The Online Dating Calculator estimates how many men in your city meet your criteria. This page documents where each input comes from, how the filters are combined and where the estimate can be off. To get the number for your own criteria, run the dating standards calculator. For the national figures first, the men's standards test shows what share of men meet each common standard.
The short version
The calculator starts with the adult male population of the metro area you choose. It then applies your filters one at a time. Each filter is a multiplier: the proportion of men who meet that criterion, taken from national survey data. The number left at the end is your estimated pool.
Where each input comes from
| Input | Source | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Population | U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census | Adult male population by metro area |
| Age | U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census | Age distribution of men 18 and over, in 5-year groups |
| Height | CDC NHANES 2017 to 2018 | Male height, mean 69.1 inches, standard deviation 2.94 inches, modeled as a normal distribution |
| Income | U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 | Male earnings distribution |
| Education | U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2022 | Educational attainment for men 25 and over |
| Relationship status | U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 | Marital status by age and sex. "Single" means never married or divorced or separated |
| Smoking | CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2022 | 13.1% of adult men smoke, so 86.9% do not |
| Body type | CDC NHANES 2017 to 2020 | BMI-based prevalence data |
| Physical attractiveness | Bruch and Newman, Science Advances (2018); OkCupid blog, "Your Looks and Your Inbox" | Informs the attraction filter |
| Dating app adoption | Pew Research Center, 2023 | Rates used to show your app-specific pool |
How the filters combine
Filters are applied in sequence, and each one multiplies the running pool by the share of men who pass it. As an example using the calculator's own inputs, 36% of men have at least a bachelor's degree and 86.9% do not smoke. Requiring both, and treating them as independent, leaves about 31% of men (0.36 x 0.869).
Where the source data allows it, the calculator uses age-specific figures: income by age group, education by age and sex, and relationship status by age. Apart from that, it multiplies filters together and does not model how they overlap. Education and income tend to move together, for instance, so a stack of correlated filters can be less rare than the multiplication suggests. Read the result as an estimate of scale, not an exact count.
What the result can and cannot tell you
- It is an estimate. National rates are applied to a local population, so results may vary with local demographics.
- It counts men who meet your criteria. It does not count men who are available, interested in you or compatible with you. Attraction and compatibility cannot be measured at population level.
- Height uses a normal-distribution model fitted to national survey data. It is not a count of actual heights in your metro area.
- Source years differ, from 2017 to 2022, because each survey is published on its own schedule.
For the underlying tables, see the dating pool statistics page. For the base population in each city, see adult men by metro area.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the data come from?
Every input comes from U.S. government surveys or published research: the Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census, American Community Survey, Current Population Survey), the CDC (NHANES and the National Center for Health Statistics) and Pew Research Center. The table above lists each source and what it is used for.
How accurate is the result?
It is an estimate. The calculator applies national rates to a local population, so a city with an unusual age, income or education mix can differ from the national picture. Use the number as a guide to scale, not as an exact count of men.
Why does the calculator apply national rates to a local pool?
Survey data for every combination of criteria does not exist at the metro level. The calculator starts from the adult male population of your metro area and applies national rates for each filter. Local rates can differ, most noticeably for income and education.
See Your Own Number
Run your criteria through the calculator and see how many men in your city meet them. It takes about three minutes.
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