The 10 Best Cities For Singles In California For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in California have the best set up for singles: no kids, no old people, and a lot to do.

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Are you trying to find love in California?

Or are you just looking to hook up?

Either way, we've got you covered here. At least, we'll point you in the right direction - which is why you came here in the first place, right?

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who have remained single (not married) is growing. That means, people are dating a lot longer than they used to.

There are many reasons for that, including financial and cultural. And, we suspect smartphones and social media has a lot to do with it, too. After all, we're all a lot more distracted these days.

If you live in California, there's a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Golden State ranks in the top 10 when it comes to number of people over the age of 18 who aren't married, or in a serious relationship. That's great news for people looking for their match.

So, where are the best cities for singles in California? We've got the answers here.

So, what was the best city for singles in California? Berkeley ranks as the best place for singles in California if you care about things singles care about like night life, affordable housing, and other singles.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each city ranked. If you live in or really close to one of these cities, and you're single, you should probably get out more often. And stop staring at your phone. Just sayin'.

The most boring place in California? That would be Norco.

And after you find a mate, you'll no doubt want to start a family and buy a home right? Don't forget to check out the best places to live in California or the safest places to live in California.

For more California reading, check out:

The 10 Best Cities For Singles In California For 2023

Berkeley, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 119,607
Median Age: 32.1
Married households: 10.0%
Households with kids: 19.3%
More on Berkeley: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Los Angeles, CA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,902,440
Median Age: 36.2
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 28.5%
More on Los Angeles: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Emeryville, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 12,747
Median Age: 34.8
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 8.8%
More on Emeryville: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Santa Monica, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 92,828
Median Age: 41.4
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 16.7%
More on Santa Monica: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Santa Cruz, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 62,714
Median Age: 29.0
Married households: 15.0%
Households with kids: 20.6%
More on Santa Cruz: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Hawaiian Gardens, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 14,178
Median Age: 32.5
Married households: 11.0%
Households with kids: 48.4%
More on Hawaiian Gardens: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

San Francisco, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 865,933
Median Age: 38.7
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 18.6%
More on San Francisco: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Long Beach, CA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 466,565
Median Age: 35.9
Married households: 15.0%
Households with kids: 29.4%
More on Long Beach: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Paramount, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 53,904
Median Age: 31.6
Married households: 10.0%
Households with kids: 49.9%
More on Paramount: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

San Luis Obispo, CA

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 47,257
Median Age: 26.0
Married households: 16.0%
Households with kids: 14.4%
More on San Luis Obispo: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in California anyways?

To give you the places in California which are best for singles to find one another, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what single people like.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the numbers for the Golden State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2017-2021 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of California, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Population density
  • % of population that's male vs. female (closer to a 50-50 ratio is better)
  • % of households with kids
  • Median age
  • Number of unmarried people in each city

We then gave each city a Singles Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for singles to find one another. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For California, that meant a total of 361 cities. You can download the data here.

Read on to see why Berkeley is the talk of the town while Norco is probably a bit on the boring side.

Summary: The Best Cities for Singles in California for 2023

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in California ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the most boring cities in California according to the data:

  1. Norco
  2. Placerville
  3. Brentwood

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Cities For Singles In California

