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 numbers, each sourced and confidence-flagged:
- $1,360 per month Zumper Rent Research, June 2026
- $40,685 per year Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
- 54% Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
By the numbers
11 sourced, confidence-flagged metrics for Wilmington — gender, money, neighborhoods, and political lean. The deep dive, with charts, is in the console below.
- Singles, 22 to 50
73,811
- Gender balance
54%
- Male skew
54%
- Median income
$40,685
- 1-bedroom rent
$1,360
- Living wage
$46,218
- Transit fare
$2
- Rent trend
$1,360
- Most female-leaning zone
49%
- Unaffiliated
44%
- Republican
29%
The shape of the market
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%).
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 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.
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
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
| Neighborhood | Singles | M / F | Income | 1BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Local date spots
Real venues across Wilmington, scraped from Google Maps and filterable by neighborhood. Ratings and review counts are live Google data — never paid placement.
- Downtown Wilmington
The Copper Penny
- Downtown Wilmington
The Pilot House
- Midtown Wilmington
River 128 Restaurant
- Downtown Wilmington
Anne Bonny's Bar and Grill
- North Wilmington
JohnnyLukes KitchenBar
- North Wilmington
Front Street Brewery
- Downtown Wilmington
Rebellion NC
- North Wilmington
Bitty & Beau's Coffee
- Midtown Wilmington
On Thyme Restaurant
- Castle Hayne
The Sawmill Cafe and Catering
- Ogden
Ogden Tap Room
- North Wilmington
Satellite Bar and Lounge
- South Wilmington
Savor Southern Kitchen
- Ogden
Pho 68
- Masonboro
The Keg and Egg
- South Wilmington
Seabird
- Downtown Wilmington
Hidden Grounds Coffee
- Ogden
Casa Blanca Coffee Roasters
- Masonboro
Whiskey Trail at The Creek
- Downtown Wilmington
The Half Downtown
- North Wilmington
Prost Biergarten
- Castle Hayne
Buen Dia Mexican Breakfast & Lunch
- Downtown Wilmington
Michael's on the Waterfront
- Downtown Wilmington
Maroon Monkey Coffee
- Castle Hayne
Carolina Girls’ Grillin’ Cafe
- Castle Hayne
Barzarre - Beer, Spirits, Tacos, Hookah & Music
- Downtown Wilmington
Duck & Dive Pub
- Midtown Wilmington
The Kitchen Sink
- South Wilmington
Mediterranean Eatz
- Midtown Wilmington
The Ivey in the Alley