When it comes to dating in any of the major flyover states in the Midwest, there are some unique challenges. And yes, Kansas is not exempt from that as well. The rural landscape and spread out population limits options, can drastically slow down the dating process, and can really put a damper on your spirits.
We’re here to turn those frowns upside down and let you know that dating in Kansas does not have to feel like a drag. And to be honest, a slower dating scene isn’t all that bad. You end up with more intentional people looking for more serious relationships. We’ll get to what the dating scene in Kansas is like in a minute, though.
First, we want to showcase our picks for the best Kansas dating apps and tell you why we love them. Then, we’ll talk about the Kansas dating scene and give you some data that can help you get on your feet in the right direction.
And we promise we’ll make it through this entire guide without any Wizard of Oz or tornado references…maybe.
The Best Dating Apps in Kansas
eharmony Ranks #1 for Kansas Dating Apps
With Kansas being the 7th ranked state for people getting married the youngest and the percentage of men and women who are married both being over the national average, it makes sense that singles in Kansas are looking for real and meaningful relationships.
As this is the majority, it really makes our jobs easy because there is one dating app that specializes in this type of dating—and they do it well. For us, eharmony is the best Kansas dating app that best matches the relationship goals and personality styles of people living in the state.
What’s really cool is the app does a lot of the matchmaking work for you. As many singles in Kansas work hard (have limited free time) and tend to move a little slower with dating, this hands on help approach is amazing. Memberships are free to start, and paid upgrades to premium are available for around $35 per month.
If you’re ready to meet someone awesome in Kansas (or one of the surrounding states), give eharmony a go.
Kansas Dating App with 35 Million + Members
If the number 35 million grabbed your attention, it should have! That’s nearly 12 times the population of Kansas, which means one thing—Zoosk is a dating app loaded with singles for you to meet. This means two things for Kansas singles. Number one—if you live in some of the bigger cities, expect to have an incredible variety of unique people to choose from.
Number two—if you live in some of the more rural parts of the state (the average is only 35.9 people per square mile and that’s heavily skewed by the few bigger cities), you’ll have options. Smaller dating apps just don’t work in Kansas because they’re about as dead as the local bar is on a Tuesday night.
If you want variety, unique singles, and an option that works for casual or serious dating in Kansas, check out Zoosk.
A Kansas Dating App for the Bigger Cities
Kansas is not just farm land or however it’s portrayed in movies (we probably don’t have to tell you this). There are bigger cities like Wichita, Kansas City, Topeka, and Overland Park (to name a few). And in these bigger cities, there are a lot of young and older professionals in a wide array of professions and industries (like tech, manufacturing, and eCommerce to name a few).
Elite Singles is a Kansas dating app designed to meet the needs of those who fit this bill. If you work in a professional career, prioritize education, or you’re attracted to successful people who are changing the world—you’ll enjoy Elite Singles. Built around a matchmaking algorithm and an easy to use interface, the app does well to connect singles in a wide array of professional industries looking for romantic relationships.
The only drawback would be if you’re someone with different priorities. If you couldn’t care less about what someone does for a living or if they’re a mover and a shaker in the world, stick with something like eharmony, Zoosk, or our next Kansas dating app Higher Bond.
For those that do, though, you’ll enjoy this app. If you live in the boonies, though, you might only find people in the nearest bigger city.
Kansas Dating App Option for Single Christians
Religion and faith have a deeply routed place in the history of Kansas. Today, 3 out of every 4 people in the state identify as Christian, with the largest subsects being Evangelical and Mainline Protestants. For this reason alone, we probably should have included a Christian dating app option higher on the list. But nevertheless (and better late than never), here is an amazing option for the over 75% of Christians in Kansas looking for love. Meet Higher Bond.
Higher Bond is a dating app launched within the past few years specifically for singles who take their Christian faith seriously. What’s really neat about Higher Bond is that it takes a “less is more” approach to dating. In other words, it helps you connect with Christian singles without having to dedicate hours of your day to swiping or searching. You’ll get 3-5 curated matches daily—and that’s it! This allows you to get on, check your matches, send a message if you’re interested, and then go about your day.
For serious Christians in Kansas, this is a welcomed sign. It helps prevent you from getting burnt out or emotionally tired from online dating.
