NYC singles are in a state of emergency.
The city that never sleeps is at the epicenter of the state that never marries, per devastating new data naming New York the No. 1 locale “where you’re most likely to die single.”
The unwed of Gotham and its surrounding neighborhoods are better off dead, warn researchers for PlayCasino, an online gambling hub, who analyzed the latest US Census Bureau American Community Survey figures on never-married mid-life adults, ranging in age from 30 to 49, nationwide.
Investigators identified the top 10 states in which singletons are not likely tie the knot due to each not-so-hotspot’s geographical and generational makeup, noting that the number of folks who’ve never married “has been climbing in almost every state for two decades.”
“Across the US, the share of adults who have never been married has now doubled from 15% in 1960 to 31% today, according to Pew Research,” referenced the study authors. “A record 25% of 40-year-olds have never been married — the highest figure since US Census tracking began in 1900, and a huge leap from just 6% in 1980.”
It’s an upsetting, albeit unsurprising, revelation to Empire State residents, many baring war-wounds from the area’s “cutthroat” dating scene, a scene plagued with the title of “worst” place in the U.S. to find love.
Solo sweethearts living in more provincial states, such as Idaho, Wyoming and Oklahoma, however, have much higher chances of finding “the one” before kicking the bucket, according to the report.
“For the 132.3 million unmarried American [people] — a figure that includes never-married, divorced and widowed adults — the long-term trend is clear,” the authorities said. “Marriage is no longer the default, and where you live in America increasingly shapes the odds of finding a partner at all.”
Here’s a countdown of the top 10 U.S. states where you’re most likely to die single.
The Sunshine State may be a magnet for retirees, but its mid-life adults are increasingly going solo. Florida sits firmly in the top quartile, with a never-married rate well above the US average.
Pennsylvania’s never-married rate has climbed steadily as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh draw younger professionals who delay or skip marriage entirely.
Small state, big single population. Delaware ranks in the top quartile of never-married mid-life adults thanks in part to its commuter-belt links with Philadelphia and the broader Mid-Atlantic.
The lone Deep South state in the top 10, Louisiana’s high never-married rate is driven heavily by New Orleans, which has one of the highest singles populations of any large US city.
Home to Boston — the city ranked second in the US for never-married adults, where 56.6% of city residents have never married, according to a 2024 American Community Survey analysis. Massachusetts has long been one of the country’s most solo-skewed states.
Tiny Rhode Island punches well above its weight in the singles stakes, with a never-married rate that puts it firmly in the top 5 alongside its New England neighbours.
Yes, Las Vegas is famously the wedding capital of America — but residents of the state itself are far less likely to marry than the national average. Nevada’s combination of transient population and late-marriage culture pushes it into the top 5.
The cost of living, the high share of military and tourism workers, and the late-marriage trend among younger Hawaiians have all pushed the state into the top three.
New Mexico has one of the highest shares of single adults of any state in the country, with 1.3 times more single adults than Utah, the state with the lowest share.
New York tops the list of US states (with the District of Columbia excluded as a federal district rather than a state). More than one in three mid-life New Yorkers has never married — easily the highest rate of any state in the country.
The states where Americans are most likely to marry:
