Exclusive: We scraped the data on which cities have the most cheating spouses in the entire nation.

This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.

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Do you know a potential cheater? Odds are that if you live in one of the cities below, you do. At least, you probably know someone who created an account on Ashley Madison, or had an account set up in their name by a friend or colleague.

There were over 32 million accounts created on Ashley Madison, and the going consensus is that almost all of them were created by men.

After analyzing every single city in the nation, these are the top cities with Ashley Madison accounts:

Boston, MA Schenectady, NY New York City, NY Washington, DC Arlington, VA Roanoke, VA Irvine, CA Tempe, AZ Alpharetta, GA Buffalo, NY

Many of these are wealthier cities with larger populations of professional men. Which means, in theory, they have a high number of people looking to discreetly hook up with a woman.

Read on below to see where your town ranked. We also have a chart at the bottom that has the top 250 cities in the nation on it.

Edit: We also have a city by city chart for some states. Those are listed at the bottom of this, too.


How We Determined The Cheaters of America

Want to know who is attempting to cheat? Go directly to the source of people actively trying to cheat — Ashley Madison users.

We used the Ashley Madison database to count how many accounts were created in each zip code. We are saying “accounts” and not “people” because it is possible to create dummy accounts assigned to a city or to have multiple accounts. However, we believe the number of accounts to be a solid proxy for the number of people trying to cheat.

We then matched each zip code to its corresponding city. If a zip code falls into more than one city, the accounts registered in that zip code were applied to each city.

Finally, we used an estimate for the population of the zip codes to identify the number of cheaters per capita.

After identifying the number of cheaters per capita in a city, we ranked each place from highest number of cheaters per capita to lowest. The place with the most cheaters per capita “earned” the title of cheating central of America.


1. Boston, MA

Wikipedia.

Percentage of city potentially cheating: 17.6%

Wow, Boston men. Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy attempting to see what all the fuss was about on a site that specializes in helping you cheat on your wives.

Boston is actually one of the poorest cities of the 250 most population; residents average about $53K a year. So in this case, it wasn’t about wealthy men attempting to skirt around their familial duties.

The divorce rate is 7.8% in Boston, which is just about double the national average. But not the highest of cities on this list by any stretch.

2. Schenectady, NY

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 16.9%

Schenectady is an interesting situation, data wise. It’s a very blue collar place (not wealthy by any stretch), where there are a much higher percentage of women in the city than men.

In any event, you might be surprised to hear that there were more than 20,000 accounts created here. Yes, in a middle-of-nowhere city in Upstate New York.

The divorce rate in Schenectady is higher than 10%, and the unemployment rate is very high at 7.1%. Sometimes, cheating spouses do so because they’re depressed.

3. New York City

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 15.1%

No one is surprised that there were a high number of potential cheaters in New York City. You have a ton of rich, successful men who work and live here.

The percentage of New York City residents that’s married is 39%, which is far lower than the national average. The percent that’s divorced is 8%, which is far higher than the national average.

4. Washington, D.C.

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 13.1%

Is there really a surprise that the nation’s capital has one of the highest numbers of cheating men in the nation? More than 50,000 accounts had Washington, D.C. addresses attributed to them.

The divorce rate for men in D.C. is at about 7%, which isn’t too far above average.

5. Arlington, VA

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 9.3%

Arlington is a very wealthy and privileged suburb of Washington, D.C. where 8% of the population is already divorced, and where it sounds like a lot of the population shouldn’t have been married in the first place.

There were a total of 15,500 Ashley Madison accounts created using an address from Arlington.

6. Roanoke, VA

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 8.9%

What’s the deal with the number of cheaters in this part of the country? And, on the east coast in general?

Roanoke is a very blue collar town with a staggeringly high 13% divorce rate. And you can bet that number will continue to stay high, as long as husbands are creating Ashley Madison accounts. (Which is still up and running, by the way.)

7. Irvine, CA

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 8.7%

Irvine can make a claim that it’s the king of west coast cheaters. Surprisingly, it’s the only city from California in the top 10. (Pasadena isn’t too far behind).

