love is in the air

Texas scores No. 2 on list of best states in the U.S. for dating

Lots of restaurants make the state a great place for dates.

Good news for singles living in the Lone Star State as Valentine's Day approaches: You may not be lonely for long.

In the latest edition of WalletHub's annual "Best and Worst States for Singles" report, Texas came in at the No. 2 state for dating in 2024.

Texas was beat by only one other state — Florida — but bested dating havens such as California and New York.

Rankings were determined by comparing categories such as dating economics, opportunities, and romance and fun.

Texas tied with California for the most movie theaters per capita, and landed in a four-way tie with California, New York, and Florida for the highest number of restaurants per capita.

Texas ranked highly in other categories such as:

No. 10 – Median annual household income (adjusted for the cost of living)
No. 18 – Mobile-dating opportunities
No. 21 – Online-dating opportunities

"If you fall in love with a Texan and want to move to the state, the good news is that there’s a high rate of employment growth, which shows that the state’s economy is doing well," the report says. "Plus, Texas residents’ search history indicates that there are a lot of people who are interested in dating online – so installing a few apps may be a good idea."

Florida surged to No. 1 best state for dating from 20213, when it was ranked at No. 3. Rounding out the top five best states for dating are California (No. 3), New York (No. 4), and Pennsylvania (No. 5). The worst state was West Virginia, which was No. 50 on the list.

WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe suggested the best destinations for single people are often those that have a variety of venues that are suitable for dates, like pubs, fun new restaurants, coffee shops, and more.

"Finding love can be tough, but being in the right place can contribute to a successful relationship," Happe said. "The unfortunate tradeoff is that dating usually isn’t cheap in states that provide these ideal conditions."

As Valentine's Day approaches, keeping a few splurge-worthy date ideas top of mind for a significant other may be valuable, but it's equally important to not break the bank just to impress a date. On average, Texans spend about $58 on Valentine's Day, according to a separate report by Casino.org. Residents in Houston are expected to spend the most out of all Texas cities in 2024, with a projected budget of $105.27. Dallas isn't too far behind with an estimated Valentine's Day spending budget of $79.25.

The full report and its methodology can be found at wallethub.com.

texas dating dating in texas wallethub reports

Merry & bright news

Dallas makes Santa's nice list as 2nd most festive U.S. city in 2025

Getty Images

Dallas sparkles and shines for the holidays.

In merry and bright news, Dallas has landed a coveted spot near the top of a 2025 ranking of America's most festive cities.

Home services platform Thumbtack analyzed holiday light installation requests from customers from October 2024 to 2025 to determine the most festive U.S. cities. Rankings were based on the "relative frequency" of requests after being adjusted for the population of each state and metro area.

Dallas comes in at No. 2.

Dallas has been resting easy at the top of Santa's nice list since 2022. But the city's festive spirit has yet to dethrone Austin, which has held on to the top spot for four years in a row.

There's plenty of dazzling shows illuminating Dallas-Fort Worth for the holidays, including drive-thru light parks and CultureMap's very own ice rink at Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas.

Other festive holiday events happening around Dallas include many more local ice rinks, pop-up bars, plus volunteer opportunities to give back to the local community. Readers can also keep up with all of Dallas' holiday happenings in CultureMap's season-long editorial series.

Other big Texas cities like Houston and San Antonio also all landed top-10 spots, proving the Lone Star State is much more festive than the rest of the country.

"From Texas to Florida, the South is setting the standard for holiday spirit, and in true Texas fashion, bigger is definitely brighter," the report said. "Mild winters and a strong sense of community keep the Lone Star State shining at the top."

Thumbtack's top 10 most festive U.S. cities in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Sacramento, California
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 10 – Atlanta, Georgia

festive cities holidays christmas rankings dallas