10 Worst Cities for Singles

Sorry, singles, but these cities just aren't that into you.

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Sorry, singles, but these cities just aren't that into you. The places that are ranked poor for the unmarried may be quite lovely for couples, families or retirees. But based on economic and demographic factors, we found these cities to be far from perfect matches for resident bachelors and bachelorettes.

How did we come up with our list of the worst cities for singles? We started by looking for metropolitan areas with more than 125,000 people. Then we penalized places with small populations of singles, including the never-married, divorced and widowed. The share of unmarried residents in each of these bottom-ten cities is well shy of the national average.

Financial indicators didn't boost the cities' attractiveness. Although many of these areas boast below-average living costs, paychecks typically are way below average, too. We also factored in education level, keeping in mind that people with bachelor's and advanced degrees are more likely to be gainfully employed. After all, you can't exactly rock the single lifestyle without the earnings to fund it.

On the bright side, we scoured our rankings for areas near these ten cities that might serve as suitable alternatives. Take a look.

Disclaimer

Population and income data come from the U.S. Census Bureau. Cost-of-living data is provided by the Council for Community and Economic Research, which tracks living expenses nationwide.

Stacy Rapacon
Online Editor, Kiplinger.com

Rapacon joined Kiplinger in October 2007 as a reporter with Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and became an online editor for Kiplinger.com in June 2010. She previously served as editor of the "Starting Out" column, focusing on personal finance advice for people in their twenties and thirties.

Before joining Kiplinger, Rapacon worked as a senior research associate at b2b publishing house Judy Diamond Associates. She holds a B.A. degree in English from the George Washington University.