2023’s Best & Worst States for Singles

With Valentine’s Day around the corner and high inflation making dates more expensive, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Singles.

California ranked No.1, moving up since 2020 when it was ranked second best state for singles.

Besides your looks, personality, interests and employment status, your location can influence your odds of finding a romantic partner. Everyone has different priorities when searching for love, but certain places simply make dating easier than others, writes Adam McCann of WalletHub.

To help unattached Americans improve their chances of finding love, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 30 key indicators of dating-friendliness. The data set ranges from the share of single adults to online-dating opportunities to restaurants per capita.

Dating in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

  • 9th – % of Single Adults
  • 4th – Online-Dating Opportunities
  • 8th – Mobile-Dating Opportunities
  • 1st – Restaurants per Capita
  • 1st – Movie Theaters per Capita
  • 8th – Percentage of Residents 12+ Who Are Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Expert Commentary

What tips do you have for saving money when dating?

“After some initial meet-ups, try finding something you both enjoy doing, especially outdoors if you can, that does not involve much money but allows you to spend quality time together. Taking turns cooking for each other can also be fun. Be creative and deviate from the classic dinner and a movie script.”
— Laura K. Guerrero, Ph.D. – Professor, Faculty Honors Advisor, and Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Innovation, Arizona State University

“Enjoy the resources that your community provides! Consider parks, nature, or museums as potential dates. If you can’t support a local restaurant, go grocery shopping together and cook a nice meal.”
— Andrew High, Ph.D. – Associate Professor; Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University

When, if ever, is it appropriate to ask someone you are dating about their finances, including their credit score and amount of debt?

“I do not think this is a great first-date question. But if you and the other person are starting to get serious and considering a long-term relationship, then I think it is absolutely appropriate to discuss anything that you would want to know about or anything that could affect your relationship (positively or negatively).”
— Dylan Faulkner Selterman, Ph.D. – Associate Teaching Professor, Johns Hopkins University

“If you are official or heading that way, such a conversation can be both appropriate and informative. However, when first getting to know each other, people sometimes exaggerate their level of financial success and downplay any debt, so I would not expect a completely honest answer then. I would wait until you are sharing other intimate details about your lives before jumping into a conversation about finances, and even then, I would tread lightly. Finances are often considered a taboo topic because people see them as private, but if you are starting to get serious with someone, their finances can affect you. It can be helpful to start the conversation by talking about more general finance-related goals, such as the type of place you want to live in a few years and let the conversation develop from there. Asking too early can also make it seem like that is all you care about, so it is all about timing.”
— Laura K. Guerrero, Ph.D. – Professor, Faculty Honors Advisor, and Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Innovation, Arizona State University

Do you think the economic benefits of virtual dating will lead to narrowing down potential face-to-face dates?

“People will always want to meet face-to-face, but virtual/video dating can help people at least make a connection first before they decide they like each other enough to meet in person. There is some evidence that shows video dates can help online daters avoid dating fatigue by being a bit more selective about who they meet in person, especially during the pandemic.”
— Dylan Faulkner Selterman, Ph.D. – Associate Teaching Professor, Johns Hopkins University

“I think there’s always the potential to explore different alternatives, and online dating makes alternatives much more accessible. That said, I think what online dating does is give people a better idea of who a partner is before they meet in person. People might go into in-person dates with more knowledge about the person and more confidence about who they are. Still, online dating is only one way to meet people, and there are plenty of opportunities to meet people in person.”
— Andrew High, Ph.D. – Associate Professor; Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University

 

 

 

Image Sources

  • Singles: Shutterstock