreation.
As one of the largest U.S. cities, Seattle has a wide range of opportunities for recreation. Inside the city itself, Seattle has a rich cultural setting, filled with arts, food and busy nightlife spots. For those who prefer the outdoors, Seattle is bordered by wilderness littered with hiking trails and bays of the pacific ocean where whales are frequently spotted. For those willing to take a drive, Seattle is near some of the country’s most prominent mountains, such as Mount Rainier and Mount Olympus only a few hours away.