Population and Social Characteristics
This Is the Loneliest City In the US
Published:
There were 37.1 million one-person households — people living alone — in the United States in 2022, or 28.6% of the nearly 130 million U.S. households. Looking at the entire adult population (that is, civilian and noninstitutionalized), we find that 14% are living alone. About 14.5 million of those living alone, or 40.1%, are 65 and older, which means the majority of one-person households nationwide are younger than 65 years of age.
Of course, living alone does not necessarily mean being lonely or not being in a relationship. Still, we associate stages in life — being older or a young worker — with living alone. Therefore, it is interesting to find in which cities the most people live alone.
To find the loneliest cities nationwide, 24/7 Wall St. used Census Bureau data, ranking 384 metro areas and the District of Columbia by the share of nonfamily households living alone out of all households. We added the share of people living alone as a percentage of the civilian, noninstitutionalized 16+ population. All data, including monthly gross rent and bachelor’s degree attainment rate, came from the 2022 American Community Survey either one-year or five-year estimates.
At least 25 of the cities on the list are in the Midwest, 13 are in the South, seven in the West region, and four in the Northeast, including three cities in New York state. While Florida is always painted as a state attracting retirees, only one city is in the Sunshine state. On the other hand, Six cities are in Ohio and six in Illinois, four in Michigan, and three in Wisconsin, pointing perhaps to economic conditions that have driven populations away more than other factors. For example, with the exception of one city, rents and median household incomes are lower than the national average in all the cities on the list. (Also see: The Top City to Live in Each State)
So which is the loneliest city? With nearly half of all households living alone, or nearly 30% of the civilian adult population (double the national average), the nation’s capital has been dubbed “the loneliest city.” And unlike other cities on the list, just 23% of those one-person households are 65 years and over.
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