Cincinnati among the best cities for single young professionals. Here's the full list

Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
The Roebling Bridge and the Cincinnati Riverfront are lit up after the Bengals Super Bowl kickoff rally on Monday, February 7, 2022.
The Roebling Bridge and the Cincinnati Riverfront are lit up after the Bengals Super Bowl kickoff rally on Monday, February 7, 2022.

Cincinnati is a "Midwest gem" for young professionals, according to a new study of the best cities for single young professionals." The city comes in at No. 5 on RentHop.com's ranking, released this week.

The website, which lists apartment rentals and also offers market insights and research, set out to rank the top 100 cities for single young professionals. Columbus also made the list, at No. 10.

2023 rankings: Forbes ranks Cincinnati, Columbus as top 5 US metros for young professionals. See who won

What the study says about Cincinnati's appeal

"Cincinnati ranks as a Midwest gem," RentHop says. It credits affordable groceries, dining options and rental inventory in ranking the city the fifth most affordable in its index this year. The city ranked No. 7 for both cost (affordability) and dating among the 100 largest cities in the U.S.

What are the Top 10 cities for young professionals?

RentHop's top 10 cities for young professionals includes several midsize cities:

  1. Minneapolis

  2. Madison, Wisconsin

  3. St. Paul, Minnesota

  4. Pittsburgh

  5. Cincinnati

  6. Atlanta

  7. Denver

  8. Lincoln, Nebraska

  9. Seattle

  10. Columbus, Ohio

What are RentHop's main findings?

  • Minneapolis is the best city for single young professionals, thanks to relatively affordable housing options (median rent at $1,525), a low unemployment rate, and over 30% of the young population.

  • St. Paul ranks as the third-best city for single young professionals. The Twin Cities as a whole is a great hub for young professionals to find love and a successful career.

  • New York City ranks as the worst city for single young professionals. The city has one of the most expensive rental markets in the world, making it less ideal for young professionals.

  • Austin ranks as the best city for single young professionals in Texas and the 16th best in the U.S. The city enjoys a high dating score and a good job environment, with a 3% unemployment rate.

  • San Francisco is California’s best city for single young professionals. However, the city has very high living costs, with the current median rent at $3,167.

How did RentHop create its ranking?

To find the best cities for single young professionals, RentHop compared the top 100 most populated cities in the U.S. based on career, cost of living and dating opportunities. The index covers the following:

  • Career score, as determined by job opportunities based on the most recent metro unemployment rates; and median non-family household income released by the Census Bureau.

  • Cost of living, as ranked by median rent, based on the RentHop database; cost of groceries using Numbeo data; and cost of two people dining out, also from Numbeo data.

  • Dating opportunities, as determined by percentage of population between 20 and 34 years; percentage of single population; interest in dating, measured by Google searches that include dating apps; and access to the internet.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Cincinnati a ‘gem’ on list of top cities for single young professionals