24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Tens of millions of Americans relocated to a new home in 2022, and single adults accounted for a considerable share of those moves.
- While unmarried Americans aged 15 and up relocated to virtually every corner of the country, the single population appear to have some clear preferences on where to live.
- Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever
Every year in the United States, millions of Americans pack up and move to a new home — and a large portion of these moves are motivated by simple economics. These groups include first time home buyers moving out of their apartments, families relocating to more affordable neighborhoods, and workers moving to take, or find, a new job. However, for a smaller — but still significant — share of movers in the U.S., the decision to move is not one guided by the household budget or employment opportunities, but rather, by their romantic relationships.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than one in every 10 Americans who moved in 2022 did so because of a change in marital status or for a relationship with a partner. Even when a given move is not directly related to these factors, single adults are among the most geographically mobile demographic groups in the United States, and where they choose to relocate has a meaningful impact on the composition of communities across the country.
Five-year estimates from the Census’ American Community Survey Show that of the nearly 41 million people who moved within the U.S. in 2022, over 22.7 million were in the 15 and older age group and had either never been married, or were divorced, separated, or widowed.
While some number of singles moved to virtually every corner of the U.S. in 2022, certain parts of the country stand out as magnets for unmarried or separated Americans in the 15 and older age group.
Using five-year data from the 2022 ACS, 24/7 Wall St. identified the U.S. counties and county equivalents single Americans are flocking to. Counties, as well as independent cities, are ranked on the number of people aged 15 and up who have either never been married, or are divorced, separated, or widowed who moved there in 2022 from a different county, a different state, or from abroad. To focus on places single Americans are moving to, relocations to a new home within a given county were not considered in this ranking.
Every county or county equivalent on this list reported an influx of at least 40,000 single Americans in 2022. One of these places drew in more than 150,000 separated or unmarried Americans who were at least 15 years old that year.
The 40 counties on this list span 18 states and Washington D.C. Collectively, these counties drew in nearly 2.6 million unmarried or separated Americans 15 or older in 2022. Nine of these counties are in California, six are in Texas, and five are in Florida. (Here is a look at the fastest shrinking states in America.)
While these counties are spread across the country, one feature they all share is their location within, or in commuting distance to, a large city. Each of these counties are part of a major metropolitan area — including the greater Dallas, Miami, and New York metro areas, each of which are home to three counties on this list. Many of these same places are already home to large unmarried adult populations. (Here is a look at the cities no one wants to live in anymore.)
Why It Matters
Nearly 23 million Americans aged 15 and up who were either separated or unmarried moved to a new home in 2022. Members of this demographic group are spread across the country, and those with the means and the desire to relocate have some clear preferences on where to live. There are only 40 counties nationwide that reported an influx of more than 40,000 single Americans in 2022.
40. Multnomah County, Oregon
- New single residents: 40,185 (5.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 42.0% married; 40.7% never married; 13.6% divorced or separated; 3.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 398,474 (58.0% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 38.4 years old
- Location: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area
39. Davidson County, Tennessee
- New single residents: 40,600 (6.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 40.7% married; 41.5% never married; 13.2% divorced or separated; 4.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 348,250 (59.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.2 years old
- Location: Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area
38. Fairfax County, Virginia
- New single residents: 41,193 (4.4% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 55.7% married; 31.7% never married; 8.7% divorced or separated; 3.8% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 410,377 (44.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 39.0 years old
- Location: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
37. Denton County, Texas
- New single residents: 41,696 (5.7% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 55.6% married; 29.8% never married; 11.1% divorced or separated; 3.5% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 326,662 (44.4% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 36.9 years old
- Location: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area
36. Palm Beach County, Florida
- New single residents: 44,011 (3.5% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 46.9% married; 31.0% never married; 14.4% divorced or separated; 7.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 671,065 (53.1% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 45.6 years old
- Location: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area
35. Queens County, New York
- New single residents: 44,683 (2.3% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 46.0% married; 38.2% never married; 10.1% divorced or separated; 5.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,061,804 (54.0% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 40.2 years old
- Location: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area
34. Sacramento County, California
- New single residents: 44,882 (3.5% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 45.8% married; 36.1% never married; 13.1% divorced or separated; 5.0% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 691,360 (54.2% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.2 years old
- Location: Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA metro area
33. Wake County, North Carolina
- New single residents: 44,955 (4.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 51.3% married; 33.7% never married; 11.1% divorced or separated; 3.9% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 445,561 (48.7% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.4 years old
- Location: Raleigh, NC metro area
32. San Francisco County, California
- New single residents: 45,523 (6.0% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 40.3% married; 45.7% never married; 9.3% divorced or separated; 4.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 449,733 (59.7% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 39.5 years old
