Naturally, metropolises like New York City, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, along with hip spots like Austin, TX, and Portland, OR, pop into your head when you ponder which metro areas are luring single men and women from other states.
Of course, those metro areas and numerous others do woo thousands upon thousands of single people from other states. For instance, a guy looking for love might move from Memphis, TN, to Miami, FL, to dive into a deeper dating pool.
Yet if you simply study the percentages, NYC, LA, ATX and PDX don’t make the cut when it comes to metro areas seeing the biggest influx of out-of-state singles. Top honors in that category go to … Madison, WI.
Among the 100 largest metro areas, Madison — the capital of Wisconsin and the home of the University of Wisconsin — scored the highest growth rate for singles moving to a metro area from outside the state. To be exact, the number of singles relocating to the City of Four Lakes from other states surged by 39 percent from 2009 to 2013. That’s according to our analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Multifaceted Madison
Stef Safran, a matchmaker and dating expert in Chicago, IL, attended the University of Wisconsin. She said she’s not surprised by Madison’s showing on our list, given the area’s cost-of-living affordability, restaurant scene, beautiful lakes, political activism and culture. She also cited Madison’s close proximity to two bigger cities: Chicago and Milwaukee, WI.
“Madison is a very liberal city,” said Noah Van Hochman, author of “Dude! What Were You Thinking? A Common Sense Guide to Dating & Relationships.” “Having been there numerous times, I have noticed the progressive sentiment and political activism firsthand, usually making for a dynamic and charged atmosphere.”
While we can’t entirely vouch for the liveliness of the singles scenes in these metro areas, we can tell you that they hold at least some allure for unmarried out-of-staters. It’s worth noting that several of these metro areas have a significant military or college presence, perhaps contributing to their high growth rates for out-of-state newcomers.
He is the SelfStorage.com Moving Blog’s ranking of the top 16 magnets for single out-of-state newcomers.
1. Madison, WI
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 7,352
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 10,217
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 39.0%
2. Grand Rapids, MI
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 4,949
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 6,706
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 35.5%
3. Youngstown-Warren, OH
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 4,513
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 5,688
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 26.0%
4. Dayton, OH
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 8,615
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 10,604
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 23.1%
5. Albany, NY
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 7,113
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 8,725
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 22.7%
6. Fort Myers, FL
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 8,855
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 10,546
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 19.1%
7. Greenville, SC
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 9,846
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 11,551
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 17.3%
8. Colorado Springs, CO
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 15,407
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 17,969
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 16.6%
9. Honolulu, HI
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 15,783
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 18,303
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 16.0%
10. San Jose, CA
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 10,815
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 12,511
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 15.7%
11. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 5,594
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 6,358
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 13.7%
12. Buffalo, NY
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 5,912
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 6,710
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 13.5%
13. San Antonio, TX
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 20,012
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 22,377
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 11.8%
14. Wichita, KS
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 5,611
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 6,266
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 11.7%
15. Worcester, MA
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 7,887
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 8,797
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 11.5%
16. Pittsburgh, PA
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2009: 20,298
Number of single out-of-state newcomers in 2013: 22,527
5-year growth rate for single out-of-state newcomers: 11.0%
For the record, New York City ranks 36th, with a five-year growth rate of 4.6 percent, while Los Angeles stands at No. 25 (6.5 percent), Austin at No. 21 (9.6 percent), Portland at No. 49 (0.1 percent), Memphis at No. 68 (-5 percent) and Miami at No. 38 (3.7 percent).
Smaller or bigger: Which is better?
Safran, the Chicago matchmaker, said it makes sense that smaller metro areas dominated our list, as some college grads and singles have soured on traditional destinations — including New York; Los Angeles; San Francisco, CA; and Seattle, WA — where the cost of living is high.
In fact, Safran expects singles who are saddled with college-loan debt and are fretting over paying the rent to increasingly move to metro areas like Madison that don’t crush their budgets.
“Over the past 10 years, singles haven’t found that moving to bigger cities equals better job opportunities or the ability to find long-term love,” she said. “It appears that moving to a smaller metro area can offer better benefits in terms of happiness in both love and jobs. Bigger doesn’t always mean better.”
For some singles, Wichita, KS, might feel too much like a small town.
Smaller doesn’t always mean better, either, according to dating coach and matchmaker Suzanna Mathews, who lives in No. 14 Wichita. She said the pervasive attitude in Wichita, whose metro population is close to 650,000, is that the small-town atmosphere makes it a tough place for dating.
“People complain that they keep running into people they know or someone connected to them, that the dating pool isn’t very deep or wide, and that entertainment options for dating activities are more limited than they would be in a bigger city,” Mathews said.
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau
Data analysis by Elizabeth Whalen
Photos courtesy of Flickr/Gbozik Photography, Flickr/Jack Amick, Flickr/Jack Pearce, Flickr/CarrieLu, Flickr/Mitchell Joyce, Flickr/Rich Jacques, SCIWAY, Flickr/Mike Lavoie, Flickr/Edmund Garmand, Flickr/Mike Boening Photography, Flickr/Brad Clinesmith, Flickr/whereisemil, Flickr/Nan Palmero, Flickr/Ty Nigh, Flickr/Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Flickr/Jaime Dillen-Seibel
