In New Study, Texas Ranked No. 6 Dating-Friendly State

Thanks to Texas’ mild fall and winter and relatively low cost of living, there’s plenty of room outside for first date spots with access to food trucks, which is good news for singles on a budget.

Texas is for singles? It may be cold comfort if you’re spending Valentine’s Day alone this year, but when it comes to being single, there are worse places to live than Texas. Forty-four worse places, in fact!

A recent report by WalletHub ranked Texas the No. 6 ‘dating-friendly’ state to live. Lends a whole new twist to the Lone Star State, right?

According to WalletHub’s experts, an attractive dating scene involves a low cost of living, a high number of single people, and a variety of available activities. To find the most dating-friendly state, the study first analyzed the dating pool (relative number of single people, gender balance, and online dating availability) in each state and Washington D. C. California came out the winner in that category. It also considered factors like economic opportunity, unemployment rates, the cost of entertainment, and the cost of personal grooming. Want to grab a pedicure before a romantic dinner and a movie? North Dakota ranked most affordable.

Lastly, the report took into account the number of entertainment and activities available to would-be lovers. New Hampshire, incidentally, came in first for fitness and recreational facilities per capita, while Hawaii was dead last. Maybe that’s because Hawaii itself is a recreation facility? But far be it from us to argue with the data.

A few more interesting best/worst comparisons:

• The District of Columbia has the highest share of single adults, 69.58 percent, 1.8 times higher than in Utah, which has the lowest at 38.44 percent.
• North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate for single population, 4.58 percent, 3.5 times lower than in Mississippi, which has the highest at 15.81 percent.
• The District of Columbia has the most full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents, 124.48, 2.3 times more than in Utah, which has the fewest at 54.59.
• Wyoming has the most movie theaters per 100,000 residents, 4.49, 5.2 times more than in Louisiana, which has the fewest at 0.86.

A previous study by WalletHub (using many of the same factors) listed Dallas as the 16^th best city in the nation for those single and looking. Austin and Houston also fall in the top 20. Interestingly enough, the number one spot went to San Francisco … where you have to share an apartment with all of your exes just to afford rent.

We kid. Mostly.