- Location: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA metro area
31. Washington D.C.
- New single residents: 46,408 (8.3% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 31.3% married; 55.2% never married; 10.0% divorced or separated; 3.5% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 386,101 (68.7% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.1 years old
- Location: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
30. Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
- New single residents: 46,560 (5.2% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 44.5% married; 39.4% never married; 12.2% divorced or separated; 3.9% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 500,627 (55.5% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.8 years old
- Location: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area
29. Franklin County, Ohio
- New single residents: 47,346 (4.5% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 42.7% married; 39.8% never married; 13.0% divorced or separated; 4.5% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 607,530 (57.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.0 years old
- Location: Columbus, OH metro area
28. Broward County, Florida
- New single residents: 49,083 (3.1% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 44.4% married; 34.3% never married; 15.5% divorced or separated; 5.8% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 893,097 (55.6% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 41.3 years old
- Location: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area
27. Hennepin County, Minnesota
- New single residents: 52,627 (5.1% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 47.2% married; 37.9% never married; 10.9% divorced or separated; 4.0% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 549,551 (52.8% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.5 years old
- Location: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area
26. San Bernardino County, California
- New single residents: 54,613 (3.2% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 46.1% married; 38.3% never married; 11.2% divorced or separated; 4.4% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 924,416 (53.9% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 34.3 years old
- Location: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area
25. Miami-Dade County, Florida
- New single residents: 55,533 (2.5% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 42.9% married; 36.0% never married; 15.4% divorced or separated; 5.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,280,221 (57.1% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 40.9 years old
- Location: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area
24. Alameda County, California
- New single residents: 55,845 (4.0% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 48.8% married; 37.4% never married; 9.2% divorced or separated; 4.5% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 709,493 (51.2% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 38.7 years old
- Location: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA metro area
23. Clark County, Nevada
- New single residents: 56,223 (3.1% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 44.2% married; 35.6% never married; 15.2% divorced or separated; 5.1% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,027,259 (55.8% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 38.2 years old
- Location: Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metro area
22. Denver County, Colorado
- New single residents: 56,619 (9.5% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 39.7% married; 43.9% never married; 13.1% divorced or separated; 3.4% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 360,982 (60.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.2 years old
- Location: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO metro area
21. Santa Clara County, California
- New single residents: 57,375 (3.6% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 52.1% married; 35.2% never married; 8.4% divorced or separated; 4.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 757,807 (47.9% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 38.0 years old
- Location: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area
20. Hillsborough County, Florida
- New single residents: 57,937 (4.8% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 45.1% married; 35.7% never married; 14.1% divorced or separated; 5.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 660,384 (54.9% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 38.0 years old
- Location: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area
19. Riverside County, California
- New single residents: 58,471 (3.0% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 48.8% married; 35.3% never married; 11.2% divorced or separated; 4.8% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 992,940 (51.2% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 36.7 years old
- Location: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area
18. Tarrant County, Texas
- New single residents: 59,255 (3.6% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 48.7% married; 34.1% never married; 12.5% divorced or separated; 4.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 855,151 (51.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.3 years old
- Location: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area
17. Bexar County, Texas
- New single residents: 60,085 (3.8% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 44.2% married; 36.9% never married; 14.0% divorced or separated; 4.9% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 890,540 (55.8% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 34.6 years old
- Location: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area
16. Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- New single residents: 61,144 (4.7% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 31.7% married; 50.7% never married; 12.1% divorced or separated; 5.6% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 890,984 (68.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.2 years old
