For singles living in the modern era, dating has never been easier thanks to the internet, various dating apps, and social media.
Then again, thanks to the internet, various dating apps and social media, it's also never been harder to find someone special.
With another Valentine's Day bearing down on singles across the country, it's worth knowing that besides your looks, personality, employment status (and occasionally what kind of car you drive), where you live can have a big impact on whether or not you'll ever find love.
Everyone has differing tastes and priorities when they're searching out their soulmate, but for many areas of the country, dating can be much harder than other areas, thanks to fewer choices for mates available and not as many entertaining things to do for dates. On the other hand, for singles who live in a state that boasts a low-cost of living, then singles can afford to go out more often.
So what state is the best place to find and fall in love? WalletHub surveyed all fifty across 28 key indicators to find out how 'date-friendly' each one was. From how many singles were ACTUALLY available in your area to the average price of a movie ticket, the study found out ow your zip code affected your chance at finding the Big L.
If you're looking for love in Florida and California - congratulations! Even average lotharios have a great shot at finding love in those states thanks to the large amount of "Dating Opportunities." Unfortunately for Californians, it was also one of the most expensive places to date, as it ranked 49th in the "Dating Economics" category. All that money must be spent on something fun though as the Golden State also ranked second overall in the "Romance & Fun" ranking.
Texas, New York and Pennsylvania rounded out the rest of the top five for the best dating opportunities. Texas should look especially promising for singles looking for cheap romance thanks to its low cost of living, and high "Romance & Fun" ranking.
And while it sounds like the beginning to a joke, one of the worst states in the U.S. to date was found in West Virginia. The Mountain State was ranked dead-last overall for singles after WalletHub's survey found that West Virginia was ranked #47 for "Dating Opportunities," (again, not the beginning to a joke, just the numbers) #41 for "Dating Economics" and #44 for "Romance & Fun."
It's also tougher for singles in Arkansas, North Dakota, Wyoming and Kentucky to find love.
And despite their boastful slogan, Virginia only ranked 19th overall for lovers in the U.S. in WalletHub's survey.
If your single status has you ready to move to a new city, experts say there are a few things you should keep in mind.
"When choosing a place to live, single people might look for a place that matches their personal values," Mary Shuttlesworth, a professor of psychology at La Roche College says. "For instance, if a person values opportunities for leisure, the ideal place to live will support that. If a person values cultural experiences, the ideal place to live should offer access to these experiences."
Researching the area can give daters an edge - especially if they pay attention to something anthropologists call the "sex ratio" - that is, the ratio of men to women in a particular area.
"When sex ratios are unbalanced (i.e., more women than men or more men than women), this can shift the power dynamics in dating, since the less plentiful sex has the power to be choosier and set the terms," Gwendolyn Seidman, a professor at Albright College says. "People are generally most attracted to those who are similar to themselves in terms of demographic characteristics, age, attitudes, values, and interests. You can find out some of this information fairly easily."
Dating doesn't have to be expensive - no matter where you live. Seidman says singles don't need to always take dates to expensive dinners at a fancy restaurant.
"In fact, fun, exciting dates can help ignite passion, and they don’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money. Visiting a part of the city you’ve never been to, going hiking, checking out a new art exhibit – These activities don’t have to break the bank and can actually make you and your date more excited about being together," said Seidman.
So, even as another Valentine's Day comes and goes, it's important to remember that cliches don't always start that way and that there really is a lid for every pot.
Photo: Getty Images & WalletHub