Ranking: Bloomington among top US cities for singles

Some good news for all you single people out there on Valentine’s Day: Bloomington is apparently one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for singles. (Photo by Ryan Denham/WJBC)

BLOOMINGTON – Some good news for all you single people out there on Valentine’s Day: Bloomington is apparently one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for singles.

The personal finance and business publication Kiplinger released the rankings this week, just in time for Cupid’s holiday. Bloomington landed at No. 2 on the list, just behind what Kiplinger calls the best city in America for singles: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Kiplinger says its rankings take into account household income levels well above the Census Bureau average of $49,536; a cost-of-living score that indicates essential costs, including rent; percentage of unmarried households; and a date-night tab, which tallies the average cost of two movie tickets plus a bottle of wine.

“If nothing else, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than nearby Chicago, where jobs are equally good but young people are, statistically, scarcer,” Kiplinger writes about Bloomington.

And all is not lost for local singles who live just over the border in Normal; the Kiplinger story uses a photo of uptown Normal to illustrate how perfect Bloomington is for singles.

Ryan Denham can be reached at ryan@wjbc.com.