Are you looking for love in North Carolina?
Or are you just hoping to hook up with a hot North Carolinian?
Either way, we’ve got you covered here.
If you live in North Carolina, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Tar Heel State has plenty of people over 18 who aren’t married or in a serious relationship.
That’s great news for people who are single and looking to mingle.
So, where are the best cities for singles in North Carolina? We used Saturday Night Science to find out.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Cities For Singles In North Carolina For 2026
So, what was the best city for singles in North Carolina? Carrboro ranks as the best place for singles in North Carolina if you care about things singles care about, like nightlife, affordable housing, and other singles.
Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each city ranked. If you live in or are close to one of these cities and are single, you should probably get out more often.
Just saying.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
The 10 Best Cities For Singles In North Carolina For 2026
/10
Population: 21,204
Median Age: 33.4
Married households: 7.0%
Households with kids: 26.4%
More on Carrboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 20,032
Median Age: 21.3
Married households: 6.0%
Households with kids: 9.8%
More on Boone: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
What you have to remember is that the town of Boone is primarily a college town for Appalachian State University. This is why the income rate tends to be low.
Beautiful area and the very wealthy Blowing Rock, NC to the south. Please do not let this list persuade you away from visiting.
/10
Population: 61,607
Median Age: 25.8
Married households: 6.0%
Households with kids: 23.8%
More on Chapel Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 481,031
Median Age: 34.7
Married households: 12.0%
Households with kids: 26.3%
More on Raleigh: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 903,844
Median Age: 34.5
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 28.6%
More on Charlotte: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Charlotte is a beautiful place. I enjoyed my time at the theme park with water rides called Carowinds. I’m a car lover as well so I decided to go to the NASCAR Hall of fame!
I’m into science and I loved my trip to the Science museum. The Freedom Park is an amazing place as well, especially for hiking sports and lakeside events!
/10
Population: 31,422
Median Age: 35.2
Married households: 5.0%
Households with kids: 36.9%
More on Morrisville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 291,467
Median Age: 35.1
Married households: 11.0%
Households with kids: 24.9%
More on Durham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Durham is a small city with big city dreams. Fantastic restaurants and museums, lots of local flavor and passion, and a beautiful landscape.
Check out the museums, all of the musical venues, and the great outdoor amenities like the Eno River and the Tobacco Trail.
/10
Population: 210,815
Median Age: 30.6
Married households: 11.0%
Households with kids: 29.7%
More on Fayetteville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Crime was not too bad. School system was fun. Lots of memories
Military town. Met people from all over the US
/10
Population: 92,857
Median Age: 27.3
Married households: 13.0%
Households with kids: 24.5%
More on Greenville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 94,535
Median Age: 40.7
Married households: 10.0%
Households with kids: 20.5%
More on Asheville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
This city peaked during a ten year period between 1995 & 2005. Now, too hip to afford unless by inheritance or importing money from elsewhere. Jobs are scarce & low paying. Real estate is 4th most expensive in nation, and impossible to compete for. Rednecks surround the city, so expect undereducated and resentments. Weather in winter can be depressing. Arts & entertainment lean toward commonplace or mundane. City slows down way too early, or is crowded by ashat tourists who act like locusts. Summer festivals seem all the same. Lots of dogs & unattended children in the 50 ipa breweries. Out of town developers gouging for downtown locations. $600/sqft+ is not uncommon. Wish-washy impotent culture for the most part. It may be great place for the entitled and pseudo-spiritual ambiguous…but what about the rest of us- Expect to drive everywhere, pay for parking if you can find any. So many homeless line the streets they seem to outnumber tourists. Used to be super cool…but now just an elitist fascist sanctuary. Surrounding towns are even worse. Good luck here. Definitely not the Asheville of legends yore.
Expensive for what’s offered. NYC prices for jersey quality & service. Beware the homelessness. Many are living in vehicles around city due to tragically few decent paying jobs & skyrocketing real estate prices. Too many undereducated & over-entitled to deal with. Leaving ASAP.
Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in North Carolina anyways?
To give you the places in North Carolina which are best for singles to find one another, we used Saturday Night Science 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.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2020-2024 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of North Carolina, 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 over 10,000 people. For North Carolina, that meant a total of 89 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for singles in North Carolina.
Read on to see why Carrboro is the talk of the town while Summerfield is probably a bit on the bland side.
Summary: The Best Cities for Singles in North Carolina for 2026
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in North Carolina ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.
