The SF dating market, by the numbers
162,000 singles.
30,000 dates.
San Francisco has the highest dating app adoption rate of any US city. It also has one of the worst conversion rates. Here's what's actually happening to the singles who are trying to meet someone.
162K
Actively dating
78%
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
162,000
SF singles actively seeking a relationship — 42% of the city's 387,000 single adults, per Pew Research. Near-equal gender split: ~82K men, ~80K women.
02
On at least one dating app
126,000 / 78%
SF has the highest dating app adoption rate of any US city. 61% are running two or more apps simultaneously — the national average is 44%.
03
Match with someone
~38,000
Men average a 5% match rate. Women average 44%. The blended match rate across SF's active user base lands around 30% — of those already on apps.
04
Have a real conversation
~13,000
Only 30–35% of matches ever result in a message being sent. The majority of matches go unreplied, expire, or are never opened.
05
Go on an actual date
~30,000
Approximately 19% of active daters go on a first date in a given month. The rest stay in the loop: swipe, match, ghost, repeat.
132,000
SF singles actively dating
who never go on a date
who never go on a date
10 hrs
Average time per week
spent on dating apps
spent on dating apps
81%
App failure rate —
active daters who never reach a first date
active daters who never reach a first date
Why SF is different
The city isn't short on singles.
It's short on people actually meeting.
73%
Work is the obstacle
Of SF singles report their career as their single biggest barrier to dating. With 1 in 4 jobs in tech, ambition competes directly with availability.
40%
Transient population
Of SF residents have lived in the city fewer than 5 years. Depth of connection is hard to build when half the dating pool has one eye on their next city.
59%
Single population
59% of San Francisco's adult population is single — one of the highest rates of any major American city. 387,000 singles. The market exists. The infrastructure doesn't.
"The apps are not designed to get you a date. They are designed to keep you searching."
— Met By Nick, SF Market Analysis 2026
Stop being one of the 132,000.
The intake session is where it starts. A private conversation with Nick — no pitch, no pressure — 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 SF 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.