Are you trying to find love in West Virginia?
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 West Virginia, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Mountain 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 West Virginia? We’ve got the answers here.
These are the best cities for singles in West Virginia for 2019. Try not to jump in the car with a dozen roses:
- Huntington (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Morgantown (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Buckhannon (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Keyser (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Grafton (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Elkins (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Dunbar (Homes For Sale)
- Wheeling (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Fairmont (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Martinsburg (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 West Virginia? That would be Bridgeport.
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 West Virginia or the safest places to live in West Virginia.
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In West Virginia
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In West Virginia
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In West Virginia
How do you determine which city is best for singles in West Virginia anyways?
To give you the places in West Virginia 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 Mountain State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2013-2017 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of West Virginia, 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 5,000 people. For West Virginia, that meant a total of 26 cities.
Read on to see why Huntington is the talk of the town while Bridgeport is probably a bit on the boring side.
/10
Population: 48,034
Median Age: 34.3
Married households: 29.8%
Households with kids: 20.3%
More on Huntington: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Huntington is a city in Cabell County and Wayne County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and largest city in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A historic and bustling city of commerce and heavy industry, Huntington has long-flourished due to its ideal location on the Ohio River at the mouth of the Guyandotte River. It is home to the Port of Huntington Tri-State, the busiest inland port in the United States.
/10
Population: 30,099
Median Age: 24.1
Married households: 29.2%
Households with kids: 14.7%
More on Morgantown: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, situated along the banks of the Monongahela River. With a permanent population of 31,073 per the 2015 U.S. Census estimates, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia. The Morgantown metropolitan area has a population of 138,176, and is the 3rd largest in West Virginia. West Virginia University adds several thousand seasonal residents to the city and surrounding area from September through May. Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University and the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system.
/10
Population: 5,596
Median Age: 32.2
Married households: 35.8%
Households with kids: 19.3%
More on Buckhannon: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,639 at the 2010 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, held annually on the third week of May. The city is located 115 miles northeast from the capital city of Charleston and 140 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
/10
Population: 5,183
Median Age: 33.8
Married households: 37.8%
Households with kids: 25.9%
More on Keyser: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Keyser is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,439 at the 2010 census.
/10
Population: 5,118
Median Age: 43.4
Married households: 33.3%
Households with kids: 19.7%
More on Grafton: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Grafton is a city in – and the county seat of – Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,164 at the 2010 census. Both of West Virginia’s national cemeteries are located in Grafton. Mother’s Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908 and the city is home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Grafton was one of the first places to observe Memorial Day in the United States. Grafton originally developed as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, serving numerous branches vital to the local coal industry.
/10
Population: 7,154
Median Age: 36.4
Married households: 36.2%
Households with kids: 21.2%
More on Elkins: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, USA. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins, a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,094 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County. Elkins is home to Davis and Elkins College and to the Mountain State Forest Festival, held in early October every year.
/10
Population: 7,571
Median Age: 46.8
Married households: 34.4%
Households with kids: 17.0%
More on Dunbar: Homes For Sale | Data
Dunbar is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. The population was 7,907 at the 2010 census.
/10
Population: 27,521
Median Age: 45.0
Married households: 37.0%
Households with kids: 18.3%
More on Wheeling: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Wheeling was originally a settlement in the British colony of Virginia and later an important city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Wheeling was the first state capital of West Virginia. Due to its location along major transportation routes, including the Ohio River, National Road, and the B&O Railroad, Wheeling became a manufacturing center in the late nineteenth century. After experiencing the closing of factories and substantial population loss following World War II, Wheeling’s major industries now include healthcare, education, law and legal services, entertainment and tourism, and energy.
/10
Population: 18,575
Median Age: 34.5
Married households: 37.8%
Households with kids: 25.8%
More on Fairmont: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marion County.
/10
Population: 17,451
Median Age: 34.6
Married households: 29.0%
Households with kids: 24.9%
More on Martinsburg: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Martinsburg is a city in and the county seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, in the tip of the state’s Eastern Panhandle region. Its population was 17,687 in the 2016 census estimate, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the ninth-largest municipality in the state. Martinsburg is part of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.
There You Have It – The Best Cities for Singles in West Virginia for 2019
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in West Virginia 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 West Virginia according to the data:
- Bridgeport
- Nitro
- Hurricane
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In West Virginia
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In West Virginia
- 10 Safest Places In West Virginia
Detailed List Of The Best Cities For Singles In West Virginia
Rank | City |
---|---|
1 | Huntington, WV |
2 | Morgantown, WV |
3 | Buckhannon, WV |
4 | Keyser, WV |
5 | Grafton, WV |
6 | Elkins, WV |
7 | Dunbar, WV |
8 | Wheeling, WV |
9 | Fairmont, WV |
10 | Martinsburg, WV |
11 | Charleston, WV |
12 | Clarksburg, WV |
13 | Princeton, WV |
14 | Oak Hill, WV |
15 | St. Albans, WV |
16 | Parkersburg, WV |
17 | Moundsville, WV |
18 | Beckley, WV |
19 | Vienna, WV |
20 | New Martinsville, WV |
21 | Weirton, WV |
22 | South Charleston, WV |
23 | Bluefield, WV |
24 | Hurricane, WV |
25 | Nitro, WV |
26 | Bridgeport, WV |