The 10 Best Cities For Singles In California For 2024


The best cities for singles in California are Los Angeles and Emeryville for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you looking for love in California?

Or are you just hoping to hook up with a hot Californian?

Either way, we’ve got you covered here.

If you live in California, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Golden State has plenty of people over 18 who aren’t married or in a serious relationship.

That’s great news for people who are single and looking to mingle.

So, where are the best cities for singles in California? We used Saturday Night Science to find out.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Best Cities For Singles In California For 2024

  1. Los Angeles
  2. Emeryville
  3. Berkeley
  4. Santa Cruz
  5. San Mateo
  6. Azusa
  7. Arcata
  8. Santa Monica
  9. Paramount
  10. Bell Gardens

Best Cities For Singles In California Map

So, what was the best city for singles in California? Los Angeles ranks as the best place for singles in California if you care about things singles care about, like nightlife, affordable housing, and other singles.

Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each city ranked. If you live in or are close to one of these cities and are single, you should probably get out more often.

Just saying.

For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Best Cities For Singles In California For 2024

Los Angeles, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Nserrano | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,881,041
Median Age: 36.5
Married households: 10.0%
Households with kids: 27.8%
More on Los Angeles: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Review Of Los Angeles by HomeSnacks User

There is some crime going on, but it really depends where in LA you’re staying at. What I love is that everything is in close proximity so you don’t need to go very far. Also, they have so many amazing restaurants to check out and love. There are so many different cultures, and that’s what I really like about it.

There is a lot of graffiti and homeless people living in LA, so it makes you not want to go to certain locations. It is also very very overpopulated, and because of this, there is always too much traffic. What should only take 30 minutes to get to, takes over an hour.

Emeryville, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 12,840
Median Age: 35.8
Married households: 8.0%
Households with kids: 9.4%
More on Emeryville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Berkeley, CA

Source: Wikipedia User User:Introvert | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 121,385
Median Age: 32.5
Married households: 11.0%
Households with kids: 19.2%
More on Berkeley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Review Of Berkeley by HomeSnacks User

Berkeley welcomes all homeless, does nothing to dissuade transient crime, bums are deeply comfortable strewing their trash and feces all over the streets and have taken over downtown.

Berkeley is the perfect college town! There are so many amazing places to eat and hangout, and the weather is usually pretty nice.

Berkeley is a wonderful city full of an interesting, open-minded and intelligent group of people. The city is very culturally diverse and open to accepting anyone from anywhere. The food scene is to die for and if organically grown is what you live by, look no further than Berkeley grocery stores, farmers markets and more.

Santa Cruz, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Aaronbrick | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 61,367
Median Age: 29.5
Married households: 14.0%
Households with kids: 21.5%
More on Santa Cruz: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Review Of Santa Cruz by HomeSnacks User

Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places on the planet. It has a laid-back, surfer, hippie feel to it. While I would recommend holding on to one’s purse in the downtown area, the overall feel of Santa Cruz is one of chic cafes, interesting shops, artsy souvenirs, street musicians, bookstores, etc.

One of my favorite places includes Miramar’s on the wharf. I love the restaurant’s glass wall that allows me to watch surfers, sea lions and sailboats while I indulge in clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

I especially love being in Santa Cruz for the Woodies on the Wharf parade. The classic cars are a beautiful sight against the sun, the sand and the surf.

San Mateo, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 104,165
Median Age: 38.1
Married households: 16.0%
Households with kids: 28.5%
More on San Mateo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Azusa, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Los Angeles | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 49,704
Median Age: 32.8
Married households: 14.0%
Households with kids: 35.6%
More on Azusa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Arcata, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Tony | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 18,536
Median Age: 27.2
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 19.0%
More on Arcata: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Santa Monica, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 92,168
Median Age: 42.1
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 16.8%
More on Santa Monica: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Paramount, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 53,255
Median Age: 31.9
Married households: 10.0%
Households with kids: 48.7%
More on Paramount: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Bell Gardens, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 39,263
Median Age: 31.1
Married households: 7.0%
Households with kids: 51.6%
More on Bell Gardens: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in California anyways?

