Is California a good place to be single? Here’s where the state ranked in 2 new studies

Looking for love? California is one of the best states in the nation to be single and mingle, according to two new studies.

WalletHub, a personal finance website, ranked the Best and Worst States for Singles in the United States in 2025, based on dating opportunities, living costs and opportunities for romance and fun.

“The best states for singles are those that have strong economies while also providing a wide range of places to host dates,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote in an article published Tuesday, Feb. 11.

“They also tend to have populations with higher concentrations of single people and people who are actively interested in dating based on their online searches,” Lupo wrote.

Florida was the No. 1 state for single people, the WalletHub study found, thanks in part to its “large variety of attractions” including Walt Disney World and Universal resorts in Orlando.

New York was second, and California claimed third place in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Retirement Living, a journal of retirement research, named California No. 1 among the best U.S. states for single seniors,

What makes California one of the best states for singles?

California was considered one of the best states for singles, according to WalletHub.

“Since it’s such a large, heavily populated and diverse state, it provides endless opportunities for date venues,” the website said.

The Golden State has “especially high” numbers of amusement parks, movie theaters, music festivals and restaurants per capital, WalletHub said, as well as nature parks.

Online searches for dating-related terms and the popularity of online dating also factored in the state’s ranking.

Another benefit of living in California for singles is that residents “are less likely than people in most states to show signs of ‘attachment avoidance,’ or, discomfort with intimacy” according to the study.

The state is also a good place for physical and mental health, WalletHub said.

According to the site, California ranked sixth in the nation on the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, which measures “how healthy people are likely to be based on physical, emotional and financial factors.”

What are the best US states for single people?

These were the top 10 states for people to be single in the United States, according to WalletHub

1. Florida
2. New York
3. California
4. Texas
5. Illinois
6. Pennsylvania
7. Wisconsin
8. Massachusetts
9. Ohio
10. Minnesota

Why is California No. 1 in the US for single seniors?

California was crowned the best place in the nation for single seniors by Retirement Living thanks to its large dating market and internet accessibility.

“Around 2.81 million older adults in the Golden State are single, and at least 90% have internet access, making it easy for older adults to connect online,” Retirement Living said.

California has more than 2,000 health care practitioners per 100,000 senior residents, the site said, “ensuring top-notch care.”

Not all is sunny in the Golden State, however.

California was one of the least affordable states for single seniors due to the high cost of housing, Retirement Living said.

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in California was $1,742 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Despite California’s high cost of living, the state has the 10th-longest life expectancy in the nation.

The average Californian had a life expectancy of about 78 years in 2021, according to the latest data available from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Where are the best states for single older adults?

These were the top 10 states for single seniors in the nation according to Retirement Living:

1. California
2. New York
3. Florida
4. Maine
5. Vermont
6. Montana
7. Alaska
8. Idaho
9. Wisconsin
10. Hawaii

How did WalletHub and Retirement Living come up with rankings?

To identify the best and worst states for singles, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: dating economics, dating opportunities, and romance and fun.

The website then evaluated those dimensions using 29 relevant metrics.

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for singles who are actively dating.

WalletHub then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states using data from the FBI, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

To identify the best states for single seniors, Retirement Living evaluated each state using multiple data points, including the percentage of single seniors; health and longevity; affordability; recreational opportunities and fraud.

Data came from sources including the Census Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Is California a good place to be single? Here’s where the state ranked in 2 new studies."

Fernanda Galan

The Fresno Bee

559-441-6005

Fernanda Galan covers Central Valley and California news as The Fresno Bee’s service journalism reporter. Before joining The Bee in 2024, she reported in Milwaukee, Arizona and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.