Peak Non-Creepy Dating Pool

As you get older, the percentage of people your age who are married increases and the percentage who have never married decreases. This must mean your dating pool gets smaller with time, right? Well, this assumes you marry someone who is your age. What if you marry someone who is older or younger than you?

Thanks to the internet, we have a concrete dateable range given your age: the “half-your-age-plus-seven” rule. It’s on Wikipedia, so it’s basically law. Comic xkcd describes it as the standard creepiness rule:

So as you get older, your dating pool’s age range increases, as shown in the chart below:

Dating Pool Based On Creepiness Rule

Partner's Age 100 80 Oldest 60 Your age 40 Youngest 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 Your Age Partner's Age 100 80 Oldest 60 Your age 40 Youngest 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 Your Age

Huh, that’s interesting. So if we account for the range and actual demographics counted by the U.S. Census Bureau, I wonder when your dating pool peaks. Does the peak change between different groups?

In the charts that follow I look for the ages at which your dating pool is the largest, based on demographics and the standard creepiness rule (which only applies to those 14 and older).