Irvine is an upper-middle class place in Orange County where people are highly educated, and where homes are far overpriced. The divorce rate is already inching towards 9% here.

8. Tempe, AZ

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 8.6%

Tempe is a major college town in Arizona, so several of the 10,000 or so accounts created from Tempe may have been from obnoxiously nosy frat kids. But still, this middle class town already has a 10% divorce rate as it is.

Perhaps, based on the percent of the population that’s already looking to cheat, it’s a good thing that only 35% of the population is currently married.

9. Alpharetta, GA

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 8.4%

Most of the residents of Alpharetta are white, successful, smart, rich working professionals who work in Atlanta.

There are a lot of married people in Alpharetta, and 10% of the population is divorced. There were a total of 11,357 accounts registered with an Alpharetta zip code.

10. Buffalo, NY

Wikipedia.

Percentage potentially cheating: 8.4%

There were more than 35,000 accounts registered with a Buffalo address on Ashley Madison. And Buffalo is far from a wealthy, successful town. Most of the population is very blue collar.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of family values on the east coast. Consider this: The midwest and upper midwest don’t have a city high on this list until you get to Lansing, Michigan (18th).

There You Have It

If you’re measuring the locations in the United States where there are a high number of Ashley Madison accounts registered per capita, and we can assume that people registering on the site are exploring the idea to cheat, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least cheating cities in America. Or the most faithful, if you will:

Brownsville, TX (2.5% cheaters) Laredo TX (2.9& cheaters) Hyattsville, MD (3.2% cheaters) Salinas, CA (3.3% cheaters) Garden Grove, CA (3.4% cheaters)

Mobile users: Click here to look at the entire spreadsheet with the worst cheating 250 cities in America. The chart is below.

Here are the states where we have city by city breakdowns loaded so far. You can get every city in each state in the charts on the following pages:

Minnesota

New York

North Carolina

Iowa

Mississippi

Washington

Maryland

Virginia

Wisconsin

West Virginia

Indiana

Connecticut

New Jersey

We also wrote about the worst places to live in America if you didn’t happen to see it. Click here to read it.