Single Christian in Kansas? Check out Higher Bond.
A Swipe-Style Kansas Dating App to Consider
The last Kansas dating app we want to talk about today is Bumble. Bumble, unlike Higher Bond, is a swipe-style dating app (much like Tinder) that does carry some risk monopolizing your time. But, it’s still quite popular in all 50 states (including Kansas), so it feels like a worthwhile option to include.
The app works just like Tinder in that you swipe to find mutual matches. Once a mutual match is achieved, a chat is opened up between both people. The big difference from Tinder, though, is that only women may send the first message. This is a bummer for guys who want to take the lead, especially in a state like Kansas where classic chivalrous norms are still quite popular. But if you’re more progressive and want to break out of the norms of “guys message first”, then you’ll most likely enjoy how Bumble is changing the game.
While Bumble isn’t one of our favorite options, we did want to include it purely for popularity reasons and completeness.
Additional Resources for Kansas Singles
3 Reasons We Love These Kansas Dating Apps
We shared why we think eharmony is our top pick for singles in the state, but why the other options? Well, it’s all based on the same criteria, as well as the need for alternative options (since everyone doesn’t like the same things). Here are just a few of the bigger factors we look at when determining which Kansas dating apps to recommend.
1. Distance filters and searching on lock.
When you’re single in a more rural state, distance becomes important to your search for love. This is especially true in a state with a lot of major cities just over the state lines. A great Kansas dating app needs to have ways for you to filter, search, and match with singles the right distance away from you. If that’s just in your small town, great! If that’s 100 or 1,000 miles away, great! You just need to have the options and they need to work.
2. Speeds that work with all different internet connectivity levels.
Speaking of a rural state, we probably don’t have to tell some of you that internet connection isn’t always blazing in all corners of the state. This means that a viable option for Kansas singles needs to be able to work with slower connections without compromising security or the quality of the dating experience. We also don’t want it to look like 1999, so it needs to do this tactfully.
3. A fun and enjoyability factor.
I’m not here to hate on the dating scene in Kansas because it’s really not that bad. However, there is a stigma that carries some truth that the dating scene is a bit flat. What that signals to us then is that a good option for dating online in Kansas needs to be enjoyable. It needs to bring some excitement to the table to keep you engaged while you’re searching for your person. Each of these dating apps does that masterfully.
What is Dating in Kansas Really Like?
Dating in Kansas is…interesting? That’s the best one word we can think of to describe it. While each city has its own flare when it comes to dating, there are some bigger trends that we’ve seen. Here are a few of those to give you an idea of what you’re jumping into.
You may need to cast a wide net.
While this won’t come as anything groundbreaking, Kansas is a pretty rural state with only 35.9 people per square mile. If you’re not in one of the major cities, consider setting your search parameters for online dating a little wider. Additionally, if you really care about finding the right person, don’t be opposed to jumping on the road and driving a little to meet someone if they live a little farther away.
People get married young.
The whole stigma that everyone in Kansas just marries someone from high school may not be that far from the truth. According to recent stats, the average age of marriage in the state is 26.25 years old, which is good for 7th youngest average in the country. What’s also interesting is that the women in the state get married on average a whole two years younger.
People like to get their drink on.
If you go on a date in Kansas, you can expect theirs a good chance it’s going to involve alcohol (hopefully a healthy amount of it). According to recent stats, Kansas ranks 10th in the nation for the worst states for adult binge drinking. While the stat is not just for the single population, it is most likely heavily influenced by that group.
You’ll see a lot of camo in Riley, Kansas.
While this isn’t a statewide trend, it is worth mentioning. Fort Riley Army Base in Riley, KS is home to nearly 25,000+ soldiers. If you live literally anywhere within about 50 miles of that area, expect to see a lot of soldiers in the area and on the dating apps. There’s also a smaller Air Force base in Sedgwick and a few bases just over state borders worth mentioning.
Dating is a lot less expensive in the state than in other areas of the country.
Thankfully, cost of living in Kansas is quite low, usually coming in the top 5 lowest in most studies. What is nice about this is that it means dating is going to be a bit less expensive.
