Florida Named Worst State for Singles

Results from a recent study indicate that the Sunshine State may seem gloomy for singles. Florida finished in last place among all 50 states in a study conducted by a data aggregation site, Spokeo.com. The finding comes less than six months after WalletHub ranked Florida as the No. 1 state for singles.

Key Findings

• Massachusetts is the best state for singles in 2024.
• New York has the highest percentage of never-married adults above age 15, while Wyoming has the lowest.
• South Dakota has the least confidence and romance scams per 100,000 residents, while Arizona has the most.

To determine the best states for singles, Spokeo compared eight ranking factors across all 50 states. Here are the factors Spokeo considered when weighing our rankings:

• Percent of never-married adults above 15 per state – 20%
• Confidence/romance crime victims per state per capita – 15%
• Mental health providers per state per capita – 15%
• Unemployment rate per state – 15%
• Cost of living annual average  – 15%
• States most likely to ghost you – 10%
• Formal volunteers per state per capita – 5%
• Registered voters per state per capita – 5%

Spokeo gave each state a score based on these factors and assigned a ranking. We deemed the states with the highest scores the best states for singles in the U.S.

Overall Rank	State	Percent Never-Married Above 15 Per State Ranking	Confidence/Romance Crimes by State (victim count) Per Capita Ranking	Mental Health Providers Per State 2023 Per Capita Ranking	State Unemployment Rates March 2024 Ranking	Cost of Living 2023 Annual Average Ranking	States Most Likely to Ghost You Ranking	Formal Volunteers Per State 2021 Ranking Per Capita	Registered Voters Per State Nov 2022 Per Capita Ranking
1	Massachusetts	4	4	1	11	49	19	30	30
2	Mississippi	19	2	40	14	2	13	39	8
3	Louisiana	5	3	19	42	13	31	37	23
4	Michigan	16	18	20	35	10	3	26	37
5	South Dakota	39	1	38	2	17	19	5	24
6	Connecticut	7	10	8	43	39	19	13	26
7	Iowa	37	8	44	11	8	12	12	10
8	Nebraska	35	25	24	4	12	15	6	40
9	Minnesota	24	27	21	7	21	37	4	11
10	Kansas	39	24	37	7	3	14	8	16
11	Wisconsin	21	17	32	14	24	19	25	18
12	Vermont	31	39	4	3	43	5	11	15
13	Georgia	11	11	48	17	11	37	44	12
14	Oklahoma	45	30	12	27	1	10	33	7
15	Illinois	7	7	25	46	16	46	16	47
16	Hawaii	14	26	27	17	50	2	47	3
17	Marlyand	9	35	18	4	45	29	32	44
18	New Mexico	5	45	11	32	20	43	43	5
19	Pennsylvania	16	15	30	26	27	29	22	43
20	Indiana	33	21	43	27	13	7	18	13
21	Rhode Island	3	29	7	38	38	50	42	1
22	North Carolina	29	12	26	27	25	31	31	14
23	Wyoming	50	16	13	9	17	48	1	31
24	Virginia	23	34	36	11	32	15	19	21
25	Alabama	37	6	50	14	5	31	46	27
26	Delaware	28	23	23	35	31	17	10	17
27	Tennessee	41	14	45	20	8	19	29	28
28	New York	1	13	17	40	47	40	38	48
29	California	2	33	10	50	48	4	48	35
30	Missouri	32	40	35	22	6	19	9	42
31	Utah	33	42	14	9	34	31	2	33
32	New Hampshire	43	22	15	6	41	43	14	9
33	Oregon	24	46	3	39	42	1	15	32
34	Ohio	20	19	22	32	23	46	28	49
35	Colorado	21	36	9	31	35	41	20	19
36	Kentucky	41	5	28	43	15	19	36	38
37	North Dakota	26	47	39	1	22	48	21	2
38	Maine	48	28	5	22	37	37	3	6
39	South Carolina	30	31	41	17	24	8	35	45
40	New Jersey	11	9	29	46	40	26	45	46
41	Alaska	10	48	2	45	46	26	23	22
42	Washington	26	37	6	46	44	10	24	20
43	Arkansas	47	32	31	27	7	8	40	34
44	Montana	43	44	16	22	33	26	7	4
45	Texas	18	20	49	35	19	41	41	36
46	Idaho	49	38	34	22	28	5	17	39
47	West Virginia	46	43	47	40	4	18	34	25
48	Nevada	13	49	33	49	30	31	49	41
49	Arizona	14	50	46	32	36	43	27	29
50	Florida	35	41	42	20	29	31	50	50

