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Dating During the Pandemic

13:00 December 04, 2020
By: Lawrence Bourgeois

Even during a global pandemic, political turmoil, economic hardship, and more, love will still find a way. Dating and the search for romance will always be a part of society, so long as humans remain social creatures, and these times are no different than others in that regard. Financial website WalletHub has recently concluded a study detailing the best and worst cities for searching singles in 2020. Nearly 200 cities across the nation were extensively studied using multiple parameters, such as the cost of typical date plans, such as dinner and a movie, or the most online dating opportunities.

Online dating services of all stripes have expectedly experienced skyrocketing usage rates given the social situation of the past nine months. Giants like Tinder and Bumble have seen an especially large increase in users due to their extreme simplicity and ease of use. Unfortunately for Louisiana lovers-to-be, our three surveyed cities rank nowhere even near the top of the list, with our highest ranking being Baton Rouge in 89th place. Shreveport and New Orleans rank 168th and 113th respectively, so we sadly do not average out much higher overall. As for why we are romantically challenged here in NOLA, WalletHub ranked our city 23rd for fun and recreation, 95th for dating opportunities, and 171st for economics, averaging out to an overall score of 51.70 for the Big Easy—and making finding love a little less easy.

With our state and especially New Orleans back into a modified Phase Two, prospects for singles in the area are not exactly dazzling. Of course, while this is an excellent study with respectable guidelines and parameters, it must be borne in mind at all times that love can bloom anywhere at any time. Times may be tough and water may be high, but keeping an open heart while you do your part to help everyone back on their feet is the surest way to set yourself up for finding love. The love of your life might be just six feet away.

You can view the full study alongside an interactive map showcasing the cities and applicable parameters HERE.


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