For those in San Diego looking to cozy up with a partner for the holiday season, you’re in luck – a recent study ranked San Diego as the fourth-best city in the nation for singles.
The study, released Nov. 12 by finance website WalletHub, assigned a score to over 180 United States cities based on several parameters, including percentage of single people, gender balance, number of local attractions and price of a date.
San Diego was boosted to the top 10 by its “Dating Opportunities” and “Fun and Recreation” scores but failed to reach the top with its lower “Economics Score.”
Several other high-ranking cities on the list had low economic scores, including San Francisco at third and Los Angeles at seventh. However, all cities in the top 10 enjoyed high rankings from their number of attractions and opportunities for dates.
Other than San Diego, Southern California cities weren't highly ranked. Irvine was listed at 103rd, Oceanside at 121st, and Chula Vista at 160th. Glendale neared the bottom of the list at 180th, with low rankings in all categories.
The high cost of movie tickets in Southern California seemed to weigh down its cities' rankings.
However, if the cost of local attractions isn't an issue, the study recommends that singles looking for a good date location seek a city with a good social scene, especially for those who use online dating apps like Tinder.
Local
"First, when two strangers who have met on an app are trying to get to know one another, just having a conversation can put a lot of stress on the acquaintanceship process. Therefore, centering the date around a social activity can act as a buffer and alleviates the stress on both parties," said Aditl Paul, assistant professor of communication studies at Pace University in the study. "Second, if you are choosing a city that has a handful of bars and you frequent the same bars with different dates, things might get a little awkward."
Atlanta, Georgia, was ranked first in the study, while Pearl City, Hawaii, was ranked at the bottom of the list of 182 cities, with the second-worst ranking for social recreation and seventh-worst for dating opportunities.
San Diego did take home gold in one category: “Highest Singles Gender Balance.”
To read the full study, click here.
