iStockphoto / Sean Pavone
Being single is one of those ‘glass half full’ situations where it can be the absolute best or the complete worst depending on the other factors in your life.
If you can afford to be single, enjoy your living situation, aren’t getting devoured by debt, and you love dating around then being single can be an excellent way to go through life. But if you’re a serial monogamist who hates their roommates and is exhausted by the dating scene then being single might not be so much fun.
So so sooooo much of this has to do with your current living situation and it’s not something we ever really stop to think about when we’re out there dating. Dating’s easier when there is an abundance of singles, when there are plenty of entertainment options for dates, and when it’s not expensive as hell. The crew over at WalletHub found the average cost of a date in the United States is $102.57 and that numbers MUCH higher in major cities.
So where’s the best place to date around? The best city in America to be single is Atlanta, Georgia, at least according to the WalletHub study that used 35 key indicators to determine the best (and worst) cities for being single. Those 35 key indicators were broken out into three main categories: Economics, Fun and Recreation, and Dating Opportunities. Each city was given an overall score using those 35 individual rankings and Atlanta came out on top thanks to its #3 Dating Opportunities and #6 Fun and Recreation score.
None of the cities near the top of the list were ranked high on the ‘Economics’ scale which leads me to believe that the quality of dating really isn’t about how much you spend but more about how easy it is and how much you enjoy it. Here’s a look at the top 35. I included 35 because that’s where NYC is ranked, #35, and it felt wrong to cut New York off the list.
1. Atlanta, GA — 69.27
2. Denver, CO — 66.19
3. San Francisco — 65.47
4. San Diego — 65.06
5. Portland, OR — 64.54
6. Chicago, IL — 64.29
7. Los Angeles — 63.87
8. Madison, WI — 63.78
9. Seattle, WA — 62.49
10. Portland, ME — 62.26
11. Tucson, AZ
12. Minneapolis, MN
13. Pittsburgh, PA
14. Austin, TX
15. Rochester, NY
16. Honolulu, HI
17. Columbus, OH
18. Boston, MA
19. Tampa, FL
20. Richmond, VA
21. Cincinnati, OH
22. Reno, NV
23. Missoula, MT
24. Las Vegas, NV
25. Houston, TX
26. Salt Lake City, UT
27. Washington DC
28. San Antonio, TX
29. Tempe, AZ
30. Fargo, ND
31. Burlington, VT
32. Phoenix, AZ
33. Miami, FL
34. St. Louis, MO
35. New York, NY
I imagine you’re wondering how and why each city is ranked where it is. You can check out this chart from WalletHub with a link to their methodology below:
WalletHub
To see where each city ranks on the three main metrics, to find your city, and to see which cities were ranked the worst places in America to be single, you can click here to head on over to WalletHub.