Wichita, Kansas Ranks 55th Best City for Singles in the United States
Continuing our discussion of dating in the state, we wanted to look at one of the largest cities and how it stacks up against the rest of the country. Our team conducted a data study looking at 90 of the biggest cities in the country across 36 data points to see what cities were great for singles and which missed the mark.
Wichita came in at 55th in the country for best cities for singles.
While 55th isn’t necessarily something to call the news vans out about, it’s still a good showing that gives us some insight into dating in the city. What was very interesting is the city was one of the highest scoring in the cost of dating category, but was also one of the lowest scoring in the dating amenities category. You can see the full study linked here to get all the good details.
- 55th – Wichita, KS
Kansas Singles Data
To close out our quick look at the Kansas dating scene, we wanted to share some key data on the big picture. Here, you’ll find information on the population of the state as a whole, how many people are single, what the age and demographic breakdown is, and how many people have access to the internet and therefore online dating.
Total Population
- 2,934,582
Population in Kansas by Gender
- 49.8% women in Kansas
- 50.3% men in Kansas
Overall Singles by Gender
- 48.1% of women in Kansas are single
- 46.6% of men in Kansas are single
Population in Kansas by Age
- 13.3% aged from 20-29 years old
- 13.4% aged from 30-39 years old
- 11.4% aged from 40-49 years old
- 11.6% aged from 50-59 years old
- 23.4% aged 60+ years old
% Households With Internet in KS
- 79.6% of households in Kansas have internet access
Source: Kansas Census
Is Online Dating Safe in Kansas?
One shining moment for dating in Kansas is that the state ranked 11th safest state for online dating in a recent online romance scam data study by our team. Here are the five criteria the study assessed and aggregated:
What does 11th place look like (and mean)? Well first, it means your chances of falling for a romance scam (statistically) in Kansas are 1 in 20,000. These are pretty good odds in your favor. Based on last year’s stats, residents of Kansas lost just under $5 million to these types of scams. While this sounds like a lot, Californians lost over $180 million to put it into perspective. We think even $1 is too much, but under $5 million isn’t actually that bad in relation.
Where is Online Dating Most Popular in Kansas?
Before we advise you to jump into online dating, we want to make sure you have all the information. This includes looking at if and where the practice is most popular amongst singles.
A great way to gauge the popularity of online dating within a state is by looking at search traffic. The cities where more people are searching for online dating topics are naturally the cities with the most interest. And while this doesn’t mean you can’t find love in other cities, it’s nice to see where the hot areas are with the most traffic.
Below, you’ll see the results for the top areas in the state with the highest search traffic for online dating over the past 12 months. A bit surprisingly, the Wichita area and the Topeka areas were tied for the most!
- Wichita-Hutchinson KS – (100)
- Topeka KS – (100)
- Kansas City MO – (29)
Kansas Dating Apps FAQ
Is dating hard in Kansas?
The rural nature of Kansas, the fact that many of the singles in the state move slowly, and the stats that people get married super young are all contributing factors to a challenging dating scene. Still, though, with the help of dating apps and the right direction and guidance, dating and online dating in Kansas can be enjoyable and not seem like a lost cause.
How much do Kansas dating apps cost to join?
The average monthly cost of a Kansas dating app ranges from around $10 up to $80. There are some specialty sites that cost considerably more, but this is the usual range. Keep in mind, though, that you usually have to purchase at least 3 months and the longer the term you select, the lower the rate.
Are there free Kansas dating sites?
Yes, there are some dating sites in Kansas that offer free service like POF. However., free dating apps have a bad reputation of not delivering safe or quality service due to a lack of financial resources to support the product. In other words, you get what you pay for so be wary of these options.
Written By: Matt Seymour
Matt Seymour is a dating industry expert with over a decade of experience coaching singles, reviewing dating apps, and analyzing trends within the industry. With a Masters of Science in Finance (MSF) degree from the University of Florida and extensive knowledge of the innerworkings of the online dating industry, Matt frequently serves in an advisory role to some of the largest dating apps on the market. In Matt’s current role with Healthy Framework, he leads the interview team that regularly interviews key dating industry leaders, and leverages his financial knowledge and dating app experience to review and share what singles need to know to get the most out of dating online.