When it comes to the most popular dating app out there, you may be surprised to see what's happening in your area. Because while there are some definite heavy hitters in the dating app world, there's actually a huge amount of variation in what's popular around the country.
In fact, technology company Quantcast looked at over 480,000 searches from January 6, 2017 - February 5, 2017 to see what apps people are searching for and where they're using them for Bustle. Different states seem to go for different apps, though, interestingly, there are some definitely clusters where certain dating apps are popular in a group of states. And it's not always the ones you think — in fact, a relative underdog called Maple Match is getting some real love, but more on that later.
It's just useful information to have. Partially just for curiosity's sake, but also because it'll show you where to meet singles in your state. Now, it has its limits (just because Grindr is the most popular searched for app in Maine and California doesn't mean it's going to work for you if you're a straight woman), but you can still get a good idea of where to find folks.
So here's what the map looks like, so you can see exactly what's going on in your state.
And here were the highlights of what they found:
1PlentyOfFish Won Out The Most States
PlentyOfFish, a free app, came out as the highest indexed dating app. That sort of surprised me, because it's not one my friends use as much as Tinder or Hinge, but it's obviously getting a lot of use in other circles.
2Tinder Came In Number Two
There it is: Tinder, the OG of dating apps, actually came in as the second highest indexed dating app.
3Grindr Scored Some Big Points On The West Coast
Although it may not have won the most states, there are a sprinkling of states where Grindr was the most searched. As you can see from the map, the West Coast and New England were big fans.
4Bumble Got A Lot Of Love In New England
Bumble, the female-led dating app, did really well in certain New England states. It came in at number one in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland.
5Some Of Us Were Looking North
This was my favorite part. Washington and Oregon searched for Maple Match — a dating app to help you find Canadians — the most. Whether it's just because of their proximity to the border or because of the new presidency, it's hard to tell. But Canada is looking appealing.
6New Yorkers Are All About Happn
Maybe it's because in big cities there are so many missed connections every day (and because we're all too lazy to travel more than three neighborhoods for a date), but Happn, which matches you with people you cross paths with, was the most popular search among New Yorkers.
7Coffee Meets Bagel Is Most Popular In Hawaii
Though Coffee Meets Bagel only got two percent of the searches around the country, it was the most searched for dating app in Hawaii and among men and those with a math science background. So if you've got a thing for science-y dudes with high incomes, you might want to give it a try.
You can take a look at the map to see exactly where your state fell. If you're having trouble meeting people, the most searched dating app in your area is a good place to start.
