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

Fugitive News

Dallas Police Department arrests 99 fugitives in summer crime program

Dallas Police/Facebook

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The Dallas Police Department has a new round of arrests in Operation Justice Trail, a coordinated effort led by Police Chief Daniel Comeaux to apprehend individuals with violent felony warrants, with 99 fugitives arrested and taken into custody during June.

The program is a partnership between the Dallas Police Department and the United States Marshals Service which began on May 1, with a goal to identify and take into custody violent criminals. During the firest month of May, a nearly-identical haul of 98 violent felons were arrested, and the initiative will continue through the summer.

“Our goal is simple: to make Dallas the safest large city in America,” Chief Comeaux says in a statement. “We know that a small percentage of violent criminals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. By focusing our efforts on these individuals, we are sending a clear message—violence will not be tolerated in our city.”

These 99 fugitives, who collectively have 616 total arrests for crimes such as Assault on a Public Servant, Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Murder, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Sexual Abuse of a Child, Reckless Driving, and Stalking, were taken into custody by the Dallas Police Department Fugitive Unit and U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force between June 1–30.

Of those 99 fugitives, 22 were women and 77 were men. Three had arrests for Illegal Entry into the U.S., and one had an arrest for Alien Inadmissibility - Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Officials told Fox 4 that officers used "a combination of the city’s camera system and old-fashioned good police work" to make the arrests.

North Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a guaranteed $1,000 reward for tips submitted to the crime stoppers tipline that lead to the arrest of any individual with an existing felony warrant for specific crimes, until August 31.

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