This Colorado City is Surprisingly One of the Loneliest

When it comes to the loneliest cities in America, a remote town up in Alaska or somewhere of the like might be the first sort of place that comes to mind. But surprisingly, some of the loneliest cities in the country are actually quite popular areas.

How is that possible? And how does a city's 'loneliness score' get measured anyway?

In this case, it was determined by the number of residents in a town that are currently living alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 36 million Americans, or 29 percent of all U.S. households, are one-person households,

Methodology

In order to come up with the rankings of the loneliest cities in the country, researchers with ChamberofCommerce.org analyzed more than 170 census-defined places with a population of 150,000 or more. The analysis highlighted the number of one-person households in each city, in addition to the number of males and females living in one-person households. To determine the average yearly increase, researchers analyzed 2016-2021 one-person household data.

In addition to the cities that are home to the most people who live alone, the data also uncovered the cities that have seen the biggest increase in residents opting to live on their own.

Loneliest Locations

With a total of 154,150 one-person households, the data revealed Washington D.C. to be the loneliest city in America. Next in line is St. Louis, Missouri, and then Alexandria, Virginia in the third spot. Richmond, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio are also considered to be some of the loneliest towns in the nation.

Denver came in at No. 27 on the list, with a total of 127,034 solo dwellers in the state. Based on the research, males in Fort Collins have gotten lonelier, with a 14.2 percent yearly increase in men who are now living alone instead of with a friend or partner.

Some states saw an increase in citizens living alone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people who have uprooted their lives for a career change also contribute to this overall increase across the country.

Least Lonely Cities

The least lonely city in the country is considered to be Fontana, California. In this location, there are only 6,393 residents who live by themselves. A possible reason for  Fontana and other California cities) having such a low number of people living alone could be because rent is so high, that it forces residents to live with roommates.

It should be noted that many people choose to live alone, yet still, maintain a socially-fulfilled life with friends and loved ones.

Check out the complete rankings here.