Young, single, and ready to mingle? We'll admit that life as a single person isn't always a walk in the park, but living in certain cities can help make the most out of solo life. Whether you love a fancy restaurant, dig a funky bar crawl, or are simply looking for somewhere safe to lay your head, these cities have it all. Rent.com [1] and Onboard Informatics collected data that covers everything from average income to coffee-shop density to determine the top 10 spots for all the single ladies (and gentlemen).
Each category marked with * is scored on a scale from 1-1,000 (1,000 being the top score), here's the breakdown of what each one means to you:
- Safety Index: based on the total crime risk for each city.
- Lifestyle-Trend Focus Index: based on the percentage of people who enjoy going out dancing, drinking, clubbing, and attending concerts and performances.
- Nightlife Options Index: based on the number and density of bars, clubs, pubs, and other nighttime establishments in each city.
- Restaurant Options Index: based on the number and density of restaurants in or near each city.
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: based on the percentage of the population regularly going out to eat.
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: based on the availability of coffee shops.
Are you ready to see how each city stacks up? Starting with the best city for singles . . .
San Francisco
Population: 813,433
- Single Adults: 39%
- Nonfamily Households: 58%
- Rental Dwellings: 237,251
- Average Household Income: $104,540
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $2,920
- Safety Index: 822*
- Lifestyle Index: 736*
- Nightlife Options Index: 374*
- Restaurant Options Index: 236*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 630*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 604*
New York City
Population: 8,405,837
- Single Adults: 38%
- Nonfamily Households: 60%
- Rental Dwellings: 617,923
- Average Household Income: $125,205
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $3,800
- Safety Index: 896*
- Lifestyle Index: 781*
- Nightlife Options Index: 1000*
- Restaurant Options Index: 1000*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 605*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 1000*
Washington DC
Population: 623,996
- Single Adults: 38%
- Nonfamily Households: 58%
- Rental Dwellings: 165,663
- Average Household Income: $93,637
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $2,300
- Safety Index: 776*
- Lifestyle Index: 652*
- Nightlife Options Index: 173*
- Restaurant Options Index: 228*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 528*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 336*
Boston
Population: 632,091
- Single Adults: 33%
- Nonfamily Households: 55%
- Rental Dwellings: 176,564
- Average Household Income: $76,661
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $3,150
- Safety Index: 719*
- Lifestyle Index: 671*
- Nightlife Options Index: 192*
- Restaurant Options Index: 224*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 557*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 246*
Seattle
Population: 627,704
- Single Adults: 30%
- Nonfamily Households: 57%
- Rental Dwellings: 151,307
- Average Household Income: $88,211
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $1,584
- Safety Index: 660
- Lifestyle Index: 732
- Nightlife Options Index: 302
- Restaurant Options Index: 199
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 616
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 817
Philadelphia, PA
Population: 1,543,884
- Single Adults: 26%
- Nonfamily Households: 40%
- Rental Dwellings: 295,919
- Average Household Income: $51,758
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $1,295
- Safety Index: 686*
- Lifestyle Index: 536*
- Nightlife Options Index: 502*
- Restaurant Options Index: 340*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 439*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 375*
Minneapolis, MN
Population: 389,314
- Single Adults: 25%
- Nonfamily Households: 57%
- Rental Dwellings: 84,930
- Average Household Income: $66,649
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $1,395
- Safety Index: 507*
- Lifestyle Index: 643*
- Nightlife Options Index: 149*
- Restaurant Options Index: 108*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 555*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 325*
Portland, OR
Population: 605,247
- Single Adults: 24%
- Nonfamily Households: 50%
- Rental Dwellings: 123,207
- Average Household Income: $68,729
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $1,335
- Safety Index: 632*
- Lifestyle Index: 668*
- Nightlife Options Index: 383*
- Restaurant Options Index: 168*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 585*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 589*
Jersey City, NJ
Population: 252,335
- Single Adults: 23%
- Nonfamily Households: 41%
- Rental Dwellings: 73,840
- Average Household Income: $77,804
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $2,480
- Safety Index: 766*
- Lifestyle Index: 623*
- Nightlife Options Index: 421*
- Restaurant Options Index: 512*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 499*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 262*
Chicago
Population: 2,703,788
- Single Adults: 23%
- Nonfamily Households: 45%
- Rental Dwellings: 609,602
- Average Household Income: $70,687
- Median Rental Rate (1BR): $1,150
- Safety Index: 665*
- Lifestyle Index: 604*
- Nightlife Options Index: 869*
- Restaurant Options Index: 507*
- Frequent Restaurant-Goers Index: 475*
- Frequent Coffee-Shop-Goers Index: 577*