“It’s not a road, it’s not an island—talk amongst yourselves.” If you haven’t seen the old Saturday Night Live sketch referencing Rhode Island, you probably think we’re crazy. But not as crazy as the singles you’ve met that have driven you here!
You see, it doesn’t take long to realize that dating in Rhode Island is tough. There’s just over a million people in the state, a lot of people commute out of the state for work and entertainment, and, well, it’s just hard.
There is hope, though. Technology, in the form of the best Rhode Island dating apps, are here to help—and in a big way. Whether that’s someone to marry, someone for a committed relationship, or just someone to casually date, there are options.
Below, we’ve outlined the best dating apps for Rhode Island singles, as well as some helpful information and resources on dating across the state.
The Best Rhode Island Dating Apps
- Zoosk
- eharmony
- Higher Bond
- Elite Singles
- The League
Why Zoosk is the #1 Rhode Island Dating App
Even though all you need is to find one person to change your world, it can feel tough in a state as small as Rhode Island. When the population is just around 1 million, the biggest thing you need to find that special someone is options.
This is where Zoosk shines in a big, big way. 30 million+ downloads…3 million+ messages sent daily…and the #1 grossing app in the App store. The userbase on the site is literally 30x the population of Rhode Island!
What this means for you is an eclectic and diverse mix of people looking for all types of relationships. If you’re serious about getting results in your dating life, check out Zoosk.
Additional Resources for Rhode Island Singles
3 Reasons These Are the Top RI Dating Apps
Our app recommendations are not randomly pulled out of thin air or didn’t randomly float in to the Port of Providence on a piece of paper in a bottle. We have an expert team that spends a lot of time digging through options and racking and stacking. Here are just a few of the reasons (out of many) that we chose these as the best Rhode Island dating apps.
1. These dating apps expand your dating pool intelligently.
Because the dating pool is relatively small in Rhode Island, a viable app option needs to be able to expand your options (without delivering you garbage). The dating apps we’ve showcased here do that by giving you the freedom and flexibility to select the types of singles you want, the age range you’re looking for, and the chance to search by a certain distance from your current location. This is great for singles who want to date hyper-locally and not leave their little neighborhood and for those singles who are okay expanding out to places like Greater Boston and Worcester.
2. Your safety is always a priority.
Check any survey or data study and you’ll find Rhode Island as one of the safest states in the nation. This is probably a testament to the tight-knit communities in the state who proactively take care of themselves. With online dating, your pool of matches expands to people who may be from out of state or areas of the state that aren’t a part of your group. This brings some risk (though not more risk than randomly meeting someone at a bar).
In order to get anywhere near our list of the best Rhode Island dating apps, the company needs to be proactive about keeping you safe and educating you on what you can do to keep your experience above board and enjoyable.
3. The user friendliness of the apps is something to get excited about.
Rhode Island really isn’t a state known for its technological prowess. It’s a beautiful state where people tend to focus more on the hear and now and use technology as needed. What this means, though, is a great RI dating app needs to be easy to use. If it takes you more than about five minutes to figure out how the app works—we think it’s worthless. We keep these same stringent standards in all states, but especially in states like Rhode Island where technology isn’t as popular.
What is Dating in Rhode Island Like?
Wondering what dating in Rhode Island is like? Been a while since you’ve dated or new to the area? Whatever the reason, here are a few things you can expect to see in your time out there searching for Mr. or Ms. right.
Dating hyper-locally is as hard as it might seem.
If you really want to meet someone who lives very close to you, this may be a bit more challenging unless you live in Providence. Towns are small, communities are tight-knit, and opportunities to meet people outside of dating online may be tough. It’s definitely possible (and we don’t want to discourage you), but we just want to temper your expectations.
Transplants may have challenges.
For the same reasons we just mentioned, transplants to the state may have a bit of a harder time getting plugged in. Dating apps help to erase this a bit, but dating in-person may be a little tougher to get going. It also may be a bit of a risk to try and date someone you just meet as friends can be tough to come by as well. If it goes wrong with someone in that group, you may be left looking for friends again.
Often, people look for love outside of the state borders.
While cities like Providence do have a pretty solid dating scene (especially for a city of its size), there’s no denying that things are little slower (and more charming) in Rhode Island. For that reason, you’ll find a lot of singles who expand their search for love to the neighboring states of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of RI singles in the Boston area from time to time.
Localized events are a great place to meet people.
The Rhode Island charm is supported by a lot of local events like festivals, flea markets, farmer’s markets, etc. These are great places to frequent if you’re looking to meet someone special in person. If not, the dating apps are going to be your best friend.
The college dating scene may be better than you expect.
We do hear a lot of younger people say that dating in the state is hard. However, we don’t really feel this is the case, especially in the areas around any of the 13 accredited colleges in the state. An impressive five of these schools (Brown University being the largest) are in Providence, which makes that a great place for singles in their early 20s. Between all five schools, there are usually over 30k enrolled students, plenty of whom are single!
Rhode Island Singles Dating Statistics
Total Population
- 1,095,610
Population in Rhode Island by Gender
- 51.0% women in Rhode Island
- 49.0% men in Rhode Island
Overall Singles (Unmarried) by Gender
- 55.2% of women in Rhode Island are single
- 52% of men in Rhode Island are single
Population in Rhode Island by Age
- The median age is 40.6 (almost two years higher than the National average)
- 13.4% aged from 20-29 years old
- 13.5% aged from 30-39 years old
- 11.8% aged from 40-49 years old
- 13.1% aged from 50-59 years old
- 25.9% aged 60+ years old
% Households With Internet in RI
- 81.8% of households in Rhode Island have internet access
Source(s): Census.gov
Free Dating Sites in Rhode Island
Looking for free dating sites in Rhode Island? We totally get it. No one likes to spend money when they don’t have to. However, we want to add a word of caution to you on your journey. Completely free dating sites in Rhode Island may seem great on your wallet, but they can be a real tax on your time and your emotions. Free dating sites have very few filters in place or technology to keep the scammers, fake profiles, and people looking to play games out.
For that reason, we always recommend sticking with paid RI dating apps. That being said, we’re NOT fans of just setting money on fire and being wasteful. At the top of this guide, you’ll find Rhode Island dating apps offering free trials. These options allow you to test drive the product BEFORE you upgrade to a premium membership. We love all of these sites, but one is going to be more perfect for you than the others based on what you’re looking for.
Rhode Island Dating App FAQ
What is the best dating app in Rhode Island?
Zoosk is currently the best dating app in Rhode Island because it does the best job of helping solve the issue of what may feel like too few of options. Additionally, for younger singles, it provides the ability to date casually or seriously from the same platform.
What is the best dating app for singles in Providence?
Because of the younger demographic in Providence as a result of the colleges in the area, we think an option like Zoosk remains at the top of the list. Many college students are looking for casual dating, while many are looking for someone special. Zoosk gives you the ability to do this under one roof and with ease.
Is dating in Rhode Island hard?
Dating in most states is hard, but we think dating in Rhode Island is not as hard as some people make it out to be. Yes, the state is small with only about 1 million people. However, you’re only looking for one special person, so a million is a good starting pool. One thing that may be challenging is if you’re a transport as many of the communities in Rhode Island are quite tight knit and may take you a little time to get into.
Where do singles meet in Rhode Island?
You may be remiss to hear that singles in Rhode Island meet in a lot of the same places as they do in any other state. The bar scene in the state is a bit less developed as some other areas, so you may end up seeing a lot more singles at local events and meetups. Because of the smaller size of the state, online dating apps do tend to be the go-to when singles want to see meaningful results.
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.