Here’s why Texas is one of the best states for people who are single, report says

Dating can be tough, global pandemic or not.

The factors that influence a connection can seem endless — from personalities to interests to looks — and as WalletHub points out, your location can have a huge impact on the dating process.

For instance, a lower cost of living could mean residents have extra money to go on more frequent dates.

Personal finance website WalletHub just released its list of the best states for people who are single and looking for love — and the Lone Star State ranked among the best.

Texas nabbed the No. 2 spot right behind Florida.

Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New York rounded out the top five.

To determine its rankings, WalletHub assessed states on 27 factors across three categories: dating opportunities, dating economics, and romance and fun.

Texas saw a high rank — 4th — in the romance and fun category, which looked at access to bars, online dating safety and number of attractions, among other factors.

Texas also took the top spot — tying with several other states — for the most movie theaters and restaurants per capita.

The state’s next-highest rank was in dating opportunities, where it landed the No. 5 spot. This category assessed states on their share of single adults, residents’ openness to relationship and online dating opportunities and participation.

Texas’ lowest rank was in the dating economics category, where it still ranked in the top half of all states at No. 21. This category looked at average beer and wine prices, movie costs, haircut and salon prices, housing affordability and median credit score.

For single people hoping to find love and looking for a place to call home, experts recommend prioritizing cost of living and areas where residents share similar interests.

“If someone is active and interested in the outdoors, that person may be unhappy living in a big city,” Anita Vangelisti, communications chair in the Department of Communication Studies at University of Texas at Austin, said. “By contrast, someone who loves museums, shows, and upscale restaurants would be unhappy living in a rural area. Considering lifestyle issues like these is important because they enable us to do the things we like to do.”

Ellen Berscheid, Regents’ Professor of Psychology Emerita at the University of Minnesota, hinted that finding the right match can be a numbers game.

“If the single is a female heterosexual of a relatively young age and hopes to marry, then it might be useful if she moved to a place where the males ... greatly outnumber the females,” she said. “Or, as Willi Sutton replied when he was asked why he robbed banks, he simply said ‘because that’s where the money is.’”

It might also help to know the states that ranked among the worst for singles on WalletHub’s list: New Mexico landed in the No. 50 spot preceded by West Virginia, North Dakota, Hawaii and Arkansas.