PHILADELPHIA is now under coverage.
Local dating, modeled. Every signal in Philadelphia, converted into a tactical roadmap.
Greater Philadelphia is open as a field office. The headline numbers, each sourced and confidence-flagged:
- $1,460 per month Zumper Rent Research, June 2026
- $46,298 per year Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
- 51% Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
By the numbers
11 sourced, confidence-flagged metrics for Philadelphia — gender, money, neighborhoods, and political lean. The deep dive, with charts, is in the console below.
- Singles, 22 to 50
1,263,997
- Gender balance
51%
- Median income
$46,298
- 1-bedroom rent
$1,460
- Living wage
$48,547
- Transit fare
$3
- Democratic
72%
- Balance
51%
- Income spread
$91,860
- University city
44%
- Independents
16%
The shape of the market
Philadelphia is one of the most gender-balanced markets in the country: about 51% male across the metro, and the city itself tips slightly female at 49%.
Incomes range widely by zone: single Old City residents clear a median near $92,000, against about $17,000 in student-heavy University City.
University City, home to Penn and Drexel, is the youngest and most female-tilting zone at about 44% male, on student-and-postgrad incomes.
How dating actually happens
Only about 14% of matches on curated apps like Hinge turn into a first date.
Roughly 1 in 10 partnered adults met their partner online, and the share climbs sharply for younger and LGB couples.
One in four matches never gets a reply.
53% of online daters say their overall experience has been positive.
Dating safety in Philadelphia
78% of active dating-app users report burnout: 80% of women (driven by message volume) and 74% of men (driven by a lack of responses).
60% of Americans support requiring a background check before someone can create a dating profile.
An estimated 26% of men have received unsolicited explicit content, far below the rate for women.
56% of women under 50 have been sent unsolicited explicit images while dating online.
48% of online daters have faced at least one form of harassing behavior on a dating platform.
43% of women under 50 say a match kept contacting them after they said no.
52% of online daters say a scammer or bot has contacted them.
63% of men under 50 say a scammer or bot has contacted them, the highest of any group.
11% of women under 50 have been physically threatened on a dating platform.
40% of daters say platforms do a bad job removing fake and bot accounts; only 20% say they do well.
The LGBTQ+ landscape
53% of LGB adults have used a dating app, far more than straight adults.
About 24% of LGB couples met online, roughly three times the straight rate.
About 70% of LGB adults under 30 have used a dating app, the highest-adoption cohort anywhere.
7.6% of U.S. adults now identify as LGBTQ+, up from 3.5% in 2012.
22.3% of adults aged 18 to 34 identify as LGBTQ+.
Political alignment
24% of Americans say they could never date someone who disagrees with them on abortion.
Pennsylvania registers voters by party, and Philadelphia is about as one-sided as American politics gets: registered Democrats outnumber Republicans roughly six to one, about 72% to 12%.
Even the unaffiliated and third-party bloc, at about 16%, outnumbers registered Republicans in the city.
47% of single daters would not seriously date a Trump voter; among Democratic women that rises to 79%.
69% of Americans would not date someone who is unemployed, rising to 81% of women.
The cost of dating
A single adult in Philadelphia needs about $48,500 a year to cover the basics, the lowest bar of any city we cover.
Americans reported $1.3 billion in romance-scam losses in a single year, a tax on every crowded market.
In an odd twist for a cheap city, a SEPTA ride is $2.90, raised in 2025 to tie New York for the priciest transit fare in the country (free transfers with a SEPTA Key card).
Neighborhood intelligence
| Neighborhood | Singles | M / F | Income | 1BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University City | 24,607 | 44 / 56 | $17,182 | $1,364 |
| Graduate Hospital | 16,006 | 48 / 52 | $62,360 | $1,818 |
| East Passyunk | 12,397 | 53 / 47 | $45,540 | $1,594 |
| Fairmount | 12,159 | 48 / 52 | $75,805 | $1,867 |
| Queen Village | 11,956 | 50 / 50 | $70,037 | $1,716 |
| Rittenhouse Square | 11,038 | 49 / 51 | $75,095 | $2,015 |
| Fishtown | 9,709 | 54 / 46 | $60,759 | $1,782 |
| Northern Liberties | 8,627 | 58 / 42 | $67,737 | $1,740 |
| Old City | 6,416 | 56 / 44 | $91,860 | $2,238 |
| Manayunk | 3,001 | 49 / 51 | $70,929 | $1,755 |
Local date spots
Real venues across Philadelphia, scraped from Google Maps and filterable by neighborhood. Ratings and review counts are live Google data — never paid placement.
- Rittenhouse Square
Parc
- Fairmount
The Dandelion
- Northern Liberties
Mamajuana Cafe Philly
- Northern Liberties
Suraya Restaurant
- Fishtown
Fabrika
- Old City
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar
- Queen Village
Grandma's Philly
- Graduate Hospital
The Continental Mid-town
- Northern Liberties
Talula's Garden
- Graduate Hospital
Osteria Ama Philly
- Old City
Buddakan
- University City
White Dog Cafe - University City
- East Passyunk
Barcelona Wine Bar
- Old City
Morimoto
- Northern Liberties
SET NoLibs
- Rittenhouse Square
Butcher and Singer
- Old City
Amada Philadelphia
- Graduate Hospital
Barbuzzo
- Queen Village
The Twisted Tail
- Fishtown
Johnny Brenda's
- Manayunk
Lucky's Last Chance- Manayunk
- Fishtown
Kalaya
- Fairmount
The Love.
- Old City
Red Owl Tavern
- East Passyunk
The Victor Café
- Old City
Positano Coast by Aldo Lamberti
- Old City
Khyber Pass Pub
- University City
Landmark Americana University City
- Fairmount
City Winery Philadelphia
- Graduate Hospital
Little Nonna's