StartApp Pinpoints Where the Struggle is Real for Dating App Users

When it comes to standing out from the crowd, Alaska may be the hardest place for men to use a dating app to connect with women. With a nearly three-to-one ratio of men to women using dating apps, Alaska has the widest gender gap of any U.S. state, according to our latest data study.

Dating app users looking for the most even playing field can look to the opposite corner of the nation. Maine has the nation’s most even balance of men and women using dating apps.

Between those states, we found an eye-opening array of statistics by tapping into our database of over 1 billion mobile users and looking at dating app popularity and user behavior.

Mobile devices are woven into the fabric of nearly everyone’s daily life, so naturally dating apps have become very common. Except maybe in Arkansas, the U.S. state with the fewest residents (7%) using dating apps.

When it comes to numbers, Maryland and Nebraska may be where the chances are greatest to meet the most people. Our data found that those states are tied in a ranking of the states with the largest pools of dating app users (13%). The odds may be working against the men and women looking to connect with each other in those states, however. They share about the same nationwide disproportion of men (63%) and women (37%) using dating apps. Illinois almost joined Nebraska and Maryland in this ranking, but only 12% of that state’s residents have dating apps on their devices.

Chicago may be carrying all of Illinois too. The city stands shares the spotlight with Houston as the cities with the highest number of dating app users, but again the number of men using data apps overshadowed the amount of women.

If You Can Make it Here…

We also looked at dating apps in StartApp’s hometown, New York City, to see what the differences were across the five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

Our study found that the most well-read dating app users are in Brooklyn, which has the highest number (17%) of people who also read books on their phone. For people who put a priority on current events, the odds of finding common ground are greatest in Manhattan, where some 17% of dating app users also read news apps.

The Bronx however, takes the lead on who also may be concerned with personal finance. The borough has the highest percentage (59%) of dating app users who also have banking apps on their phone – compared to just 35% in Manhattan.

The entire state of New York looks much like the U.S., with nearly twice as many men on dating apps compared to women. But the title New Yorkers own is the U.S. state with the highest percentage (57%) of dating app users who also have a shopping app on their device.

East Coast vs. West Coast

The ratio of men and women using dating is about the same when comparing New York state with California, but the pool of people a dating app user can potentially connect with in the Golden State is deeper (12%) – nearly twice as many dating app users than New York.

When we took a look at California’s major cities, we found that Los Angeles residents, compared to San Francisco residents, are:

San Francisco: The City With the Greatest Odds You’ll Make a Cultured Connection

San Francisco may be where dating app users can find a well-traveled, well-read connection. The city has the highest proportion of users interested in travel, with an impressive 42% of all dating app users also having travel apps (the average across America for dating app users is 11%).

San Francisco also has the highest current events interest with an impressive 39% of dating app users also having news apps – over 3 times higher than the average American dating user.

About This Study:

This November 2017 study looked at mobile data from all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C., as well as 195 other countries.

For a mobile in-depth look at the data study, including international data, please visit our Global Dating Data Study summary.

StartApp does not collect any personal identifiable information (PII). Data profiles are built exclusively using a device’s advertising ID, or the anonymous identification number associated with a unique device. Users are able to opt-out of advertising ID tracking at any time through their device settings. StartApp is TrustE certified & COPPA compliant.