Report Highlights. Online dating has fundamentally changed how people connect and form relationships. Recent studies show that between 10% and nearly half of all couples in the U.S. meet online^[1], underscoring the growing influence of digital platforms in modern romance. 

Here are some key takeaways:

• Between 10% and nearly 50% of all couples in the U.S. now meet through online dating.^[1]
• One in five adults under 30 say they met their current spouse or partner through a dating app.^[1]
• Around 12% of adults report entering into a committed relationship or marriage with someone they initially met on a dating site or app.^[2]
• Back in 2013, only 3% of adults said they had formed a long-term relationship through online dating. That number has now climbed to 12%, a fourfold increase.^[2]

Challenges in Online Dating

• Americans lost $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022, making it the costliest form of consumer fraud that year.^[3]
• Online dating algorithms favor popularity, often recommending attractive users more frequently.^[4]
• 56% of women under 50 who have used dating apps report receiving unsolicited sexually explicit messages or images.^[1]
• 43% say someone kept contacting them after they said they were not interested, and 37% have been called offensive names.^[1]
• 52% of online dating users say they have encountered someone they believe was trying to scam them.^[1]
• Men under 50 are particularly vulnerable, with 63% reporting a suspected scam encounter.^[1]
• The share of U.S. adults who believe online dating is “very” or “somewhat” safe has dropped from 53% in 2019 to 48% in 2022.^[1]
• Women are more likely than men to say online dating is unsafe.^[1]
• 11% of women under 50 have received physical threats on dating platforms.^[1]

Demographics and Online Dating

• Younger adults (18–29) are the largest user group, with roughly half having tried at least one dating app.^[1]
• LGBTQ+ adults are more likely to use dating apps, with 51% reporting usage compared to 28% of straight adults.^[1]
• Men are slightly more likely than women to have tried online dating, with 34% of men and 27% of women reporting usage.^[1]
• In 2023, Tinder’s U.S. user base was overwhelmingly male — 67% men vs. 33% women.^[5]
• People with a college education are more likely to use dating apps than those with a high school education or less.^[1]
• Urban dwellers are more likely to use dating apps than rural populations.^[6] 
• Never-married adults are the biggest users, with 52% having tried dating apps, compared to just 16% of married adults.^[1]

Impact of Online Dating on Social Trends

• Between 10% and nearly 50% of all couples in the U.S. now meet through online dating.^[1]
• Dating apps have contributed to a rise in interracial marriages since 2010.^[7]
• The “grass is greener” effect may make commitment harder because online dating provides endless options.^[4]
• Algorithm-driven dating is shaping modern romance and replacing traditional matchmaking by friends and family.^[8]
• Critics argue that dating algorithms reduce romance to formulas and diminish the role of spontaneity in love.^[9]

Motivations and Behaviors in Online Dating

• As of April 2024, U.S. adults spent an average of 50.9 minutes per day on dating apps.^[10]
• 44% of dating app users seek a serious relationship, while 24% use the platforms primarily for hookups.^[1]
• Only 21% of U.S. adults believe that dating apps’ matching algorithms can predict true compatibility.^[1]
• 54% of women feel overwhelmed by the number of messages they receive, while 64% of men feel insecure about the lack of messages they receive.^[1] 
• 41% of online dating users report positive experiences, 32% report negative experiences.^[1]
• Paid dating app users report more positive experiences (58%) compared to free users (50%).^[1]
• Women were more likely than men to report a negative experience.^[1]

Success and Stability of Online Relationships

• Approximately 10% of heterosexual couples met through dating apps as of 2021, while for same-sex couples, this figure is higher, with 24% meeting online.^[1]
• 20% of partnered adults under 30 met their spouse or partner online.^[1]
• 12% of online daters in the U.S. ended up marrying or entering a committed relationship with someone they met through a dating site or app.^[2]
• 5.96% of marriages that started online ended in separation or divorce by the time of the survey, compared with 7.67% among couples who met offline.^[11]
• Participants who met online reported higher average marital satisfaction than those who met offline.^[11]

Additional Resources

Journalists should examine how online dating reflects broader societal shifts, from success rates and evolving perceptions to the growing influence of digital matchmaking tools. Investigate AI’s role, safety concerns, and shifting relationship norms to provide a deeper understanding of how technology is redefining modern romance in an increasingly digital landscape.

For further reading on related topics, check out these articles:

Domestic Violence Statistics by State 2024

Teen Dating Violence Statistics 2024

Domestic Violence Statistics 2024

LGBTQ+ Sexual Violence Statistics 2024

Child Sexual Abuse Statistics in the U.S. 2024

It Was Never About Clothes: Student’s Haunting Photos Confront Assault Myths

FAQs

References

1. Key findings about online dating in the U.S. Pew Research Center. (2023, February 2).
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/02/key-findings-about-online-dating-in-the-u-s/

2. Anderson, M., Vogels, E. A., & Turner, E. (2020, February 6). The virtues and downsides of online dating. Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/02/06/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating/

3. Federal Trade Commission. (2024, February). Love stinks when a scammer is involved [Blog post]. FTC Business Guidance Blog.
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/02/love-stinks-when-scammer-involved

4. Celdir, M. E., Cho, S.-H., & Hwang, E. H. (2023). Popularity bias in online dating platforms: Theory and empirical evidence. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.
https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0132

5. Dixon, S. J. (2023, December 13). U.S. online dating users 2023, by gender. Statista.
https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1358191/us-online-dating-users-by-gender

6. Castro, Á., & Barrada, J. R. (2020). Dating apps and their sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6500.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186500

7. Thomas, R. J. (2020). Online exogamy reconsidered: Estimating the internet’s effects on racial, educational, religious, political, and age assortative mating. Social Forces, 98(3), 1257–1286.
https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz060

8. Rosenfeld, M. J., Thomas, R. J., & Hausen, S. (2019). Disintermediating your friends: How online dating in the United States displaces other ways of meeting. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(36), 17753–17758.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1908630116

9. Wang, H. (2023). Algorithmic colonization of love: The ethical challenges of dating app algorithms in the age of AI. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, 27(2), 260–280.
https://doi.org/10.5840/techne202381181

10. Online dating market outlook worldwide. (2024). Statista.
https://www.statista.com/outlook/emo/dating-services/online-dating/worldwide

11. Cacioppo, J. T., Cacioppo, S., Gonzaga, G. C., Ogburn, E. L., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2013). Marital satisfaction and break-ups differ across on-line and off-line meeting venues. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(25), 10135–10140.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1222447110

12. Why TinderⓇ’s first Sunday of the year, better known as ‘Dating Sunday,’ is a game-changer for singles. (2024, December 19). Tinder.
https://sg.tinderpressroom.com/Dating-Sunday-2025