Singles, good luck finding love in Kansas — you’ll need it, study finds

Finding love is hard.

Finding love — or even just a good date — in Kansas can be even harder. That’s according to a study released by WalletHub just ahead of Valentine’s Day. The study looked at “2019’s Best & Worst States for Singles.”

“Everyone has different priorities when searching for love, but certain places simply make dating easier than others,” the personal finance website says.

And the Sunflower State does not make it any easier, the study found. Kansas is ranked as the 42nd best state for singles, which is a nicer way of saying the ninth worst state in the U.S.

This also means the state didn’t improve from this time last year. Kansas was bad for singles then, too, according to the 2018 study.

So, Kansans, if you’re single and having a hard time finding love — maybe give yourself a little break. It might not be entirely your fault.

“Besides your looks, personality, interests and employment status, your location can influence your odds of finding a romantic partner,” WalletHub said.

To find out just what locations are better or worse for finding a romantic partner, WalletHub looked at three different categories: “dating opportunities,” “dating economics” and “romance and fun.”

Opportunities included metrics like the number of single adults, the gender balance of those singles and mobile-dating availability (that meant looking at the “percentage of adults with a smartphone). That first category was worth 50 points.

In “dating economics,” WalletHub looked at movie costs, the average price of beer in the state, the unemployment rate for singles and the median credit score, among other metrics. This category was worth 25 points.

“Romance and fun” was also worth 25 points. In this category, metrics including nightlife options per capita, the crime rate and movie theaters per capita were evaluated.

The points each state earned in 28 different metrics within the three categories were averaged and used to rank the 50 states, according to the study.

Kansas ranked 43rd best in dating opportunities, ninth best in dating economics and 40th in romance and fun.

Each of Kansas’ surrounding states fared better for singles in the rankings. Colorado is the 15th best, Missouri is the 17th best, Nebraska is 35th best and Oklahoma is 37th best, the study found.

And if you’re really looking for love, states like Florida, California and Texas make it easier, according to the data analyzed by WalletHub. The worst states are North Dakota, Arkansas and West Virginia, the study says.

This map shows how each of the states were ranked in the study:

Good luck, singles.

This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 8:43 AM.