{"id":162531,"date":"2026-02-13T01:59:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/162531\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T01:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:59:13","slug":"why-texas-ranks-third-for-singles-in-2026-dating-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/162531\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Texas Ranks Third For Singles In 2026 Dating Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Call me surprised, but Texas is apparently a dating hotspot.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"176\" data-end=\"448\">I\u2019ll be honest: whenever a national survey ranks states on anything lifestyle-related, <a href=\"https:\/\/kfmx.com\/tags\/around-texas\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Texas<\/a> usually ends up somewhere between \u201cmeh\u201d and \u201cyikes.\u201d So imagine my surprise when I found out the Lone Star State is suddenly one of the best places for singles looking for love.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"450\" data-end=\"705\">Yep. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/wallethub.com\/edu\/best-states-for-singles\/31667\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WalletHub<\/a>, Texas just landed third place in their Best &amp; Worst States for Singles 2026 report. Third! Behind only Florida and New York \u2014 and even edging out California. That\u2019s some rare air for us.<\/p>\n<p>What Makes Texas So Date-Friendly?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"802\">The study breaks things into three major categories:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"806\" data-end=\"964\">Dating Opportunities<br data-start=\"830\" data-end=\"833\"\/> Includes metrics like the share of single adults and openness to relationships. Apparently, Texas is absolutely stacked here.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"968\" data-end=\"1098\">Dating Economics<br data-start=\"988\" data-end=\"991\"\/> Translation: how expensive (or cheap) it is to date. Texas offers a good mix of affordability and access.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1102\" data-end=\"1254\">Romance &amp; Fun Rank<br data-start=\"1124\" data-end=\"1127\"\/> Everything from nightlife to recreation to cultural events. Turns out, we\u2019re more romantic than we give ourselves credit for.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1256\" data-end=\"1555\">If you\u2019ve ever spent an evening in Austin, Dallas, Houston, or even right here in Lubbock, you know Texas isn\u2019t exactly hurting for fun things to do with a date.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Our Neighbors\u2026 Not So Much<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1603\" data-end=\"1826\">Our friends directly to the west in New Mexico didn\u2019t fare nearly as well, landing at #40. And if you\u2019re wondering where the dating scene goes to die, the bottom of the list says it all:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1830\" data-end=\"1850\">#49 \u2014 Arkansas<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1853\" data-end=\"1876\">#50 \u2014 West Virginia<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1878\" data-end=\"1882\">Oof.<\/p>\n<p>The Big Picture<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1908\" data-end=\"2065\">So what does this mean? Maybe Texas is finally getting credit for something we\u2019ve known all along:<br data-start=\"2006\" data-end=\"2009\"\/> There\u2019s a whole lot of heart in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1908\" data-end=\"2065\">Read More:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kfmx.com\/unique-valentines-day-lubbock\/?utm_source=tsmclip&amp;utm_medium=referral\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day With Jalape\u00f1o Poppers In Lubbock<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2067\" data-end=\"2212\">Whether you&#8217;re looking for romance, adventure, affordability, or just a dating pool that isn\u2019t a ghost town, Texas quietly checks a lot of boxes.<\/p>\n<p>What Went Wrong on Your Date? Lubbock Has Stories<\/p>\n<p>Happily ever after is harder to find in Lubbock than you think.<\/p>\n<p class=\"photogallery-credit\">Gallery Credit: Chrissy<\/p>\n<p>Lubbock\u2019s Best Appetizers: Must-Try Starters at Local Restaurants<\/p>\n<p>Discover some of the best appetizers in Lubbock, from shareable starters and classic favorites to unique dishes locals love to order. This photo gallery highlights must-try appetizers from popular Lubbock restaurants, perfect for your next night out or casual meal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"photogallery-credit\">Gallery Credit: Renee Raven<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Call me surprised, but Texas is apparently a dating hotspot. I\u2019ll be honest: whenever a national survey ranks&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":{"0":"post-162531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lubbock","8":"tag-lubbock","9":"tag-lubbock-headlines","10":"tag-lubbock-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}