The best cities for singles in North Carolina are Carrboro, Boone, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Charlotte, Morrisville, Durham, Fayetteville, Greenville, and Asheville.
Here’s a look at the most boring cities in North Carolina according to the data:
- Summerfield
- Lewisville
- Mount Airy
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Safest Cities in North Carolina
- Worst Places To Live In North Carolina
Best Cities For Singles In North Carolina
| Rank | City | Population | Median Age | % Married Households | % Households /w Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrboro, NC | 21,204 | 33.4 | 7.0% | 26.4% |
| 2 | Boone, NC | 20,032 | 21.3 | 6.0% | 9.8% |
| 3 | Chapel Hill, NC | 61,607 | 25.8 | 6.0% | 23.8% |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | 481,031 | 34.7 | 12.0% | 26.3% |
| 5 | Charlotte, NC | 903,844 | 34.5 | 9.0% | 28.6% |
| 6 | Morrisville, NC | 31,422 | 35.2 | 5.0% | 36.9% |
| 7 | Durham, NC | 291,467 | 35.1 | 11.0% | 24.9% |
| 8 | Fayetteville, NC | 210,815 | 30.6 | 11.0% | 29.7% |
| 9 | Greenville, NC | 92,857 | 27.3 | 13.0% | 24.5% |
| 10 | Asheville, NC | 94,535 | 40.7 | 10.0% | 20.5% |
| 11 | Wilmington, NC | 120,805 | 37.1 | 13.0% | 18.8% |
| 12 | Garner, NC | 34,473 | 37.7 | 17.0% | 27.1% |
| 13 | Greensboro, NC | 301,198 | 34.3 | 13.0% | 28.4% |
| 14 | Mooresville, NC | 52,381 | 35.8 | 10.0% | 35.4% |
| 15 | Davidson, NC | 15,660 | 41.9 | 8.0% | 30.8% |
| 16 | Apex, NC | 70,630 | 36.4 | 10.0% | 47.7% |
| 17 | Cary, NC | 179,306 | 40.2 | 9.0% | 34.8% |
| 18 | Hope Mills, NC | 17,939 | 34.0 | 16.0% | 36.3% |
| 19 | Elon, NC | 11,032 | 21.2 | 14.0% | 28.4% |
| 20 | Salisbury, NC | 35,825 | 36.5 | 19.0% | 28.8% |
| 21 | High Point, NC | 116,245 | 37.7 | 16.0% | 29.2% |
| 22 | Monroe, NC | 36,759 | 35.5 | 12.0% | 34.3% |
| 23 | Holly Springs, NC | 45,248 | 36.5 | 11.0% | 51.4% |
| 24 | Spring Lake, NC | 11,573 | 26.1 | 7.0% | 33.1% |
| 25 | Winston-Salem, NC | 252,037 | 35.9 | 16.0% | 28.0% |
| 26 | Indian Trail, NC | 42,036 | 36.2 | 14.0% | 43.9% |
| 27 | Goldsboro, NC | 34,383 | 36.8 | 18.0% | 29.2% |
| 28 | Jacksonville, NC | 71,279 | 23.4 | 6.0% | 34.2% |
| 29 | Asheboro, NC | 27,580 | 37.3 | 18.0% | 30.5% |
| 30 | Cornelius, NC | 32,783 | 44.0 | 8.0% | 29.2% |
| 31 | Matthews, NC | 30,577 | 40.1 | 14.0% | 28.3% |
| 32 | Pinehurst, NC | 18,256 | 60.6 | 13.0% | 16.7% |
| 33 | Hendersonville, NC | 15,408 | 53.2 | 11.0% | 15.5% |
| 34 | Clayton, NC | 29,320 | 33.0 | 14.0% | 34.4% |
| 35 | Kannapolis, NC | 57,890 | 36.9 | 19.0% | 32.3% |
| 36 | Concord, NC | 108,719 | 36.5 | 15.0% | 38.9% |
| 37 | Wake Forest, NC | 52,844 | 38.6 | 14.0% | 38.8% |
| 38 | Pineville, NC | 11,055 | 33.4 | 6.0% | 31.1% |
| 39 | Burlington, NC | 59,610 | 40.1 | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| 40 | Graham, NC | 18,048 | 37.8 | 20.0% | 27.9% |
