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

Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings

love is in the air

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

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Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

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