About 50% of adult Americans are single. That is up from just over 20% in 1950. Why? People don’t marry so young. One expert, Eric Klinenberg, sociology professor at New York University and author of “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone”, writes more people are looking for soul mates, which presumably takes a long time, and may never produce a partner. Ironically he adds, there are more and more ways for people to meet one another through processes that include dating sites. Apparently, a broader net does not create more partners.

Cinch Home Services recently released a study about the best and worst cities to be single. According to a Realtor.com analysis of the study:

To come up with its findings, Cinch looked at the 100 largest cities. They were ranked by a combination of the percentage of the population that is single; average wages after taxes; median rent for a one-bedroom apartment; and the number and ratings of recreational activities.

A look at the study shows that according to the “Cinch Singles Index”, their research can pick the best and worst cities for singles. The company considered data from the Census, Yelp, and rent measuring firm Nuemo.

The “Cinch Singles Index” is actually several indices. They include the worst place to be single by age, the cities worst for people who have broken up with partners, the worst cities for places for singles to meet one another, and the worst cities for singles financially. It also broke down the worst cities for single men and single women

Among the 100 cities, the worst on the list is Chesapeake, Virginia. It sits on the Atlantic Ocean, next to Norfolk and Virginia Beach. It is the second-most populous city in Virginia. The city is growing rapidly, up 10% in the last decade. Fifty-eight percent of the population is White, and another 30% Black. The median value of an occupied house is $273,700, which is below the national average. Median income, at $78,640, is about $10,000 above the national figure. And, a relatively small 8.3% of the population lives in poverty.

While research may tell single people where they may want to live or not live, the problem with the study is that it does not do enough to survey the residents of each city to see whether they are happy–or not.

Click here to read America’s Worst Cities for Singles

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