More on why Spokeo picked these factors and how Spokeo analyzed them:

• Percent of never-married adults above 15 per state (20%): We referred to the most recent American Community Survey Data from 2022 to get the percentage of never-married adults per state. We included this data to consider the number of singles in each state. States with a high number of adults in this category were ranked higher. Note: Data from Spokeo’s own databases was not used in this analysis, as Spokeo only maintains data on adults 18 and over.
• Confidence/romance crime victims per state per capita (15%): We referred to the most recent data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center to find the total number of confidence/romance crime victims per state. To make the data more relevant across states, we calculated the average number of victims per 100,000 people. To do so, we divided the number of scams by the state’s population, then multiplied that value by 100,000 to get the number of confidence/romance crime victims per capita. Some states may have higher crime rates due to higher population size. We included this data since this can indicate how safe a state may be from catfishers and romance scammers. States with a high number of victims per capita were ranked lower.
• Mental health providers per state per capita (15%): We referred to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps‘ most recent data on the number of mental health providers in each state. Similar to crime victims, we also calculated mental health providers per 100,000 residents. We included this data since recent dating trends suggest that emotional intelligence, self-improvement, and general openness to discussing mental health and going to therapy are all important criteria for modern singles. States with a high number of mental health providers per capita were ranked higher.
• Unemployment rate per state (15%): We referred to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data on state unemployment rates. We included this data to consider the area’s livability and the likelihood of making a living. Recent studies also suggest that modern singles are protective of their money and debt, and financial issues can pose problems for relationships. States with high unemployment rates were ranked lower.
• Cost of living annual average (15%): We referred to the most recent cost of living data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. We included this data to consider the area’s livability and the ongoing rise in the cost of living. States with high costs of living were ranked lower.
• States most likely to ghost you (10%): We referred to survey data from a recent Forbes Health survey that found the states where you’re most likely to be ghosted. We included this data to consider the possibility of getting ghosted since it’s especially prevalent for younger Americans. States with a high score were ranked lower.
• Formal volunteers per state per capita (5%): We referred to the 2021 AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement to find each state’s total number of formal volunteers. Similar to crime victims, we also calculated formal volunteers per 100,000 residents for each state. We included this data since recent dating trends suggest that modern singles are looking for those who are more attuned and involved with social causes and politics. A recent study also found that not caring about politics was a dating red flag for men and women. States with a higher number of formal volunteers per capita were ranked higher.
• Registered voters per state per capita (5%): We referred to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data to find the total number of registered voters in each state. Similar to crime victims, we also calculated registered voters per 100,000 residents for each state. We included this data since recent dating trends suggest that modern singles are looking for those who are more attuned and involved with social causes and politics. A recent study also found that not caring about politics was a dating red flag for men and women. States with a higher number of registered voters per capita were ranked higher.

Source list:

• U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 (State Population Totals)
• U.S. Census Bureau 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables
• Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2023 State Reports
• County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Mental Health Providers
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics State Unemployment Rates March 2024
• Missouri Economic Research and Information Center Cost of Living 2023 Annual Average
• Forbes Health Ghosting Survey 2023
• AmeriCorps and U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement 2021
• U.S. Census Bureau Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2022 (Table 4c)