Detroit Is the Nation’s Best City to Mingle as a Single, but the Largest Dating Scene Is in the South

For this Valentine’s Day, we looked at the most promising dating scenes for those who are ready to mingle after two years of social and romantic distancing. What we found is that Detroit, MI, Cleveland, OH, and Rochester, NY, are the best cities for finding a date, as they have the most single people, whereas Southern hotspots New Orleans, LA; Atlanta, GA; and Birmingham, AL, also make the top 10.    

We all know that honesty is the key to any successful relationship — but maybe location also plays a part? If you’re currently single and looking for that special someone to spend Valentine’s Day with, it does help to know where you’re most likely to find a date. And, especially after two years of social distancing and limited contact with a previously vibrant outside world, this Valentine’s Day, let’s allow ourselves to hope and believe in romance again.

And so, we couldn’t help but wonder… Is “location, location, location” as important in dating as it is in real estate? Well, if it boosts your chances of meeting your significant other, of course it is!

With this in mind, we checked U.S. Census data to find the cities with the highest numbers of singles — which, although not an all-encompassing measure of “singleness”, can offer a pretty good picture of “the dating pool” and your chances of finding a date this Valentine’s Day.

Detroit, MI; Cleveland, OH; and Rochester, NY, Are the Top Cities to Find a Date

Recent Census data showed that almost half of U.S. adults are single, which translates to roughly 127 million people across the nation — there is plenty of fish in the sea, as the old saying goes.

This is especially true in Detroit, MI; Cleveland, OH; and Rochester, NY, the top three hotspots with most single adults and, thus, the places with the highest chances of finding a date, according to our analysis of U.S. cities with the highest percentage of single households. And, with all three being large cities with dense populations and countless entertainment options for the dating scene, they check plenty of boxes for singles ready to mingle.

Large cities are hip, cosmopolitan and tend to have more unhitched people — making them ideal locations to meet other singles. Specifically, in Detroit, 73.1% of homes are run by a resident living without a partner, according to U.S. Census data.

Not far behind, Cleveland comes in with 72.4%, while 71% of households in Rochester are single. Therefore, chances are that if you live in one of these cities, you’ll have quite a few options when it comes to choosing a potential partner — whether in the short term or for a long-term relationship.

In the other cities in our top 30, the majority of households are run by an unmarried resident: from 68.9% in Dayton, OH, to 62.1% in Jackson, MS.

3 Southern States Challenge DC and NY as Best States to Find a Date

While being single in a big city is not unheard of, what about the best states for singles?

District of Columbia takes the lead, with a 66.2% share of households run by singles. Meanwhile, three Southern states also have an impressive share of singles: Mississippi in second place, scoring 51.7%, Louisiana in third, with 51.2%; while New Mexico takes the fourth spot, at 50.8%. New York rounds out the top five, with half (50.3%) of its households being run by a single resident.

The bottom line is this: if you’re looking to relocate to a more dating-friendly area, definitely check out either big cities up North or give the South a go for sharing outdoor activities and comfort food with someone special.

Whether you want to spend this upcoming V-Day celebrating the many benefits that come with the single life or you’re on the lookout for a partner, keep in mind that location is an important part of the mix. And, behind any successful love story, there’s just a little bit of science contributing to that spark.

Methodology

• RentCafe is a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout the United States.

• To compile this report, RentCafe’s research team analyzed U.S. Census Bureau 2019 household data by type, across 600+ U.S. cities with over 50,000 households.

• The ranking is based on the number of households headed by Female and Male householders with no spouse or partner present from the American Community Survey 2019.

• Married-couple households and cohabiting couple households were considered not single and therefore were not included in this analysis.

Fair use and redistribution

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