To give you the places in California which are best for singles to find one another, we used Saturday Night Science to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city and make some assumptions about what single people like.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2018-2022 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of California, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Population density
  • % of population that’s male vs. female (closer to a 50-50 ratio is better)
  • % of households with kids
  • Median age
  • Number of unmarried people in each city

We then gave each city a “Singles Score.”

The higher the score, the better the city is for singles to find one another. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For California, that meant a total of 361 cities.

We updated this article for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the best cities for singles in California.

Read on to see why Los Angeles is the talk of the town while Norco is probably a bit on the bland side.

Summary: The Best Cities for Singles in California for 2024

If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in California ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.

The best cities for singles in California are Los Angeles, Emeryville, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Azusa, Arcata, Santa Monica, Paramount, and Bell Gardens.

Here’s a look at the most boring cities in California according to the data:

  1. Norco
  2. Lincoln
  3. Brentwood

For more California reading, check out:

Best Cities For Singles In California

Rank City Population Median Age % Married Households % Households /w Kids
1 Los Angeles, CA 3,881,041 36.5 10.0% 27.8%
2 Emeryville, CA 12,840 35.8 8.0% 9.4%
3 Berkeley, CA 121,385 32.5 11.0% 19.2%
4 Santa Cruz, CA 61,367 29.5 14.0% 21.5%
5 San Mateo, CA 104,165 38.1 16.0% 28.5%
6 Azusa, CA 49,704 32.8 14.0% 35.6%
7 Arcata, CA 18,536 27.2 9.0% 19.0%
8 Santa Monica, CA 92,168 42.1 9.0% 16.8%
9 Paramount, CA 53,255 31.9 10.0% 48.7%
10 Bell Gardens, CA 39,263 31.1 7.0% 51.6%
11 Lynwood, CA 66,346 32.3 10.0% 51.2%
12 Long Beach, CA 462,293 36.1 15.0% 28.9%
13 San Luis Obispo, CA 47,529 25.2 16.0% 14.2%
14 Signal Hill, CA 11,678 36.8 17.0% 27.1%
15 Davis, CA 67,203 26.3 14.0% 20.6%
16 Parlier, CA 14,625 28.2 9.0% 55.0%
17 Cudahy, CA 22,657 30.7 8.0% 47.2%
18 San Francisco, CA 851,036 39.3 9.0% 18.4%
19 Oakland, CA 437,825 37.5 12.0% 26.4%
20 Inglewood, CA 106,806 37.3 10.0% 32.5%
21 Baldwin Park, CA 71,692 37.1 10.0% 40.8%
22 Huntington Park, CA 54,547 33.5 7.0% 47.7%
23 Buena Park, CA 83,542 36.9 16.0% 36.6%
24 East Palo Alto, CA 29,520 34.3 8.0% 38.0%
25 San Pablo, CA 31,907 33.2 9.0% 46.5%
26 Hawthorne, CA 86,978 33.3 11.0% 37.9%
27 El Monte, CA 108,682 37.4 8.0% 39.1%
28 San Gabriel, CA 39,211 44.3 10.0% 29.8%
29 South San Francisco, CA 65,596 42.3 16.0% 29.7%
30 Redondo Beach, CA 70,620 40.1 17.0% 30.4%
31 Bell, CA 33,377 33.7 8.0% 47.2%
