Study ranks the top 15 cities for singles
Small towns might be better for the unattached.
Bloomberg recently debuted its "Swinging Singles Cities" study, ranking the top 15 cities for unattached Americans.
Interestingly, the findings revealed that it's the smaller cities where singles rule the most. New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco were nowhere to be found on the list, but much tinier municipalities Hoboken, N.J., ranked first and Arlington, Va., ranked second.
Related: How to determine if he's marriage material
Nationwide, 27 percent of people live single. For most of the cities on Bloomberg's list, that number is significantly higher. In Arlington, for example, 43 percent of residents are living alone.
The corporation described its methodology for the study:
"Bloomberg studied U.S. Census data from 2006 to 2010 and identified cities with men and women ages 15-64 who lived alone and had median incomes greater than national averages. The results were narrowed to the highest-median city in each state, and the top 15 were each scored on income and share of the population that is single."
Related: How to get the ring you want
What does money have to do with finding a potential partner? Perhaps it's based on the probability that singles who earn more are more likely to be looking for a long-term mate. For example, a separate study found that New Jersey has the lowest percentage of divorced people. Naomi Cahn, a professor at George Washington University Law School, explained:
"Marriages are more likely to last for longer periods of time when people marry at an older age, have a higher education and earn more."
And speaking of New Jersey, although Hoboken is still recovering from the devastation of Sandy, the city did top the list (which was compiled before the hurricane threat). Fifty-three percent of Hoboken residents live single.
Redmond, Wash., was the third-best city for singles. Weston, Fla., and Cupertino, Calif., also made the list.
Below are the top 15 towns where "successful single men congregate," according to Bloomberg, followed by the top towns where successful women congregate.
Top cities where successful men congregate:
- Hoboken, N.J.
Percentage of single men: 68 - Arlington, Va.
Percentage of single men: 58 - Redmond, Wash.
Percentage of single men: 50 - Newton, Mass.
Percentage of single men: 48 - Bolingbrook, Ill.
Percentage of single men: 42 - Stamford, Conn.
Percentage of single men: 48 - Levittown, N.Y.
Percentage of single men: 43 - Ellicott City, Md.
Percentage of single men: 35 - Weston, Fla.
Percentage of single men: 37 - Cupertino, Calif.
Percentage of single men: 34 - Maple Grove, Minn.
Percentage of single men: 36 - South Jordan, Utah
Percentage of single men: 37 - John's Creek, Ga.
Percentage of single men: 29 - Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Percentage of single men: 30 - Frisco, Texas
Percentage of single men: 27
And the top cities where successful women congregate:
- Hoboken, N.J.
Percentage of single women: 68 - Arlington, Va.
Percentage of single women: 58 - Bowie, Md.
Percentage of single women: 50 - Newton, Mass.
Percentage of single women: 52 - White Plains, N.Y.
Percentage of single women: 54 - Norwalk, Conn.
Percentage of single women: 49 - Palo Alto, Calif.
Percentage of single women: 42 - Eden Prairie, Minn.
Percentage of single women: 40 - Bellevue, Wash.
Percentage of single women: 40 - Weston, Fla.
Percentage of single women: 39 - Frisco, Texas
Percentage of single women: 30 - Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Percentage of single women: 30 - Naperville, Ill.
Percentage of single women: 37 - South Jordan, Utah
Percentage of single women: 33 - Johns Creek, Ga.
Percentage of single women: 34
Photo: Street scene in Hoboken, NJ (Directphoto.org/Alamy)
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