City % with accounts Rank Boston, MA 17.62% 1 Schenectady, NY 16.95% 2 New York, NY 15.15% 3 Washington, DC 13.19% 4 Arlington, VA 9.38% 5 Roanoke, VA 8.92% 6 Irvine, CA 8.75% 7 Tempe, AZ 8.62% 8 Alpharetta, GA 8.49% 9 Buffalo, NY 8.48% 10 Irving, TX 8.31% 11 Pasadena, CA 7.99% 12 Scottsdale, AZ 7.92% 13 Charleston, SC 7.90% 14 Clarksville, TN 7.80% 15 Los Angeles, CA 7.74% 16 Charlotte, NC 7.65% 17 Lansing, MI 7.64% 18 Oceanside, CA 7.61% 19 Madison, WI 7.54% 20 Boca Raton, FL 7.47% 21 Atlanta, GA 7.42% 22 Austin, TX 7.40% 23 Huntington Beach, CA 7.36% 24 Worcester, MA 7.32% 25 Fairfax, VA 7.27% 26 Syracuse, NY 7.19% 27 Fayetteville, NC 7.09% 28 Springfield, MO 7.08% 29 Norfolk, VA 7.03% 30 New Orleans, LA 7.01% 31 San Diego, CA 6.98% 32 Lexington, KY 6.95% 33 Tampa, FL 6.95% 34 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 6.93% 35 Virginia Beach, VA 6.82% 36 Nashville, TN 6.74% 37 Harrisburg, PA 6.69% 38 Greenville, SC 6.69% 39 Marietta, GA 6.68% 40 Bellevue, WA 6.65% 41 Plano, TX 6.65% 42 Kansas City, MO 6.64% 43 Colorado Springs, CO 6.62% 44 Lafayette, LA 6.59% 45 Fort Lauderdale, FL 6.58% 46 Fredericksburg, VA 6.56% 47 Dallas, TX 6.54% 48 Fort Worth, TX 6.51% 49 Columbia, SC 6.49% 50 Long Beach, CA 6.48% 51 Overland Park, KS 6.47% 52 Tulsa, OK 6.47% 53 Akron, OH 6.46% 54 Salt Lake City, UT 6.45% 55 Little Rock, AR 6.45% 56 Tacoma, WA 6.44% 57 Raleigh, NC 6.43% 58 Orlando, FL 6.41% 59 Huntsville, AL 6.34% 60 Boise, ID 6.34% 61 Henderson, NV 6.34% 62 Des Moines, IA 6.30% 63 Alexandria, VA 6.29% 64 Columbus, OH 6.28% 65 Arlington, TX 6.27% 66 Pittsburgh, PA 6.25% 67 San Francisco, CA 6.21% 68 Gainesville, FL 6.20% 69 Mckinney, TX 6.19% 70 North Hollywood, CA 6.19% 71 Lubbock, TX 6.18% 72 Augusta, GA 6.17% 73 Denver, CO 6.15% 74 Providence, RI 6.15% 75 Oklahoma City, OK 6.13% 76 Phoenix, AZ 6.09% 77 Columbus, GA 6.07% 78 Wilmington, NC 6.05% 79 Riverside, CA 6.05% 80 Rochester, NY 6.05% 81 Gilbert, AZ 6.04% 82 Savannah, GA 6.02% 83 Spring, TX 6.01% 84 Cincinnati, OH 6.00% 85 Chandler, AZ 6.00% 86 Philadelphia, PA 5.98% 87 Topeka, KS 5.94% 88 Cleveland, OH 5.93% 89 Toledo, OH 5.91% 90 Allentown, PA 5.91% 91 Amarillo, TX 5.89% 92 Sacramento, CA 5.88% 93 Aurora, CO 5.87% 94 Astoria, NY 5.87% 95 Houston, TX 5.87% 96 Reno, NV 5.83% 97 Omaha, NE 5.78% 98 Chattanooga, TN 5.78% 99 San Antonio, TX 5.77% 100 Miami, FL 5.75% 101 Corona, CA 5.73% 102 Grand Rapids, MI 5.73% 103 Jersey City, NJ 5.72% 104 Manassas, VA 5.72% 105 Springfield, IL 5.71% 106 Birmingham, AL 5.70% 107 Ontario, CA 5.70% 108 Staten Island, NY 5.69% 109 Las Vegas, NV 5.68% 110 Jacksonville, FL 5.67% 111 Seattle, WA 5.67% 112 Murfreesboro, TN 5.66% 113 Chicago, IL 5.65% 114 Tallahassee, FL 5.64% 115 Mesa, AZ 5.63% 116 Pompano Beach, FL 5.63% 117 Baton Rouge, LA 5.63% 118 Whittier, CA 5.62% 119 Baltimore, MD 5.61% 120 Greensboro, NC 5.61% 121 Dayton, OH 5.60% 122 Indianapolis, IN 5.59% 123 Hollywood, FL 5.59% 124 Anaheim, CA 5.58% 125 Richmond, VA 5.56% 126 Fort