Just got out of a divorce? Here are the best and worst cities to get back on your feet.
Right off the bat, cross off New York City. A LendingTree study on post-divorce economics and relationship prospects across the U.S. gave New York the lowest score of all of the nation’s 50 largest metros, according to the New York Times.
LendingTree gave each city three scores based on data about divorced people. One is economic and includes median income, homeownership rates, and the cost to rent.
The other two were relationship based. One looked at the local dating pool and gender balance of the city. The “remarriage risk” category factored in the percentage of divorced people in the city and the number who had been married at least three times. More of either lowered the city’s score.
Minneapolis topped the list with excellent economic prospects and low remarriage risks. Milwaukee and Detroit followed behind. The top 10 included just two cities on the East Coast — Providence, Rhode Island and Hartford, Connecticut. Las Vegas was the city furthest west in the top 10. Denver, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Kansas City all made the top 10.
New York scored poorly across the board. A low economic score isn’t surprising given the cost of renting and owning in the city, although New Yorkers might disagree about the health of the city’s dating pool.
Divorcee-unfriendly economies also held down Riverside, California; Virginia Beach; and Sacramento. Shallow dating pools and remarriage risks were a factor in low scores in Memphis, Raleigh, Charlotte, Richmond, and Dallas. [NYT] — Dennis Lynch