Finding love isn’t easy — and the numbers back it up. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that just over 49% of Americans ages 15 and up are currently unmarried, whether never married, divorced or widowed. At the same time, dating has only gotten more expensive, with the cost of dining out and entertainment continuing to climb.
To get a clearer picture of where singles have the best shot at finding love without breaking the bank, WalletHub analyzed 182 U.S. cities across 35 key indicators of dating-friendliness. The study factors in everything from the share of single residents and access to online dating to the average price of a date-night meal for two.
St. Louis lands in the Top 10
St. Louis ranks No. 9 on WalletHub’s ‘Best Cities for Singles’ in 2025, earning a total score of 60.27.
Here’s how the city scored across major categories:
- Economics: 100
- Fun & Recreation: 11
- Dating Opportunities: 48
How Illinois cities ranked
No. 22 — Chicago, IL
- Total score: 57.55
- Economics: 171
- Fun & recreation: 2
- Dating opportunities: 95
No. 157 — Aurora, IL
- Total score: 46.12
- Economics: 116
- Fun & recreation: 150
- Dating opportunities: 130
For singles across the Metro East region, St. Louis strong ranking is a promising reminder that plenty of dating opportunities are just a short drive away…