Dating Sunday has come and gone this January 2nd, with record numbers of fresh-faced singles hitting up Tinder and Hinge platforms. For those who missed the memo, Cuffing Season still has more than a month to go, and this first one of the year may “become more like ‘Dating January’,” according to a statement from the founder and CEO of Inner Circle David Vermeulen.
So, if you are still prowling around the dating scene for a cozy relationship, the first year of this new year is one for you. Even better news, a new city study from moveBuddha has revealed which US cities offer the absolute best chances to find a partner and face the rest of this year’s chilly winter months — hopefully with a new +1.
To measure which cities were the best for those looking to partner up this cold winter season, data analyst at moveBuddha, Joe Robison, rewarded points to cities with:
- optimal winter vibes (think cold weather and snow)
- plenty of date-worthy activities (bonus points for more affordable dinner dates)
- a population ripe with singles (bonus points for cities with more singles living alone)
- high vaccination rates.
Sources included CDC, US Census Data, IMLS, Yelp, Numbeo, and Best Places.
The Best Cities for Getting Cuffed
Here are the 25 top-ranked cities in the United States for Cuffing Season.
“Our analysis shows a distinct cuffing cluster of 18 cities between Omaha, NE, and Syracuse, NY. In particular, each of Ohio’s six most populous cities appears in our top 25,” Robison reports in the study. “College towns fare especially well in our ranking of the best cities for Cuffing Season. In fact, nearly every city in our top 25 is home to a major university.”
Read on for details of the “best of” among the top 25 ranked cities for Cuffing Season.
- League of scholars: #1 ranked Ann Arbor, MI is also known as America’s best college town.
- Winter wonderland: The weather outside is delightful, especially when you have someone to frolic with in one of the snowiest of all the US cities, #5 Syracuse, NY. The average annual snowfall adds up to over 9 feet!
- Palmy and balmy: While a Cali-destination may not bring to mind cozy cuffing, #16 Berkeley, CA showed up on the list thanks to a high density of couple activities compared to the population and plenty of those falling into young and single demographic.
- Budget-friendly: Following the giving season, any opportunity to spend a little less after all the seasonal splurging can’t hurt the pocketbook. #7 Dayton, OH is the place that will set daters back the least for a 3-course dinner (~$50 for two).
- Spendy: #24 Boston, MA may be full of cultural fun, but on the flip side, dining out is on the higher end of the cost spectrum, with a 3-course meal averaging $90 for two.
- All the single ladies: Shout out again to Syracuse, NY, this time for having the largest pool of young female singles. 53% of the cuffable population is female.
- All the men: #20 Salt Lake City, UT is better for those seeking a male partner. Here 53% of the cuffable demographic is male.
- 50/50: The city with the fairest split between men and women is #10 Denver, CO.
- Vaxxed to the max: Dating is hard. Pandemic times made it even harder. For COVID-conscious folks, of the top 25 cities, Madison, WI #4 has the highest vaccination rates.
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