- Location: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area
15. Suffolk County, Massachusetts
- New single residents: 61,505 (9.1% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 32.7% married; 53.1% never married; 10.1% divorced or separated; 4.0% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 456,027 (67.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 33.8 years old
- Location: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area
14. Fulton County, Georgia
- New single residents: 65,115 (7.4% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 39.0% married; 44.6% never married; 12.2% divorced or separated; 4.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 535,066 (61.0% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 36.4 years old
- Location: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area
13. Travis County, Texas
- New single residents: 65,377 (6.1% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 46.1% married; 39.3% never married; 11.4% divorced or separated; 3.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 574,223 (53.9% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 35.4 years old
- Location: Austin-Round Rock, TX metro area
12. Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- New single residents: 67,134 (4.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 49.9% married; 36.7% never married; 8.8% divorced or separated; 4.6% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 682,997 (50.1% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 39.1 years old
- Location: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area
11. Orange County, Florida
- New single residents: 67,373 (5.7% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 43.8% married; 39.2% never married; 13.0% divorced or separated; 4.0% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 659,143 (56.2% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 36.2 years old
- Location: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area
10. Kings County, New York
- New single residents: 70,837 (3.3% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 40.3% married; 44.4% never married; 10.1% divorced or separated; 5.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,294,897 (59.7% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 36.3 years old
- Location: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area
9. Orange County, California
- New single residents: 74,794 (2.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 49.8% married; 35.1% never married; 10.5% divorced or separated; 4.6% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,314,950 (50.2% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 39.1 years old
- Location: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area
8. Dallas County, Texas
- New single residents: 79,923 (3.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 44.8% married; 38.8% never married; 12.3% divorced or separated; 4.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,132,393 (55.2% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 34.2 years old
- Location: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area
7. San Diego County, California
- New single residents: 87,135 (3.2% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 47.9% married; 36.3% never married; 11.3% divorced or separated; 4.5% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,410,541 (52.1% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.1 years old
- Location: San Diego-Carlsbad, CA metro area
6. King County, Washington
- New single residents: 87,926 (4.7% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 49.5% married; 36.0% never married; 10.8% divorced or separated; 3.7% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 950,794 (50.5% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.5 years old
- Location: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area
5. New York County, New York
- New single residents: 104,710 (7.2% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 34.5% married; 49.7% never married; 11.1% divorced or separated; 4.6% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 946,275 (65.5% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 38.8 years old
- Location: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metro area
4. Harris County, Texas
- New single residents: 108,234 (2.9% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 46.5% married; 37.4% never married; 11.9% divorced or separated; 4.2% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,976,299 (53.5% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 34.5 years old
- Location: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro area
3. Maricopa County, Arizona
- New single residents: 108,594 (3.0% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 47.7% married; 34.6% never married; 12.9% divorced or separated; 4.8% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 1,878,671 (52.3% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.5 years old
- Location: Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ metro area
2. Cook County, Illinois
- New single residents: 108,670 (2.5% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 42.2% married; 41.9% never married; 10.5% divorced or separated; 5.4% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 2,486,078 (57.8% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.9 years old
- Location: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metro area
1. Los Angeles County, California
- New single residents: 167,491 (2.0% of current 15 and older population)
- Current 15 and older county pop. by marriage history: 42.5% married; 42.5% never married; 10.3% divorced or separated; 4.8% widowed
- Total number of unmarried or separated residents in county: 4,723,703 (57.5% of 15 and older population)
- Age of typical county resident: 37.7 years old
- Location: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks