Living single is more and more popular, and three South Carolina cities make it even better, ranking among the 25 Best Places for Singles to Live, according to a recent survey.
US News looked at the 150 most populated metro areas, and figured out where the best spots for singles to enjoy life. They based their rankings on a number of factors, including population size for unmarried residents, cost of living, desirability and much more.
“Whether you’re single and loving it or on the hunt for a future spouse, some cities seem better than others for finding plenty of other single friends, a big enough dating pool and a cost of living that won’t force you to live with 12 roommates,” the report said. “To help you find the right metro area to enjoy the single life, we examined which of the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S. have a significant population of unmarried residents over age 15, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey that used that age as the cutoff point for singles.”
With all their numbers tallied up, it turns out three cities from South Carolina are near the top of those rankings:
Myrtle Beach is the best of the batch, with Columbia coming in at No. 5, and Charleston dropping in at No. 18. The list has cities from 13 different states, with Florida grabbing a whopping eight of the top 25. Nevada and New Mexico are the only states out West in the top 25. North Carolina sadly did not have any cities make the top of the list.
Here’s a look at the full Top 25 of the Best Places for Singles to live, as well as all the key information US News used to decide which cities were the best.
1. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach South Caroline at night. (Larry Gibson / Getty Images)
Best Places 2022-2023 Rank: 37
Metro Population: 481,489
Share of Population Unmarried: 45.9%
Median Home Price: $198,600
Average Annual Salary: $39,250
Net Migration, 2015-2019: 15.65%5. Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina (Sean Pavone / Getty Images)
Best Places 2022-2023 Rank: 80
Metro Population: 832,925
Share of Population Unmarried: 52.7%
Median Home Price: $275,350
Average Annual Salary: $47,420
Net Migration, 2016-2021: 6.74%18. Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina over the Ashley River. (Sean Pavone / Getty Images)
Best Places 2022-2023 Rank: 49
Metro Population: 790,955
Share of Population Unmarried: 50.7%
Median Home Price: $448,646
Average Annual Salary: $50,810
Net Migration 2016-2021: 5.63%