WILMINGTON is now under coverage.
Local dating, modeled. Every signal in Wilmington, converted into a tactical roadmap.
Greater Wilmington is open as a field office. The headline reads:
An estimated 74,000 Greater Wilmington adults ages 22 to 50 are single.
A market-rate one-bedroom in Wilmington asks about $1,360 a month, moderate for the Carolina coast.
The metro runs male-heavy, about 54% men to 46% women among singles.
Against the metro average, Midtown Wilmington stands out as one of the most female-leaning corners of the market — roughly 51% women.
The shape of the market
- Singles, 22 to 50
73,811
- Gender balance
54%
Among Wilmington couples, about 13% live together unmarried rather than married, roughly in line with the national 13%.
Midtown Wilmington is the most female-leaning zone, at about 49% men to 51% women.
Wilmington runs about 54% male, sharpest in Ogden (57%) and South Wilmington (56%).
About 57% of Wilmington households are couple households — married or living together — above the national 54%; the rest are people living alone or with roommates.
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.
The figures above are national benchmarks. In Wilmington, date-spot density is thickest in Downtown Wilmington, Masonboro, and North Wilmington — the most reliable neighborhoods to take the dating offline.
Dating safety in Wilmington
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.
These are national safety benchmarks. The practical local move is the same everywhere — meet first in a busy, public place; in Wilmington the highest-traffic date districts are Downtown Wilmington, Masonboro, and North Wilmington.
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.
Among the parties, registered Republicans (29%) edge Democrats (26%) — a genuine swing-county split rather than a clear lean, beneath a big unaffiliated plurality.
47% of single daters would not seriously date a Trump voter; among Democratic women that rises to 79%.
North Carolina registers voters by party, and New Hanover County (Wilmington) is led by its independents — about 44% register Unaffiliated, the largest bloc, in this purple coastal county.
69% of Americans would not date someone who is unemployed, rising to 81% of women.
The cost of dating
- Median income
$40,685
- 1-bedroom rent
$1,360
A single adult in New Hanover County needs about $46,200 a year just to cover the basics.
Wilmington’s one-bedroom rents are roughly flat year over year, moderate for the Carolina coast.
Americans reported $1.3 billion in romance-scam losses in a single year, a tax on every crowded market.
A Wave Transit bus fare in Wilmington is $2.00 one way.
Neighborhood intelligence
| Midtown Wilmington | 14,409 | 49 / 51 | $31,564 | $1,380 |
| South Wilmington | 8,840 | 56 / 44 | $40,727 | $1,411 |
| North Wilmington | 7,764 | 53 / 47 | $40,268 | $1,440 |
| Ogden | 5,705 | 57 / 43 | $49,975 | $1,778 |
| Downtown Wilmington | 5,562 | 55 / 45 | $32,223 | $1,274 |
| Masonboro | 3,639 | 55 / 45 | $51,242 | $1,405 |
| Hampstead | 2,181 | 56 / 44 | $42,774 | $1,447 |
| Castle Hayne | 1,502 | 52 / 48 | $32,943 | $1,095 |
| Burgaw | — | — | $33,263 | $939 |
| Carolina Beach | — | — | $42,797 | $1,505 |
| Kure Beach | — | — | $43,533 | $1,420 |
| Leland | — | — | $44,613 | $1,612 |
| Surf City | — | — | $51,141 | $1,151 |
| Wrightsville Beach | — | — | $74,120 | $2,336 |
Local date spots
- Downtown WilmingtonActivity
Battleship North Carolina
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonActivity
Game Over Escape Room Wilmington
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonDining
The Copper Penny
- Downtown WilmingtonActivity
Green Light Escape Room, LLC
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonActivity
The Exit Games | Escape Room Wilmington
Wheelchair access - MasonboroActivity
Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonDining
The Pilot House
- Midtown WilmingtonDining
River 128 Restaurant
- Downtown WilmingtonDrinks
Anne Bonny's Bar and Grill
- Downtown WilmingtonDining
Embassy Suites by Hilton Wilmington Riverfront
- North WilmingtonDining
JohnnyLukes KitchenBar
- Downtown WilmingtonCafés
Kilwins Ice Cream - Chocolate - Fudge
Wheelchair access - North WilmingtonDrinks
Front Street Brewery
- Downtown WilmingtonActivity
Museum of the Bizarre
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonDining
Rebellion NC
- South WilmingtonActivity
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
Wheelchair access - North WilmingtonCafés
Bitty & Beau's Coffee
- Midtown WilmingtonDining
On Thyme Restaurant
- Downtown WilmingtonDining
The Reel Cafe
Outdoor seatingGood for groups - MasonboroActivity
Cape Fear Games
Wheelchair access - Castle HayneDining
The Sawmill Cafe and Catering
- OgdenDrinks
Ogden Tap Room
- North WilmingtonActivity
Ten Pin Alley
Wheelchair access - North WilmingtonDrinks
Satellite Bar and Lounge
- South WilmingtonDining
Savor Southern Kitchen
- OgdenDining
Pho 68
- MasonboroDining
The Keg and Egg
- South WilmingtonDining
Seabird
- Downtown WilmingtonCafés
Hidden Grounds Coffee
- OgdenCafés
Casa Blanca Coffee Roasters
- MasonboroDrinks
Whiskey Trail at The Creek
- Midtown WilmingtonDrinks
Fermental Beer & Wine
Outdoor seatingGood for groups - South WilmingtonActivity
Cameron Art Museum
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonDining
The Half Downtown
- North WilmingtonDining
Prost Biergarten
- Castle HayneDining
Buen Dia Mexican Breakfast & Lunch
- OgdenActivity
Cardinal Lanes Beach Bowl
Wheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonDrinks
Cloud 9 Rooftop Bar
Outdoor seating - Downtown WilmingtonDining
Michael's on the Waterfront
- MasonboroCafés
Bruster's Real Ice Cream
Good for groupsWheelchair access - Downtown WilmingtonCafés
Maroon Monkey Coffee
- Castle HayneDining
Carolina Girls’ Grillin’ Cafe
- Castle HayneDrinks
Barzarre - Beer, Spirits, Tacos, Hookah & Music
- Downtown WilmingtonDrinks
Duck & Dive Pub
- South WilmingtonCafés
Sweet D's Cuisine
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - Midtown WilmingtonDining
The Kitchen Sink
- South WilmingtonDining
Mediterranean Eatz
- Midtown WilmingtonDrinks
The Ivey in the Alley
- North WilmingtonDining
True Blue Butcher and Barrel
- Carolina BeachActivity
Surfs Up Mini Golf & Tiki Bar
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - South WilmingtonDining
Olivero
- Midtown WilmingtonCafés
24 South Coffee House
- Downtown WilmingtonCafés
Luna Caffè Roasters
- MasonboroCafés
Brooklyn Cafe
- HampsteadDining
NINETEEN Restaurant Bar And Banquet
- South WilmingtonDrinks
Barbary Coast
- North WilmingtonDrinks
Seven Mile Post
- MasonboroActivity
Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern
Wheelchair access - MasonboroDining
Origins Food and Drink
- Midtown WilmingtonDining
South Front Tavern