Top Cities for Dating Revealed: Discover the Best and Worst Places to Find Love in 2024

A recent study conducted by Consumer Affairs sheds light on this very issue, examining the dating landscape across 110 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. This survey aimed to identify which cities offer the best and worst dating opportunities by evaluating several critical factors.

The study took into account a mix of elements such as the cost of living, the likelihood of meeting new people, the overall quality of life, and the level of interest in active dating. By assessing these variables, each city was assigned a score on a 100-point scale, creating a comprehensive ranking of dating-friendly locales.

For those eager to know where their city stands in the realm of romance, the rankings reveal both the top five best and worst places for dating. These insights could prove invaluable for singles hoping to find love in an environment conducive to romantic connections.

The survey used a combination of factors to make the list, including: cost of living, opportunities to meet people, quality of life and active dating-interest. Scores were added to rank the cities on a 100-point scale. Here are the top five best and worst places to date, according to the study.

All but No. 1 and No. 2 are newcomers to the top five in best cities to date.  

For the second year in a row, Rochester took the top spot for best city to date in the United States. The blend of its low cost of living, when compared to the national median rent, and how many single people are in the area kept it in spot No. 1. 

Consumer Affairs found that nearly 573 out of every 1,000 residents are single, meaning plenty of people are available for dating.

Pittsburgh ranked the highest for dating interest, and the study found dating apps like Hinge and Tinder are popular.

For those not looking to find someone online, Consumer Affairs found there are roughly 22 bars and 181 restaurants per 100,000 people in the area, and an estimated 93% of residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park. Plenty of places to run into someone, or go for date night.

Pittsburgh ranked fifth place in 2025’s ranking. 

Boston has the largest population in the top five with a population of roughly 673,000 people. Similarly to Rochester, there are plenty of single people, 565 per 1,000 people, according to Consumer Affairs.

It ranked fourth best overall in the quality of life category, which measures violent crime rate per 1,000 people, walkability, number of performing arts companies, drinking places, restaurants, museums and movie theaters per 100,000 people among other factors. 

Boston ranked eighth place in 2025’s ranking. 

Minneapolis jumped three spots from last year’s list to secure spot No. 4 in 2026. 

It ranked first as the most LGBTQ-friendly city for its diverse community and extensive LGBTQ+ protections, according to Consumer Affairs. It also ranked eighth best overall for lowest cost of living when compared to national median rents.

There are also more bars in Minneapolis than Boston.

Minneapolis ranked seventh place in 2025’s ranking. 

Cleveland has the third best dating opportunities rank, which is based on the single population. Nearly 1-in-6 of Cleveland’s residents are unmarried and between the ages of 35 and 65, according to Consumer Affairs. Not only is the dating pool varying in age, but people are less likely to use dating apps in the city. 

While the cost of living for all five of these cities aren’t really their strong suits, Cleveland had the lowest median rent among them with $740 per month rents for a one-bedroom apartment (when compared to the national median of $1,301 per month.)

Cleveland ranked ninth place in 2025’s ranking.

These scores mostly reflect on the lack of singles in an area, but these cities are also pricey, which could cut into dating expenses. 

Colorado Springs has the second-lowest share of singles with just 347 out of every 1,000 people being single. The main issue with Colorado Springs is how social spots are less dense among the surveyed cities. 

The city also has high costs, which could cut into dating budgets. 

Colorado Springs ranked 103rd place in 2025’s ranking. 

Chula Vista is one of the most expensive cities surveyed, being in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. The median one-bedroom rent is roughly $2,188 per month, or $887 above the national median.

The dating pool is also slim with only 344 per 1,000 people reporting being single. 

Consumer Affairs did note that it’s one of the safest cities by violent crime rate on the list.

Chula Vista ranked 122nd place in 2025’s ranking.

Oceanside has 394 of every 1,000 people on the market. That’s the highest on the bottom five cities in this ranking. 

The dating pool is slim, but its population is also one of the lowest on the list of big cities, with an estimated population of 171,000.

Oceanside didn’t even make it into 2025’s ranking.

Mesa is right behind Colorado Springs and Chula Vista in how few singles are in the area. This mixed with rents surpassing the national median means there’s just not much interest in dating. 

It’s rank stayed mostly the same from the year prior. 

Mesa ranked 104th place in 2025’s ranking. 

Oklahoma City was docked pretty severely in its quality of life ranking because only 40.1% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a green space, according to Consumer Affairs.

There are also only 184 restaurants per 100,000 people in Oklahoma City, which could make it hard to get reservations on date night.

Oklahoma City ranked 109th place in 2025’s ranking. 

Greensboro, North Carolina, and Columbus, Georgia, jumped more than 70 points each from 2025 to 2026. Both rank pretty middle of the road across the categories. See a full list of all 110 surveyed cities here.