Maryland Has Nation's
Lowest Number of Single Men to Women, Census Reports
By Makeba Scott
Hunter
Capital News Service
Friday, Oct. 31, 2003
Ratio of Men to Women Varies Across
Maryland
By Capital News
Service
WASHINGTON - Demographers say the age of the population and the presence or
absence of facilities like prisons or military bases can all contribute to the
varying numbers of single men to single women across the state.
The U.S. Census Bureau used 2000 Census data to compare the number of men
over age 15 who were single -- divorced, widowed or never married -- to the
number of single women of the same age.
The percentage of single men per 100 women, by county, is:
- Dorchester 70.6
- Allegany 73.0
- Baltimore County 73.6
- Baltimore City 73.7
- Wicomico 74.0
- Montgomery 75.8
- Talbot 75.9
- Kent 76.2
- Prince George's 77.1
- Harford 81.6
- Worcester 81.7
- Howard 82.6
- Charles 83.0
- Caroline 84.6
- Carroll 86.1
- Washington 87.4
- Frederick 88.6
- Calvert 89.7
- Anne Arundel 90.4
- Garrett 90.5
- Cecil 91.4
- Queen Anne's 94.1
- St. Mary's 95.0
- Somerset 97.6
- MARYLAND 79.0
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, "Marital Status: 2000." |
WASHINGTON - When Cumberland bartender Stephanie Scaletta and her
friends want a date, they go to another state where their odds are better.
Literally.
A recent report by the Census Bureau confirms what some women in
Maryland may have feared: There were only 79 bachelors for every 100
single women in the state in 2000, the worst ratio in the nation.
The nationwide average is 86 single men over age 15 for every 100
unmarried women of the same age. The report was based on data from the
2000 census and included men and women who were divorced, widowed or never
married, but not those who were separated from their spouses.
"It sucks," said Scaletta, 23, who tends bar at Brewski's. "I have very
few single girlfriends and the ones I do have -- we go out of town,
preferably the state, when we want to date."
The situation is even worse for Scaletta and her friends in Western
Maryland than it is in the state as a whole. The Census Bureau said there
are just 75 men for every 100 women in Cumberland, 14th-worst of the 260
metropolitan areas in the nation that the bureau surveys.
"There's not a lot of selection," said Beverly Bitten, a single,
28-year-old waitress at Harrigan's Lounge in Cumberland. "The good ones
are already taken so you get stuck with the folks you don't really want."
Scaletta attributes the dearth of available men to the trend of
marrying young in the area and the lack of job opportunities there.
But the situation is not limited to Western Maryland. Women across the
state tell the same sad story.
"I can definitely tell that there's less men than women," said Carrie
Sturgeon, 26, who tends bar at the popular Seacrets in Ocean City. "The
attitudes of the men (who come into the bar) are completely different
because there are so many women for them to choose from.
"I think they're a lot more cocky and feel that they can get away with
a lot more," Sturgeon said. "And, I feel that women dress a lot more
provocatively . . . because it is so hard to attract men."
Hard, but not impossible, said Tommy "The Matchmaker" Curtis of the
Yacht Club of Bethesda. Curtis, who claims to have had a hand in 156
marriages and engagements from the club, said there is hope for single
women in Maryland, despite the odds.
The first step, he said, is to leave the house. "You're not going to
meet someone if you stay home and order a pizza," he said.
Next, he said, find somewhere to go, pointing to political campaigns
and the upcoming holidays -- "Beg, borrow and steal to go to all Christmas
parties" -- as good places to meet new people. And those who are too shy
to make the rounds alone should take a friend or try online dating.
But Curtis' tips don't trump the numbers.
Scaletta and her friends may be on to something by crossing state lines
in search of a good date -- even if the odds are only a little bit better.
While Maryland has 79 available men to every 100 single women,
Pennsylvania, Delaware and the District of Columbia have 80 bachelors per
100 bachelorettes, according to the Census. West Virginia is slightly
better at 82 to 100 and Virginia is positively virile at 85 to 100.
But Maryland women can really improve the odds with a short road trip:
A little more than 100 miles up U.S. Route 220 from Cumberland lies State
College, Pa., the land of 105 men to 100 women.
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