CINCINNATI — If you're searching for love in Cincinnati, a new study suggests you're on the right track.
The Queen City is one of the best cities for singles, according to a recent WalletHub study.
Atlanta, Georgia; Las Vegas, Nevada and Seattle, Washington took the top three spots. Cincinnati sat right at No. 8. Pearl City, Hawaii took the bottom spot.
The study’s authors compared the cities across 35 key indicators of dating-friendliness to compute a rank in each of the following categories: economics, fun and recreation, and dating.
Cincinnati ranked No. 75 in economics rank, No. 25 in fun and recreation and No. 20 in dating opportunities.
Chip Lupo, a writer and analyst at WalletHub, said the Queen City has numbers to be proud of: “No. 1 per capita in coffee and tea shops, No. 8 in parks per capita, 12th in music festivals, 19th in fitness centers per capita.”
“Where Cincinnati lags in economics was 162nd in average beer and wine price,” Lupo said.
He cited safety and weather as some of the reasons why the city may not have made the top five.
In a nutshell, the city rose to the top of the list because of its large single dating pool and variety of activities for the price, Lupo said.
“Cincinnati has a lot going for it,” he said. “If you’re in a single scene, you don’t have to venture very far to find something to do.”
A Whirlwind First Date
Clayton and Niki Peachey found each other in Cincinnati through mutual friends. Their first date took advantage of what Cincinnati had to offer.
After meeting at Queen City Church, the pair went to Kings Island, Pins Mechanical Co. in Over-the-Rhine and dinner at The Eagle.
Because Clayton moved away for work, the couple had to squeeze in a lot for the date when he was back in town for a wedding.
“There are a lot of spots to date in Cincinnati,” Clayton said, reflecting on their journey. “I think we just kind of made it up as we went.”
Niki said the couple eloped last year after getting engaged at Devou Park, overlooking Cincinnati.
“You can be so active as a young adult in Cincinnati. It's the best way to get connected, and how to get married, apparently,” Clayton said.
Finding Solutions for Singles
More and more Cincinnatians are hoping to ditch dating apps and meet their person, well, in person, according to Logan Moore.
Moore and Paige Braley launched Date Cincy in 2023 to help singles meet people “the old-fashioned way,” Moore said.
The business hosts ticketed events for singles at a variety of scales, from small speed dates to mega mixers. In 2024, 5,000 people participated in 30 events.
“We save people a lot of time because when they come, they can go through and talk to a ton of people and just really figure out who they vibe with, who do they have a connection with?” Moore said.
The next event will be on January 3 at Factory 52. It’s aptly named ‘New Year, New Boo.’
Moore said they are aiming for 500 people: “We're even talking about some different ways that we can break up the group so that we can give people that smaller interaction amongst a big crowd of people.”
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