32 Seaside, CA 32,291 34.0 12.0% 35.3%
33 Mountain View, CA 82,132 35.5 9.0% 27.6%
34 Rosemead, CA 51,043 43.1 7.0% 35.0%
35 Santa Maria, CA 109,543 29.3 13.0% 49.1%
36 Santa Paula, CA 30,788 34.6 18.0% 38.8%
37 Garden Grove, CA 171,637 39.2 12.0% 37.6%
38 Watsonville, CA 52,457 33.0 13.0% 43.6%
39 Hawaiian Gardens, CA 14,011 32.7 10.0% 45.5%
40 West Hollywood, CA 35,358 40.3 5.0% 4.0%
41 Escondido, CA 151,114 36.5 16.0% 34.0%
42 Imperial Beach, CA 26,157 33.7 16.0% 33.3%
43 Pasadena, CA 137,554 39.9 14.0% 22.0%
44 San Diego, CA 1,383,987 35.8 13.0% 27.6%
45 South Gate, CA 92,381 33.7 11.0% 47.3%
46 San Leandro, CA 89,723 41.5 15.0% 28.9%
47 Tustin, CA 79,514 36.2 16.0% 36.3%
48 Westminster, CA 90,638 41.6 12.0% 35.6%
49 Santa Barbara, CA 88,640 39.6 16.0% 22.9%
50 Oceanside, CA 173,722 37.5 18.0% 30.7%
51 Sunnyvale, CA 154,573 35.1 9.0% 31.4%
52 Irvine, CA 304,527 33.8 11.0% 34.1%
53 Sacramento, CA 523,600 35.2 18.0% 30.1%
54 Santa Clara, CA 128,058 34.5 11.0% 29.6%
55 Cerritos, CA 49,016 46.6 13.0% 30.7%
56 El Centro, CA 44,184 32.2 17.0% 42.4%
57 Alhambra, CA 82,295 41.1 11.0% 28.0%
58 Monterey, CA 30,007 36.8 17.0% 18.1%
59 Fresno, CA 541,528 32.1 20.0% 38.2%
60 Norwalk, CA 101,893 35.6 16.0% 43.3%
61 Maywood, CA 25,009 31.8 6.0% 51.5%
62 Fountain Valley, CA 56,754 44.3 16.0% 30.9%
63 Fullerton, CA 142,280 35.5 18.0% 33.0%
64 South Pasadena, CA 26,583 40.6 20.0% 33.3%
65 San Bruno, CA 43,218 39.0 19.0% 30.8%
66 San Fernando, CA 23,958 35.8 15.0% 40.8%
67 Campbell, CA 43,464 39.3 18.0% 32.3%
68 Santa Ana, CA 311,379 33.4 10.0% 44.6%
69 Pomona, CA 149,831 34.4 14.0% 41.2%
70 South El Monte, CA 19,694 37.4 9.0% 41.8%
71 Farmersville, CA 10,393 29.4 16.0% 51.2%
72 Oxnard, CA 202,279 33.5 14.0% 44.5%
73 San Bernardino, CA 221,041 31.2 16.0% 44.9%
74 Carson, CA 94,475 41.3 12.0% 35.3%
75 Vista, CA 98,392 34.9 17.0% 37.1%
76 Port Hueneme, CA 21,847 34.8 16.0% 34.7%
77 Compton, CA 94,822 33.4 12.0% 46.6%
78 Stanton, CA 38,271 37.4 11.0% 36.0%
79 Atwater, CA 31,841 33.5 20.0% 42.7%
80 Monterey Park, CA 60,386 44.7 11.0% 27.4%
81 Marysville, CA 12,681 33.6 16.0% 36.4%
82 Chula Vista, CA 276,103 36.1 17.0% 43.0%
83 Huntington Beach, CA 197,481 43.3 24.0% 25.2%
84 El Cajon, CA 105,721 35.6 16.0% 37.4%
85 Costa Mesa, CA 111,490 36.4 19.0% 27.4%
86 Lawndale, CA 31,553 35.4 12.0% 37.2%
87 Richmond, CA 115,619 37.1 10.0% 35.9%
88 Moreno Valley, CA 209,578 31.8 17.0% 48.6%
89 Anaheim, CA 347,111 35.4 15.0% 37.3%
90 Montebello, CA 62,056 38.0 14.0% 33.9%
91 Riverside, CA 316,076 32.4 19.0% 39.8%
92 San Jose, CA 1,001,176 37.8 12.0% 35.3%
93 Salinas, CA 162,783 31.7 14.0% 48.0%
94 Lemon Grove, CA 27,482 37.5 20.0% 34.4%
95 Lomita, CA 20,662 40.5 20.0% 28.0%
96 Glendale, CA 194,512 41.1 9.0% 27.5%
97 Hermosa Beach, CA 19,551 40.2 16.0% 22.2%
98 South Lake Tahoe, CA 21,346 38.9 14.0% 23.6%
99 Torrance, CA 145,454 42.9 17.0% 29.6%
100 Chico, CA 102,790 30.4 21.0% 24.9%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.