WASHINGTON — Did you celebrate (commiserate) Singles Awareness Day on Friday? If you are in the D.C. area, you weren’t alone (or may be you were).
According to research by Move.org, a website that helps people find movers, D.C. is home to the nation’s loneliest group of people.
But take heart: That means the person next to you in the Metro or sitting in the car stopped at a traffic light might be single too.
Move.org sited the U.S. Census Bureau’s report that 70 percent of the adult population in D.C. is single — the highest percentage of singles in the country.
But it may also be one of the best places to live if you’re looking for a date. Those in D.C. searched Google for “best dating apps” more often than any of those who live in the other states on the list.
Neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia were ranked 33rd and 44th, faring far less lonely. Maryland’s most common search was for “open relationship,” while Virginia residents searched for “relationship advice.” Virginia is for lovers, after all.
The rest of Move.org’s list of the top 10 loneliest places to live in the U.S. includes:
- No. 2: South Carolina
- No. 3: Arizona
- No. 4: Illinois
- No. 5: Vermont
- No. 6: Michigan
- No. 7: Alaska
- No. 8: Maine
- No. 9: Oklahoma
- No.10: Kentucky
In both South Carolina and Arizona, residents are searching for “I’m lonely” quite often. That could be because almost 50 percent of their residents report themselves as single.
Residents of Illinois, especially those in Chicago, seem to be actively looking for love. According to a representative from online dating site Plenty of Fish, Chicago has an active user base.
Vermont and Michigan both have plenty of single residents who seem to be lonely based on keywords: Vermont’s most searched query was “loneliness,” and Michigan’s most searched query was “I’m lonely.”
In Alaska, however, people have to go a long way to find another single person, which could contribute to a feeling of loneliness. Alaska only has a population density of about 1.1. people per square mile.
Maine, Oklahoma and Kentucky round out the top 10. Oklahoma Googled “Anti Valentine’s Day” more than any other phrase in the Move.org research.
The site’s index considered the percentage of single and married individuals aged 20 and older.
