He looks single and successful?
A just-released study on the top cities for finding successful singles might surprise you. According to Bloomberg‘s ranking, Hoboken, New Jersey came in first place, scoring a perfect 100. Over 53 percent of Hoboken men and women are single, compared to a national average of only 27 percent. In the near-NYC locale, single men ages earn a median income of $94,500, 61 percent above the national level and women earn $77,600 on average, 2.5 times the norm.
Bloomberg studied U.S. Census data from 2006 to 2010 and identified cities with men and women ages 15-64 who lived alone and had median incomes greater than national averages. The results were narrowed to the highest-median city in each state, and the top 15 were each scored on income and share of the population that is single.
Arlington, Virginia, on the Metro rail line to Washington, ranked second among cities of at least 50,000 where the richest men and women live alone. Other Swinging Singles cities include Redmond, Washington, the home of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT); Newton, Massachusetts; Bowie, Maryland; Bolingbrook, Illinois; and White Plains, New York.
As more men and women are waiting to get married until later in their lives—a trend that has persisted since the mid-1950s—the study on where to find the most singles is useful to Gen Yers looking to date and potentially settle down.
However, too much choice is not always a good thing. According to a popular, recent study on the psychology of choice, researchers Sheena Iyengar and Kanika Agrawal discovered there were “neurological limits on humans’ ability to process information” that meant “the task of having to choose is often experienced as suffering, not pleasure.” They concluded that “the explosion of choice has made it more difficult overall for people to identify what they want and how to get it.” This may explain why there are so many singles in areas with so many successful, attractive potential mates…and may be a reason NOT to live those locales. (While not listed in Bloomberg’s ranking, notorious singles hot spots New York City and Los Angeles spring to mind.) Not surprisingly, San Francisco was nowhere to be seen on the list, perhaps because being single in SF really is that bad. And this study still does not change my lack of desire to live in Hoboken ever.
Check out Bloomberg’s top five cities for “Swinging Singles” below and answer whether you think New York City is good or bad for dating (we’ll let you know the results next week!):
5. Stamford, Conn. (Tie)
Total Population: 122,643
Median Household Income of Single Men: $65,214
Percent Of Males Who Are Single: 48.75
5. Bolingbrook, Ill. (Tie)
Total Population: 73,366
Median Household Income of Single Men: $70,766
Percent Of Males Who Are Single: 42.36
4. Newton, Mass.
Total Population: 85,146
Median Household Income of Single Men: $65,313
Percent Of Males Who Are Single: 48.90
3. Redmond, Wash.
Total Population: 54,144
Median Household Income of Single Men: $75,054
Percent Of Males Who Are Single: 50.02
2. Arlington, Va.
Total Population: 207,627
Median Household Income of Single Men: $81,101
Percent Of Males Who Are Single: 58.42
1. Hoboken, N.J.
Total Population: 50,005
Median Household Income of Single Men: $94,500
Percent Of Males Who Are Single: 68.38
