Forty-one percent of Americans have moved for love, with men more willing to relocate than women for their significant other, a new survey of 1,550 Americans from LendingTree finds.
The top five states for a romance relocation, the survey finds, are: Florida (11%), California (10%), New York (7%), Texas (6%), and North Carolina (5%).
But not all of these moves for love have happy endings, the survey notes. Women were more likely than men to express regrets about moving for love—22% versus 9%. Forty-six percent of women who said they originally relocated to an area for love say they’re no longer with that person, while 31% of men said the same. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the top reason for regret for moving for love was that the respondent was no longer with the person they originally moved for.
The main reasons for moving for love, according to survey respondents:
- Being in a long-distance relationship and moving to be closer to their significant other.
- Selecting their college based on a romantic relationship that started in high school.
- Choosing to move with a significant other who got a new job and needed to relocate.
- Getting engaged or married and moving in with their partner.
- Moving during the coronavirus pandemic to quarantine with their significant other. (This response was most common among Generation Z and the younger age groups.)
Some couples may be moving in together to save on costs. “Splitting household expenses can increase your prospects of becoming a homeowner,” says Tendayi Kapfidze, LendingTree’s chief economist. “While renting, it enables you to save more and can increase your budget when buying.”
Source: “LendingTree Survey Reveals 41% of Americans Have Moved for Love, With Women More Likely to Regret It,” LendingTree (Feb. 9, 2021)
