D.C. makes list of top cities to find a date

WASHINGTON – Similar to real estate, it turns out location is hugely important when it comes to finding that special someone.

And for those living the D.C. metro region, you’re already ahead of the curve.

The Daily Beast recently compiled a comprehensive list of the “Best Cities to Find a Date in 2012” and Washington, D.C. made the top 10.

Slightly less promising for singles, but still in the region, are the cities of Richmond, Va. (No. 13) and Alexandria, Va. (No. 21).

Not a single city from Maryland made it onto the Daily Beast’s list.

To rank the 25 best cities for dating, The Daily Beast considered three main areas: the available number of singles, the cost of dating and the mental and physical health of each city.

D.C. is made up of 69 percent single men and 74 percent single women, and the median salary is $51,948. The average cost of a movie ticket is $11.03.

In Richmond, single men make up 69 percent of the population while single women make up 71 percent. The median salary is $30,700, and the average price for a movie ticket is $9.83.

In Alexandria, the domination of single women continues, with 59 percent of the population made up of women not in relationships. Single men make up 53 percent of the population. The median salary is $66,971, and the average cost of a movie ticket is $11.03.

The Daily Beast used U.S. Census data from 2008 to 2010 to determine the percentage of single men and women in each city. Those with a roughly equal percentage of single men and women ranked higher on the list.

To determine the cost of dating in each city, the site used cost of living and average salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cities with a relatively high average salary for singles and a low overall cost of living ranked higher.

To measure mental and physical health, the site used the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which measures emotional and physical health.

Then, the Daily Beast used Google Trends to measure the popularity of five major dating sites: Match.com, eHarmony.com, okCupid.com, Plentyoffish.com and Zoosk.com.

The 10 best cities to find a date in 2012:

1. Atlanta, Ga.
2. Gainesville, Fla.
3. Lincoln, Neb.
4. Austin, Texas
5. Minneapolis, Minn.
6. Seattle, Wash.
7. Madison, Wis.
8. San Francisco, Calif.
9. Ann Arbor, Mich.
10. Washington, D.C.

You can read more about the best cities to find a date, on The Daily Beast website.

WTOP’s Meera Pal contributed to this story. Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)