Are you looking for love in Massachusetts?
Or are you just hoping to hook up with a hot Bay Stater?
Either way, we’ve got you covered here.
If you live in Massachusetts, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Bay 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 Massachusetts? We used Saturday Night Science to find out.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
So, what was the best city for singles in Massachusetts? Cambridge ranks as the best place for singles in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
The 10 Best Cities For Singles In Massachusetts For 2024
/10
Population: 117,962
Median Age: 30.6
Married households: 6.0%
Households with kids: 17.1%
More on Cambridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Crime is low, I believe. The school system is exceptional and unique with the “controlled choice” policies that foster diversity. Lots of quirky and trendy places to eat and hangout.
Lots of young adults because of all the colleges. Also the style is very historic with all the brick.
/10
Population: 80,464
Median Age: 32.1
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 14.8%
More on Somerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 665,945
Median Age: 32.9
Married households: 9.0%
Households with kids: 20.9%
More on Boston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Boston is a great metropolitan city. It’s historical, easy to get around, has more colleges and universities than anyplace else I can think of. No need for a car if you go to school there because the rapid transit goes everywhere…north, south, east and west- to beaches and other places a visitor would want to see. It has great sports teams- The Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics as well as college teams to cheer on. Arts, music galore. Lots of businesses, shopping and culture and again you can get there by subway. If you live in the suburbs you’ll still say you are from Boston. There are 4 seasons in Boston and it’s especially beautiful in autumn and spring. No need to be afraid of the snow because they do know how to clean the streets. Great hospitals too. A very cosmopolitan city filled with people from all cultures, races and background.
How many places you get to on foot. The mix of the contemporary and historically important.
/10
Population: 204,191
Median Age: 34.3
Married households: 13.0%
Households with kids: 28.0%
More on Worcester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Depending on where you live in Worcester, there’s not a lot of crime. Compared to other cities bigger or the same size as Worcester, the murder rate is pretty low based on published data. As any other city that is surrounded by a major city, Worcester is pretty much swallowed up by Boston. To have a great time out, one needs to step out of Worcester. Most of the schools in worcester are bad with a couple good ones in the best areas of Worcester.
Rent and housing prices are not too high compared to Boston and Cambridge.
/10
Population: 64,711
Median Age: 34.7
Married households: 16.0%
Households with kids: 18.3%
More on Waltham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Close to everything, new high school being built
Location, ease of commute, excellent restaurants, very diverse, close to everything.
/10
Population: 88,067
Median Age: 31.5
Married households: 6.0%
Households with kids: 41.4%
More on Lawrence: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 114,737
Median Age: 34.6
Married households: 13.0%
Households with kids: 32.3%
More on Lowell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 100,981
Median Age: 38.3
Married households: 15.0%
Households with kids: 22.2%
More on Quincy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 65,463
Median Age: 35.4
Married households: 13.0%
Households with kids: 29.6%
More on Malden: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 100,653
Median Age: 36.2
Married households: 14.0%
Households with kids: 37.4%
More on Lynn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in Massachusetts anyways?
To give you the places in Massachusetts 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 2018-2022 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of Massachusetts, 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 12,000 people. For Massachusetts, that meant a total of 39 cities.
We updated this article for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the best cities for singles in Massachusetts.
Read on to see why Cambridge is the talk of the town while Gardner is probably a bit on the bland side.
Summary: The Best Cities for Singles in Massachusetts for 2024
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts are Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Worcester, Waltham, Lawrence, Lowell, Quincy, Malden, and Lynn.
Here’s a look at the most boring cities in Massachusetts according to the data:
- Gardner
- Newburyport
- Taunton
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
- Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
Best Cities For Singles In Massachusetts
| Rank | City | Population | Median Age | % Married Households | % Households /w Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge, MA | 117,962 | 30.6 | 6.0% | 17.1% |
| 2 | Somerville, MA | 80,464 | 32.1 | 9.0% | 14.8% |
| 3 | Boston, MA | 665,945 | 32.9 | 9.0% | 20.9% |
| 4 | Worcester, MA | 204,191 | 34.3 | 13.0% | 28.0% |
| 5 | Waltham, MA | 64,711 | 34.7 | 16.0% | 18.3% |
| 6 | Lawrence, MA | 88,067 | 31.5 | 6.0% | 41.4% |
| 7 | Lowell, MA | 114,737 | 34.6 | 13.0% | 32.3% |
| 8 | Quincy, MA | 100,981 | 38.3 | 15.0% | 22.2% |
| 9 | Malden, MA | 65,463 | 35.4 | 13.0% | 29.6% |
| 10 | Lynn, MA | 100,653 | 36.2 | 14.0% | 37.4% |
| 11 | Chelsea, MA | 39,890 | 34.5 | 5.0% | 33.2% |
| 12 | Medford, MA | 61,748 | 35.4 | 17.0% | 20.4% |
| 13 | Revere, MA | 60,577 | 39.6 | 13.0% | 29.9% |
| 14 | New Bedford, MA | 100,620 | 36.8 | 18.0% | 30.5% |
| 15 | Springfield, MA | 155,305 | 33.4 | 13.0% | 33.1% |
| 16 | Everett, MA | 48,685 | 36.0 | 12.0% | 36.0% |
| 17 | Holyoke, MA | 38,210 | 37.5 | 16.0% | 28.3% |
| 18 | Brockton, MA | 104,713 | 36.4 | 13.0% | 39.5% |
| 19 | Salem, MA | 44,541 | 38.0 | 20.0% | 21.5% |
| 20 | Fall River, MA | 93,638 | 39.2 | 17.0% | 28.8% |
| 21 | Chicopee, MA | 55,441 | 41.4 | 24.0% | 25.1% |
| 22 | Pittsfield, MA | 43,730 | 43.4 | 27.0% | 24.4% |
| 23 | Fitchburg, MA | 41,621 | 37.6 | 20.0% | 28.2% |
| 24 | Melrose, MA | 29,477 | 43.1 | 26.0% | 29.7% |
| 25 | North Adams, MA | 12,937 | 44.5 | 26.0% | 21.3% |
| 26 | Leominster, MA | 43,620 | 43.0 | 24.0% | 26.5% |
| 27 | Woburn, MA | 40,992 | 39.2 | 28.0% | 28.9% |
| 28 | Newton, MA | 88,453 | 41.7 | 16.0% | 33.5% |
| 29 | Marlborough, MA | 41,391 | 38.1 | 20.0% | 29.8% |
| 30 | Haverhill, MA | 67,273 | 37.9 | 26.0% | 32.2% |
| 31 | Attleboro, MA | 46,384 | 39.8 | 23.0% | 31.8% |
| 32 | Gloucester, MA | 29,830 | 51.0 | 32.0% | 20.5% |
| 33 | Beverly, MA | 42,414 | 40.3 | 28.0% | 27.5% |
| 34 | Northampton, MA | 28,245 | 42.5 | 15.0% | 22.7% |
| 35 | Peabody, MA | 54,204 | 46.9 | 32.0% | 24.9% |
| 36 | Westfield, MA | 40,794 | 39.2 | 29.0% | 27.7% |
| 37 | Taunton, MA | 59,436 | 40.2 | 27.0% | 32.2% |
| 38 | Newburyport, MA | 18,356 | 46.5 | 30.0% | 27.9% |
| 39 | Gardner, MA | 21,090 | 45.0 | 31.0% | 26.9% |