| 41 | Southern Pines, NC | 16,420 | 38.7 | 13.0% | 23.0% |
| 42 | Sanford, NC | 31,478 | 34.7 | 19.0% | 38.6% |
| 43 | Kernersville, NC | 27,830 | 39.3 | 19.0% | 25.9% |
| 44 | Hickory, NC | 44,258 | 37.5 | 20.0% | 29.0% |
| 45 | Knightdale, NC | 20,214 | 33.6 | 18.0% | 41.5% |
| 46 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 40,485 | 37.0 | 14.0% | 40.2% |
| 47 | Huntersville, NC | 63,969 | 40.1 | 11.0% | 36.1% |
| 48 | Havelock, NC | 17,691 | 24.7 | 10.0% | 38.9% |
| 49 | Gastonia, NC | 82,884 | 36.5 | 21.0% | 32.8% |
| 50 | Henderson, NC | 14,885 | 37.7 | 17.0% | 29.3% |
| 51 | Clemmons, NC | 21,871 | 41.8 | 21.0% | 30.5% |
| 52 | Leland, NC | 29,607 | 47.3 | 14.0% | 22.2% |
| 53 | Waxhaw, NC | 22,275 | 36.2 | 8.0% | 59.4% |
| 54 | Belmont, NC | 15,546 | 39.4 | 17.0% | 25.1% |
| 55 | Winterville, NC | 10,725 | 36.5 | 24.0% | 29.9% |
| 56 | Rocky Mount, NC | 54,297 | 40.7 | 19.0% | 25.4% |
| 57 | Lexington, NC | 19,690 | 36.7 | 16.0% | 29.6% |
| 58 | Statesville, NC | 29,894 | 37.1 | 15.0% | 32.2% |
| 59 | Stallings, NC | 16,886 | 40.8 | 18.0% | 31.6% |
| 60 | Waynesville, NC | 10,502 | 46.0 | 19.0% | 20.0% |
| 61 | New Bern, NC | 32,734 | 38.9 | 15.0% | 25.5% |
| 62 | Morganton, NC | 17,646 | 37.8 | 20.0% | 29.0% |
| 63 | Lumberton, NC | 18,859 | 34.6 | 18.0% | 34.7% |
| 64 | Thomasville, NC | 27,321 | 38.3 | 27.0% | 32.1% |
| 65 | Eden, NC | 15,356 | 36.8 | 22.0% | 28.9% |
| 66 | Smithfield, NC | 12,116 | 44.9 | 20.0% | 25.6% |
| 67 | Kings Mountain, NC | 12,039 | 37.2 | 24.0% | 28.7% |
| 68 | Roanoke Rapids, NC | 14,856 | 40.3 | 29.0% | 29.5% |
| 69 | Lincolnton, NC | 11,783 | 37.1 | 23.0% | 30.3% |
| 70 | Kinston, NC | 19,505 | 42.9 | 17.0% | 26.6% |
| 71 | Wendell, NC | 13,064 | 38.0 | 17.0% | 34.3% |
| 72 | Wilson, NC | 48,370 | 39.5 | 24.0% | 30.8% |
| 73 | Newton, NC | 13,333 | 38.2 | 23.0% | 31.0% |
| 74 | Mint Hill, NC | 27,556 | 45.1 | 19.0% | 28.8% |
| 75 | Reidsville, NC | 14,585 | 42.0 | 22.0% | 25.9% |
| 76 | Rolesville, NC | 10,766 | 40.6 | 18.0% | 49.1% |
| 77 | Mebane, NC | 19,538 | 38.5 | 17.0% | 35.0% |
| 78 | Laurinburg, NC | 15,087 | 37.4 | 21.0% | 33.2% |
| 79 | Shelby, NC | 22,100 | 39.3 | 25.0% | 27.6% |
| 80 | Archdale, NC | 12,087 | 46.1 | 26.0% | 25.0% |
| 81 | Lenoir, NC | 18,299 | 45.7 | 20.0% | 22.0% |
| 82 | Albemarle, NC | 16,762 | 39.5 | 23.0% | 30.5% |
| 83 | Weddington, NC | 13,805 | 43.3 | 15.0% | 51.0% |
| 84 | Mount Holly, NC | 18,208 | 39.0 | 23.0% | 36.0% |
| 85 | Harrisburg, NC | 19,633 | 40.1 | 17.0% | 50.0% |
| 86 | Tarboro, NC | 10,770 | 51.2 | 33.0% | 21.6% |
| 87 | Mount Airy, NC | 10,633 | 46.0 | 22.0% | 27.3% |
| 88 | Lewisville, NC | 13,828 | 40.8 | 30.0% | 38.0% |
| 89 | Summerfield, NC | 11,116 | 44.0 | 16.0% | 37.7% |