The NYC dating market, by the numbers
1.62 million singles.
A broken funnel.
New York City has the largest single population of any city in America. It was also ranked the worst city in the US to date. Here's what's actually happening to the singles who are trying to meet someone.
1.62M
Actively dating
62%
On dating apps
85%
Never go on a date
Scroll to explore
The conversion funnel
What happens
between downloading an app
and going on a date.
01
Actively dating singles
1,620,000
NYC singles actively seeking a relationship. 53% of the city's adult population is single — the largest active dating pool of any US city, spanning all five boroughs.
02
On at least one dating app
~1,004,000 / 62%
Over 60% of NYC singles have used a dating app. The average active dater juggles 2–3 apps simultaneously, spending over an hour a day swiping.
03
Match with someone
~301,000
Men average a 5% match rate. Women average 44%. Blended across NYC's massive app user base, the effective match rate sits around 30% of those on apps.
04
Have a real conversation
~105,000
Only 30–35% of matches result in a message being sent. In a city this dense, the paradox of choice is acute — the more options, the less anyone commits to a single conversation.
05
Go on an actual date
~243,000
Roughly 15% of active app users go on a first date in a given month. The other 1.38 million stay in the loop: swipe, match, ghost, repeat — ranked the worst city to date in the US for a reason.
1.38M
NYC singles actively dating
who never go on a date
who never go on a date
85%
App burnout rate among
NYC users aged 18–29
NYC users aged 18–29
12%
Satisfaction rate —
active NYC app users who feel the apps are working
active NYC app users who feel the apps are working
Why NYC is different
The city isn't short on singles.
It's ranked the worst place to find one.
#1
Worst city to date
NYC was ranked the worst city in the US for dating in 2024 — not because of a shortage of singles, but because of its high cost of living, skewed demographics, and the lowest rate of people actively seeking a relationship relative to its single population.
20K
Gender imbalance
There are nearly 20,000 more college-educated women in their 20s than men in Manhattan alone. For women, the numbers are structurally against them. For men, the competition for serious, relationship-minded women is fiercer than anywhere else.
4.5M
Single adults
Over 4.5 million adults in NYC are single. The market is enormous. The problem is not supply — it is signal. Too many options, too little intent, and a dating infrastructure that profits from keeping it that way.
"New York has a million people to meet and somehow makes it harder to meet someone than anywhere else."
— Met By Nick, NYC Market Analysis 2026
Stop being one of the 1.38 million.
The intake session is where it starts. A private conversation with Nick — to understand where you are, what hasn't been working, and whether matchmaking is the right fit. Most people leave with more clarity about their dating life than they've had in years.
Schedule your intake sessionHeld via Zoom or phone · Limited availability
Understand your actual market
Nick will walk you through what the NYC dating pool actually looks like for someone with your profile — age, background, what you're looking for. Most people have never seen their market clearly before.
Diagnose what's not working
Whether it's your approach, your profile, your patterns, or simply your process — the intake session surfaces the real friction point. That alone is worth the conversation.
Find out if matchmaking is right for you
Not everyone is the right fit for matchmaking — and Nick will tell you honestly if you're not. If you are, you'll leave knowing exactly what working together looks like and what it costs.