More People Go Solo in Manhattan
In a country where single adults now make up most common type of household, the most “single” place in America may be Manhattan.
More people live alone in the Borough of Manhattan than in any U.S. county, with nearly half of all households occupied by singles, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“I live alone because I could never find a man,” said artist Gloria Gentile, 76, a native of New York City. “I’ve been looking for 76 years and I’m still looking,” she said, as she wandered toward a tango exhibition on a public plaza.
But alone does not necessarily mean lonely, and may in fact signify success, say analysts. A 2000 census analysis released last month reflects a trend of more college graduates with better jobs, who are now able to afford solo housing in one of the priciest cities in the country. The 2000 census counted 354,336 people living alone in Manhattan that year.
“There are a lot of people who come to New York as young adults to start out careers,” said Philip Kasinitz, a professor of sociology at City University of New York Graduate Center. “Then, as they acquire spouses and dogs and children, they often leave for the suburbs, for more space.” They are quickly replaced by other singles, he said.
New York City offers an abundance of jobs, services, restaurants and entertainment that lure singles. A largely solo-dwelling homosexual population adds to the singles statistic.
But most of all, the city is a place that offers both a close-knit social structure and privacy, where friends are only a few blocks away and neighbors ask few questions.
“Am I lonely? Heck no,” said consultant Les Stehmer, 59. “I was married once before. Once is enough, twice is too much. Now I’m just responsible for myself and my dog, and having a dog is much easier than having a wife.”
Richard Topp, 61, a real estate agent for Bellmarc, said he sold apartments to all types of single people, including students and investment bankers seeking a city pied-a-terre. But families are often priced out of Manhattan, he said, where the average cost of a two-bedroom apartment is about $1.2 million.
For these reasons, New York City would likely be at the top of the list of solo households, no matter how one gathered the data. But the 2000 census broke New York City into “counties,” and Manhattan, the densest of the city’s five boroughs, stood far above any U.S. county.
“It would be like capturing only the area around Hollywood and Santa Monica in Los Angeles,” said Kasinitz. “In L.A., the county includes more than just the city, places that are less populated.”
New calculations of the 2000 and 1990 censuses have found that solo households nationwide grew 21% over that decade, nearly double the rate of the next-largest category -- married couples without children, at 11%.
That made individuals the largest portion of U.S. households, at 31.3%.
Singly occupied households have been an ever-expanding category. In the 1950 census, 9.3% of the U.S. population lived alone.
As for the rest of the statistical pie, married couples living with their children constituted about 22% of U.S. households, about 21% were made up of married couples living alone, 8% were single parents living with at least one child and the remainder were other combinations, including unmarried partners with and without children, grandparents living with grandchildren, and extended families.
Some single New Yorkers say they love the city because they can create their own family here more easily than elsewhere. New York City also functions as a surprisingly efficient retirement community: The census found that 23% of singles living in Manhattan are older than 65.
Older people tend to come to or stay in Manhattan after they stop working -- often widowed, divorced or never married and seeking companionship. Groceries can be delivered and public transportation works well, so there is no need to drive, and the tonier apartment buildings have door attendants to help with small jobs.
“I have friends who call every morning just to say hello,” said Gentile, the artist. “For entertainment, I come to the plaza to pet the dogs. Someday, I hope one of them will be attached to a nice fella.”
