The 10 Worst US States to Be Single

Being single can feel like a constant struggle—and it could be even harder depending on where you live.

A new study by Spokeo has revealed the best and worst states for singles in the United States, and the results might be surprising. Drawing on modern dating trends that determine the kind of climate singles may find themselves in, the study points to 10 of the bleakest environments for people seeking love.

Spokeo’s worst states for singles are:

10. Alaska

9. Washington

8. Arkansas

7. Montana

6. Texas

5. Idaho

4. West Virginia

3. Nevada

2. Arizona

1. Florida

Why Are These the Worst States for Singles?

Through its research, Spokeo learned that today’s singles care about mental health, alignment on “social and political causes” and financial health. Researchers measured several factors in each state that correlate with these priorities, including state unemployment, mental health support, voting registration and safety concerns.

The researchers weighed each of these factors differently. In their conclusions, they prioritized the percentage of never-married adults in each state the most, followed by the number of confidence/romance crime victims, the number of mental health providers, and the state unemployment rate.

Figures such as the likelihood of ghosting, the number of formal volunteers, and the number of registered voters in each state were weighed at lesser percentages.

Using these factors, Spokeo’s rankings become clearer.

Florida ranked last, 35 out of 50, in terms of the percentage of people never married. It ranked poorly for crime, too—the state was number 41 out of 50 in terms of the number of confidence/romance crime victims. It also fell last in terms of the number of registered voters and the number of formal volunteers.

Arizona and Nevada, the ninth and eighth worst states for singles, respectively, didn’t do well in crime figures. Arizona ranked last of all 50 states in terms of the number of confidence/romance crime victims, and Nevada ranked second-to-last in this category.

Why Didn’t Big Cities Perform Better?

The top of Spokeo’s list contained some surprises—namely, states with large urban areas like New York and California were absent from the top 10 best places for singles.

High costs of living and unemployment rates plagued states like New York and California, which did have high numbers of never-married adults but low rankings in other factors. California ranked last among all 50 states in terms of unemployment. While there are indeed many fish in the pond in these states, financial barriers to living comfortably may hinder the easy breeze-y romances typically depicted in films and TV.

So, both Florida and New York have their work cut out for them, albeit in different ways. Those truly dedicated to their search for love might consider moving to Massachusetts, the state ranked as the best in the country for singles.