Rank City Population Median Age
1 Berkeley, CA 119,607 32.1
2 Los Angeles, CA 3,902,440 36.2
3 Emeryville, CA 12,747 34.8
4 Santa Monica, CA 92,828 41.4
5 Santa Cruz, CA 62,714 29.0
6 Hawaiian Gardens, CA 14,178 32.5
7 San Francisco, CA 865,933 38.7
8 Long Beach, CA 466,565 35.9
9 Paramount, CA 53,904 31.6
10 San Luis Obispo, CA 47,257 26.0
11 South Gate, CA 93,308 33.3
12 Davis, CA 67,208 26.4
13 Watsonville, CA 52,966 31.1
14 Hawthorne, CA 87,863 33.0
15 San Gabriel, CA 39,673 43.0
16 Lynwood, CA 67,497 31.2
17 Baldwin Park, CA 72,813 35.9
18 Inglewood, CA 108,206 36.8
19 Bell Gardens, CA 39,870 30.4
20 Seaside, CA 32,631 33.9
21 Imperial Beach, CA 26,375 33.4
22 South El Monte, CA 19,860 35.8
23 Redondo Beach, CA 70,998 39.8
24 San Mateo, CA 105,087 37.7
25 East Palo Alto, CA 29,888 33.7
26 Garden Grove, CA 172,708 39.1
27 El Monte, CA 110,144 36.3
28 Signal Hill, CA 11,780 35.9
29 Parlier, CA 14,666 28.4
30 San Bruno, CA 43,775 39.1
31 San Fernando, CA 24,086 36.7
32 San Pablo, CA 31,975 32.5
33 Buena Park, CA 83,974 36.6
34 Oakland, CA 437,548 36.9
35 West Hollywood, CA 35,678 39.1
36 Santa Barbara, CA 89,132 39.1
37 Escondido, CA 151,443 35.7
38 Mendota, CA 12,534 24.1
39 Mountain View, CA 82,409 35.4
40 Bell, CA 33,915 32.0
41 Fullerton, CA 142,964 35.4
42 Rosemead, CA 51,698 41.8
43 Montebello, CA 62,828 37.4
44 Arcata, CA 19,038 26.9
45 Costa Mesa, CA 112,148 36.0
46 South San Francisco, CA 66,331 42.1
47 San Diego, CA 1,385,398 35.4
48 Santa Clara, CA 127,922 34.0
49 Oceanside, CA 174,461 37.1
50 Campbell, CA 43,954 39.1
51 Stanton, CA 38,167 36.0
52 Tustin, CA 79,895 35.6
53 Santa Maria, CA 109,309 29.2
54 Maywood, CA 25,477 31.3
55 Anaheim, CA 348,204 35.3
56 Oxnard, CA 202,981 33.1
57 Cudahy, CA 23,003 30.1
58 Pasadena, CA 138,771 39.1
59 Santa Paula, CA 30,741 33.7
60 Azusa, CA 49,457 30.8
61 Sunnyvale, CA 155,550 35.2
62 Cerritos, CA 49,630 45.6
63 Irvine, CA 297,868 33.8
64 Santa Ana, CA 313,818 33.0
65 Lemon Grove, CA 27,513 35.9
66 Sacramento, CA 518,605 35.2
67 El Cajon, CA 106,043 34.8
68 Huntington Park, CA 55,439 32.3
69 San Leandro, CA 91,176 40.9
70 Lawndale, CA 32,035 35.3
71 Pomona, CA 151,592 33.9
72 Alhambra, CA 83,174 41.2
73 Fresno, CA 538,678 31.7
74 South Pasadena, CA 26,837 40.4
75 Riverside, CA 314,858 31.9
76 San Bernardino, CA 220,821 31.3
77 Westminster, CA 91,267 40.8
78 Reedley, CA 25,168 29.9
79 Monterey, CA 30,014 37.4
80 Bellflower, CA 79,070 34.7
81 San Jose, CA 1,013,337 37.5
82 Desert Hot Springs, CA 31,988 34.9
83 Chula Vista, CA 274,818 36.3
84 Pittsburg, CA 75,701 35.1
85 Compton, CA 96,083 33.1
86 Gardena, CA 60,917 40.0
87 Port Hueneme, CA 21,954 33.4
88 San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA 110,572 40.7
89 Huntington Beach, CA 198,735 43.1
90 Glendale, CA 196,512 41.2
91 Merced, CA 85,993 29.6
92 Carson, CA 95,104 40.9
93 Norwalk, CA 103,330 35.5
94 Arvin, CA 19,568 25.3
95 Salinas, CA 163,004 31.3
96 La Puente, CA 38,447 35.4
97 Vista, CA 98,651 34.4
98 San Rafael, CA 61,158 43.1
99 Monterey Park, CA 61,153 43.8
100 Chico, CA 103,898 30.3

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the best cities for singles in California.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.