United States · Illinois
Chicago
9.5 million people in the metro
The gist
A big, affordable-for-its-size, neighborhood-driven city with a strong professional class and genuine community. The catch: winters are harsh and some areas have real safety concerns, so neighborhood choice matters.
The score, in four parts
The pool
How many people you could realistically meet, and how balanced the odds are.
Singles 25 to 34
841,000
Never-married people in their late twenties and thirties, estimated
Never married
62% / 56%
Men / women age 25 to 34 who have never married
Balance
More single men than women
110 single men per 100 single women, age 25 to 34
First marriage
31 / 29
Median age for men / women
The scene
Whether people here actually get married, and how open the city is to someone like you.
Want to marry
58%
Single adults who say they want to marry
How fast people marry
30 per 1,000
Weddings per 1,000 unmarried adults each year
Marrying foreigners
15%
Marriages between a local and a foreigner
How people meet
Apps 8/10
Matchmaking and singles events 6/10
The costs
What dating, marrying, and raising a family costs here, against what people earn.
Date night
$110
Dinner for two, drinks, a movie
Family rent
$2,600/mo
Doable on one income, tight
A wedding
$35,000
Typical total cost
Household income
$75,000
Median per year
The reality
Safety, stability, and what daily life is like after the honeymoon phase.
Safety
Stay alert at night
45 out of 100
Divorce
Elevated divorce rate
2.4 per 1,000 people a year
Healthcare
80/100
Quality of care
The culture
Not scored. Whether these are features or mismatches depends on you.
- Open to marrying foreigners
Marriage payment custom: None.
Marrying in United States
What the law says if you marry a United States national. Reviewed 2026-08-17. Informational, not legal advice.
- Spousal visa difficulty
- 6 out of 10, where 10 is hardest.
- Marriage process for foreigners
- Varies by state and county. Generally: both parties appear at the county clerk with photo ID, pay a fee, receive a license. No residency requirement in most states. Some states have a short waiting period between license and ceremony.
- Path to citizenship by marriage
- 3 years
- Property regime
- Nine community property states (TX, CA, AZ, NV, etc.); the rest use equitable distribution
- Prenup enforceability
- strong
- Worth knowing
- Marriage law is state law. Always check the specific state and county. This is informational, not legal advice.
* Some numbers come from national statistics and might differ from the city itself. Last updated August 22, 2026.