Being single during a global pandemic that has rendered dating in real life nearly impossible sucks. Turns out, living in some states might be less conducive to finding love than others—at least according to a new study by personal finance website WalletHub.
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The company compared all 50 states across 27 dating-friendliness metrics—from online dating opportunities to movie costs, restaurants per capita, COVID-19-related restrictions, online dating safety and more—to determine the very best and very worst states for singles at the moment.
"Besides your looks, personality, interests and employment status, your location can influence your odds of finding a romantic partner," reads the study. "Everyone has different priorities when searching for love, but certain places simply make dating easier than others. That’s especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, as certain states are more impacted than others, though virtual dates have risen in popularity as a safer alternative to going out in person."
Overall, the state of Florida has come out on top. But it is one-off, data-based findings that provide the most fodder for conversation. These interesting bits include the fact that Louisiana has the highest share of single adults across the nation. California (#7 on the best-of list), on the other hand, boasts the most fitness and recreational facilities per square root of population while Maine has the lowest violent crime rate in the United States. North Dakota, considered by the study as one of the worst states for dating, registers the lowest unemployment rate for the single population. A silver lining indeed.
If it's online dating opportunities that you're after, you might want to consider moving to Washington—which came out on top when considering that specific metric. The state was followed by New Hampshire, Colorado, Utah and California. The area offering the fewest online dating opportunities? Mississippi.
Feel free to browse through the entire data set right here and, below, find the top 10 best and worst U.S. states for singles right now.
Best states for singles:
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Pennsylvania
4. Wisconsin
5. New York
6. Illinois
7. California
8. Ohio
9. Michigan
10. Missouri
Worst states for singles:
1. New Mexico
2. West Virginia
3. North Dakota
4. Hawaii
5. Arkansas
6. Delaware
7. Kentucky
8. Wyoming
9. Alaska
10. Mississippi
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