Where and how do singles have the best chance of finding love?
In the dating scene for younger generations these days, you’re either in a situationship, dating someone with beige flags or recovering from being ghosted by someone with zero rizz. If that sentence didn’t make sense, odds are you’re lucky enough not to be in the 2024 dating scene.
To no surprise, adults younger than 30 are the age group most likely to be single, according to a Pew Research Study on single Americans. The study also pointed out that men struggle to find love more than women:
“When looking at age and gender together, 63% of men under 30 describe themselves as single, compared with 34% of women in the same age group. Younger men are also far more likely than older men to be single — a pattern that is not as straightforward among women.”
Where you live can also affect the likelihood of getting into a relationship. A recent study by Ownerly ranked the best cities for singles in the U.S., and Utah had three cities make top rankings:
Lehi, Utah: Overall best urban city nationwide.
Cedar City, Utah: Fifth-best urban city nationwide.
Grantsville, Utah: Third-best micropolitan city nationwide and fourth-best city overall.
Does Utah have a unique dating scene?
As someone originally from Houston, Texas, Aubrey Turner told the Deseret News that Utah definitely has a unique take on dating.
“I think a lot of people can say that they’re actively dating. And I feel like it’s been that way for a long time because I moved here when I was 19, and now I’m 25, so I feel like dating has been a big push, especially in Utah culture,” Turner said. “I think, you know, compared to other places.”
She also added that while living in the Beehive State, she noticed that businesses cater specifically to dating culture.
“I would say I’ve had a lot of fun dates in Utah that I probably couldn’t have anywhere else,” Turner said. “For one really fun date, I went to the haunted chairlift at Sundance. I’ve been on ski dates before or hiking dates. I feel like a lot of businesses in Utah cater to dates. I’m sure people always think about, ‘Oh, what’s a good business idea for dates,’ because people are always dating here.”
How are people finding their significant others?
Unlike older generations — like baby boomers and Generation X — younger millennials and Gen Zers are finding romance in their friends rather than in strangers.
“Even as online dating has made it easier than ever to become romantically involved with a complete stranger, younger Americans appear increasingly interested in dating people they already know,” according to a survey by the American Survey Center. “Young adults are more than twice as likely as seniors to report that they were friends with their partner or spouse before they started dating. Most older Americans say their spouse or partner was once a stranger.”
Tate Cannon uses dating apps but doesn’t prefer them. “I feel like my main sources are dating apps. But most successful is when I actually go on dates, with people I meet in person,” Cannon told the Deseret News. “And it’s more natural than a dating app where a lot of times you go on a date, and it’s not the same expectations as an actual date than with someone you met in person.”
Born and raised in Utah and now living in Orem, Cannon said the culture here is often that people date to marry, compared to other college towns, where dating is more casual.
“People are looking to either get married or start dating more seriously and stuff like that. So I do feel like this is a good place for that to happen just because there are UVU students, BYU students and just a lot of people kind of coming together from those universities, which makes it a good place for that to happen,” he added.
A study by Shane Co. found that 1 in 5 Gen Zers in Provo, Utah, are married.
“Utah comes in first as the state that gets married at the youngest age, as the average marriage age is just under 26 years old,” according to the study. “The Beehive State has the highest proportion of married adults in the U.S., with Idaho and Wyoming following closely behind. Idaho and Wyoming also come in third and fifth place, respectively, on our list of the youngest average marriage ages in the country.”
