So, WalletHub just dropped its 2024 Best & Worst States for Singles, and guess where Louisiana landed? Right in the middle at #31. I mean, it's not the worst, but definitely not something to write home about either. Don't let this early Mardi Gras blind you—with Valentine's Day peeking around the corner and our wallets feeling the pinch of inflation and expensive crawfish, this ranking is kind of a big deal for all the single folks out there in The Boot.

So how do we even come up with these silly stats?

Here's how it went down: WalletHub compared all 50 states across 29 factors that make a place good (or not so good) for single life. Think about things like the number of single people, online dating scenes, and even how many places you can grab dinner or a drink.

Source: WalletHub

Although we landed in the bottom half of the top 50 overall, Louisiana's got some interesting numbers to highlight. We're sitting pretty with the 3rd highest number of single people and we're 4th when it comes to an even split of men and women. That means there are plenty of options out there if you're looking to meet someone. But, being in the middle of the ranking also hints that maybe other aspects like the cost of dating (are we blaming crawfish for this?) or fun date spots aren't as awesome as they could be.

The study wasn't just about counting single folks, though. It looked at Dating Economics, Dating Opportunities, and Romance & Fun – all on a scale of 100. Higher scores mean better conditions for those trying to find "the one" (or just someone to hang out with on a Friday or Louisiana Saturday night).

Let's put it in perspective: Florida, Texas, and California snagged the top three spots. They're apparently the places to be if you're single and ready to mingle. On the flip side, West Virginia, North Dakota, and Arkansas were at the bottom of the love ladder.

There were some cool tidbits in the study, too. Like, New Mexico has a ton of single adults, and California is basically a playground with its heaps of fitness and recreational spots. A not-so-great finding for us? Louisiana's unemployment rate for singles is the highest, compared to North Dakota which has the lowest.

For us Louisianans, this is a bit of a wake-up call. Yeah, we've got a decent number of singles, and it's not too hard to find someone who's your type. But, maybe we need to step up our dating game a bit – more affordable date spots, better job prospects for singles, that kind of thing.

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So, while Louisiana might not be the ultimate singles paradise, it's definitely not the worst place to be. There's room for improvement, sure, but also plenty of opportunities to make the most of your single status while you've got it.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang

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