Collins, CO 5.54% 127 Fort Myers, FL 5.53% 128 Naperville, IL 5.52% 129 Woodbridge, VA 5.50% 130 Knoxville, TN 5.48% 131 Fresno, CA 5.48% 132 Louisville, KY 5.43% 133 Melbourne, FL 5.43% 134 Portland, OR 5.42% 135 Lancaster, PA 5.42% 136 Van Nuys, CA 5.40% 137 Newport News, VA 5.39% 138 Katy, TX 5.38% 139 Wichita, KS 5.38% 140 West Palm Beach, FL 5.36% 141 Canton, OH 5.34% 142 Decatur, GA 5.33% 143 Torrance, CA 5.32% 144 Cary, NC 5.31% 145 Wilmington, DE 5.30% 146 Glendale, AZ 5.29% 147 Clearwater, FL 5.28% 148 Lancaster, CA 5.28% 149 Minneapolis, MN 5.28% 150 Modesto, CA 5.27% 151 Glendale, CA 5.26% 152 Corpus Christi, TX 5.26% 153 South Bend, IN 5.24% 154 Spokane, WA 5.24% 155 Ogden, UT 5.21% 156 Yonkers, NY 5.21% 157 Hialeah, FL 5.21% 158 Lincoln, NE 5.18% 159 Bakersfield, CA 5.18% 160 Albuquerque, NM 5.16% 161 Peoria, AZ 5.14% 162 Trenton, NJ 5.13% 163 Edmond, OK 5.12% 164 El Paso, TX 5.08% 165 York, PA 5.07% 166 Pensacola, FL 5.06% 167 Saint Charles, MO 5.06% 168 Grand Prairie, TX 5.04% 169 Everett, WA 5.03% 170 San Bernardino, CA 5.02% 171 Erie, PA 5.02% 172 Anchorage, AK 5.01% 173 Newark, NJ 5.01% 174 Moreno Valley, CA 4.99% 175 Saint Louis, MO 4.99% 176 Fontana, CA 4.98% 177 Littleton, CO 4.98% 178 Sarasota, FL 4.95% 179 Lawrenceville, GA 4.95% 180 Aurora, IL 4.92% 181 Shreveport, LA 4.88% 182 Cape Coral, FL 4.88% 183 Olympia, WA 4.88% 184 Sioux Falls, SD 4.87% 185 Saint Petersburg, FL 4.86% 186 Jackson, MS 4.86% 187 Evansville, IN 4.85% 188 Reading, PA 4.84% 189 Winston Salem, NC 4.83% 190 Fort Wayne, IN 4.81% 191 Macon, GA 4.81% 192 Milwaukee, WI 4.81% 193 Youngstown, OH 4.80% 194 Tucson, AZ 4.80% 195 Beaverton, OR 4.78% 196 Palmdale, CA 4.78% 197 Mobile, AL 4.78% 198 Chula Vista, CA 4.78% 199 Durham, NC 4.77% 200 Eugene, OR 4.75% 201 Saint Paul, MN 4.72% 202 El Cajon, CA 4.71% 203 Chesapeake, VA 4.68% 204 Henrico, VA 4.66% 205 Lakeland, FL 4.66% 206 Montgomery, AL 4.66% 207 San Jose, CA 4.66% 208 Santa Rosa, CA 4.62% 209 Vancouver, WA 4.61% 210 Port Saint Lucie, FL 4.61% 211 Flint, MI 4.57% 212 Gaithersburg, MD 4.54% 213 North Las Vegas, NV 4.53% 214 Kissimmee, FL 4.51% 215 Green Bay, WI 4.46% 216 Detroit, MI 4.46% 217 Rockford, IL 4.45% 218 Brooklyn, NY 4.45% 219 Naples, FL 4.42% 220 Escondido, CA 4.41% 221 Jamaica, NY 4.39% 222 Salem, OR 4.38% 223 Boynton Beach, FL 4.37% 224 Memphis, TN 4.37% 225 Bradenton, FL 4.37% 226 Sugar Land, TX 4.36% 227 Oxnard, CA 4.32% 228 Honolulu, HI 4.31% 229 Sunnyvale, CA 4.25% 230 Lake Worth, FL 4.24% 231 Ocala, FL 4.21% 232 Kent, WA 4.18% 233 Stockton, CA 4.15% 234 Silver Spring, MD 4.10% 235 Garland, TX 4.08% 236 Oakland, CA 4.07% 237 Hayward, CA 4.02% 238 Elk Grove, CA 3.89% 239 Santa Ana, CA 3.78% 240 Renton, WA 3.75% 241 Fremont, CA 3.68% 242 Paterson, NJ 3.65% 243 Bronx, NY 3.57% 244 Flushing, NY 3.51% 245 Garden Grove, CA 3.45% 246 Salinas, CA 3.35% 247 Hyattsville, MD 3.29% 248 Laredo, TX 2.92% 249 Brownsville, TX 2.60% 250

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