TAMPA, Fla. — If you're a single Florida resident, you may have to look outside the state to find a partner.
A new study found the Sunshine State was ranked the worst state for singles in 2024, according to the data aggregation website Spokeo.com.
Researchers said they used modern dating trends to create the criteria. They reportedly found today's singles are open to discussing mental health, care about aligning on social and political causes and are sensitive to debt. Each factor was weighted based on how much they would influence the dating experience, and researchers said they looked to see what states align with what singles care about most.
Here are the eight factors considered:
- Percent of never-married adults above 15 (higher percent means higher raking)
- Confidence/romance crime victims per capita (high percent of victims means lower ranking)
- Mental health providers per capita (high number of providers means higher ranking)
- Unemployment rate (higher rate means lower ranking)
- Cost of living (higher cost means lower ranking)
- States most likely to ghost you (higher likelihood means lower ranking)
- Formal volunteers per capita (higher number means higher ranking)
- Registered voters per capita (higher number means higher ranking)
The data came from the American Community Survey performed by the U.S. Census Bureau, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a Forbes Health survey and other state databases.
Florida's ranking
Florida did not do well across the board but had the worst ranking for formal volunteers per capita and registered voters per capita, coming in last for both of those factors at No. 50. The state ranked in the bottom half for all factors except state unemployment rates, which it came in at No. 20.
Another two factors that tanked the state's ranking were having a high number of confidence or romance crimes and not having a lot of mental health providers.
Top 5 States to be Single
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- South Dakota
Other states that ended up being the worst for single people include Kentucky, Alaska, Arkansas, North Dakota and West Virginia.
You can read the full list here.
