Are you trying to find love in Massachusetts?
Or are you just looking to hook up?
Either way, we’ve got you covered here. At least, we’ll point you in the right direction – which is why you came here in the first place, right?
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who have remained single (not married) is growing. That means, people are dating a lot longer than they used to.
There are many reasons for that, including financial and cultural. And, we suspect smartphones and social media has a lot to do with it, too. After all, we’re all a lot more distracted these days.
If you live in Massachusetts, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Bay State ranks in the top 10 when it comes to number of people over the age of 18 who aren’t married, or in a serious relationship. That’s great news for people looking for their match.
So, where are the best cities for singles in Massachusetts? We’ve got the answers here.
These are the best cities for singles in Massachusetts. Try not to jump in the car with a dozen roses:
- Somerville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Cambridge (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Boston (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Chelsea (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Worcester (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Lowell (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Waltham (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Lawrence (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Holyoke (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Quincy (Photos | Homes For Sale)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each city ranked. If you live in or really close to one of these cities, and you’re single, you should probably get out more often. And stop staring at your phone. Just sayin’.
The most boring place in Massachusetts? That would be Newton.
And after you find a mate, you’ll no doubt want to start a family and buy a home right? Don’t forget to check out the best places to live in Massachusetts or the safest places to live in Massachusetts.
How do you determine which city is best for singles in Massachusetts anyways?
To give you the places in Massachusetts which are best for singles to find one another, we have 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.
How we crunched the numbers for the Bay State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2011-2015 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of Massachusetts, 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 populations over 13,000 people. For Massachusetts, that meant a total of 39 cities.
Read on to see why Somerville is the talk of the town while Newton is probably a bit on the boring side.
1. Somerville
Population: 79,507
Median Age: 31.6
Married households: 30.2%
Households with kids: 18.6%
More on Somerville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Somerville is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of 2010, the United States Census lists the city with a total population of 75,754 people, making it the most densely populated municipality in New England. As of 2010, it was the 16th most densely populated incorporated municipality in the country. Somerville was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from Charlestown. In 2006, the town was named the best-run city in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe. In 1972, in 2009, and again in 2015, the city received the All-America City Award.
2. Cambridge
Population: 108,757
Median Age: 30.5
Married households: 32.1%
Households with kids: 18.6%
More on Cambridge: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and part of the Boston metropolitan area.
3. Boston
Population: 658,279
Median Age: 31.7
Married households: 26.9%
Households with kids: 23.2%
More on Boston: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Boston BOSS-tn) is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. It is also the seat of Suffolk County, although the county government was disbanded on July 1, 1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles with an estimated population of 673,184 in 2016, making it the largest city in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area home to a census-estimated 4.8million people in 2016 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country. As a combined statistical area, this wider commuting region is home to some 8.2million people, making it the sixth-largest in the United States.
4. Chelsea
Population: 38,244
Median Age: 32.8
Married households: 30.5%
Households with kids: 40.0%
More on Chelsea: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of 2013, Chelsea had an estimated population of 36,828. It is also the second most densely populated city in Massachusetts behind Somerville. With a total area of just 2.21 square miles, Chelsea is the smallest city in Massachusetts in terms of total area.
5. Worcester
Population: 183,677
Median Age: 34.0
Married households: 33.8%
Households with kids: 28.0%
More on Worcester: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Worcester pronunciation is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city’s population was 181,045, making it the second most populous city in New England after Boston. Worcester is located approximately 40 miles west of Boston, 50 miles east of Springfield and 40 miles north of Providence. Due to its location in Central Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the ‘Heart of the Commonwealth’, thus, a heart is the official symbol of the city. However, the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the mass-produced Valentine’s Day card was invented in the city.
6. Lowell
Population: 109,871
Median Age: 32.9
Married households: 34.9%
Households with kids: 33.5%
More on Lowell: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Lowell is a city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Located in Middlesex County, Lowell was a county seat until Massachusetts disbanded county government in 1999. With an estimated population of 109,945 in 2014, it is the fourth-largest city in Massachusetts, and the second-largest in the Boston metropolitan statistical area. The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area called Greater Lowell, as well as New England’s Merrimack Valley region.
7. Waltham
Population: 62,699
Median Age: 33.7
Married households: 41.0%
Households with kids: 21.8%
More on Waltham: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning, spawning what became known as the Waltham-Lowell system of labor and production. The city is now a center for research and higher education, home to Brandeis University and Bentley University. The population was 60,636 at the census in 2010.
8. Lawrence
Population: 79,337
Median Age: 31.0
Married households: 29.7%
Households with kids: 41.5%
More on Lawrence: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,377, which had risen to an estimated 78,197 as of 2014. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. Lawrence and Salem are the county seats of Essex County. Lawrence is part of the Merrimack Valley.
9. Holyoke
Population: 40,280
Median Age: 34.4
Married households: 33.0%
Households with kids: 33.7%
More on Holyoke: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 39,880. As of 2016, the estimated population was 40,280. Sitting 8 miles north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts.
10. Quincy
Population: 93,349
Median Age: 39.2
Married households: 38.7%
Households with kids: 24.3%
More on Quincy: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Quincy is the largest city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a major part of Metropolitan Boston and is Boston’s immediate southern suburb. Its population in 2014 was 93,397, making it the 8th-largest city in the state. Known as the ‘City of Presidents,’ Quincy is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents – John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams – as well as John Hancock, a President of the Continental Congress and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
There You Have It – The Best Cities for Singles in Massachusetts
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Massachusetts ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.
Here’s a look at the most boring cities in Massachusetts according to the data:
- Newton
- Leominster
- Newburyport
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
Detailed List Of The Best Cities For Singles In Massachusetts
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Somerville | 1 |
| Cambridge | 2 |
| Boston | 3 |
| Chelsea | 4 |
| Worcester | 5 |
| Lowell | 6 |
| Waltham | 7 |
| Lawrence | 8 |
| Holyoke | 9 |
| Quincy | 10 |
| Lynn | 11 |
| Salem | 12 |
| Medford | 13 |
| Malden | 14 |
| Springfield | 15 |
| Revere | 16 |
| Everett | 17 |
| Fitchburg | 18 |
| Chicopee | 19 |
| New Bedford | 20 |
| Fall River | 21 |
| Gardner | 22 |
| Woburn | 23 |
| Brockton | 24 |
| Westfield | 25 |
| North Adams | 26 |
| Melrose | 27 |
| Northampton | 28 |
| Pittsfield | 29 |
| Beverly | 30 |
| Peabody | 31 |
| Marlborough | 32 |
| Haverhill | 33 |
| Gloucester | 34 |
| Attleboro | 35 |
| Taunton | 36 |
| Newburyport | 37 |
| Leominster | 38 |
| Newton | 39 |
