Dating in Dayton, Ohio (OH): Resource Guide

Interested in dating in Dayton, Ohio? Dayton is known as the home of the National Museum of the US Air Force, along with the Carillon Historical Park and the Dayton Art Institute. With no end of things to do in this exciting city, it’s not surprising to learn that dating in Dayton can be a lot of fun.

Dayton is home to just over 140,000 people and the median age is 33, which is perfect for fun-loving singles to get out and meet new people. Only 30% of the Dayton population is married and that’s a sign that there are people in the city looking for love.

Best Dayton Dating Sites

For Singles: Match.com

Match.com is the best for dating in Dayton, Ohio

With a population just under 200,000, Match is a good resource for singles in Dayton. As one of the oldest and most established dating sites, Match is the name people trust. Dayton singles will be able to find lots of profile matches on Match, which is what you want when you’re starting on your journey to find love. Having a selection of people to choose from is so helpful, and that’s why so many people like Match the best.

As a dating site, Match has a free version of their service with limited access to the site, so if you’re serious about dating it’s best to upgrade to the paid site to enhance your experience and provide more resources. Match offers discounts for people who select the monthly, 3-month or 6-month package options.

For Professionals: Elite Singles

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Elite Singles uses a proprietary algorithm to match people based on things like college education and profession. Busy Dayton singles often don’t want to sit and sift through profile after profile, so Elite Singles makes it easy by sending an email every day with 3-7 people who have been selected to meet your specific needs.

Elite Singles has a free service, but a paid membership offers the benefit of unlimited communication and that can make a big difference in your search.

For Seniors over Age 50: Our Time

our time in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton single seniors have everything they need to find love with Our Time. Our Time has been specifically designed for singles over 50, incorporating things that are important to seniors who may have been through big life experiences like divorce or the death of a spouse. With Our Time, seniors can connect with each other in a platform made for them.

Our Time is available for free but the upgraded pay service provides unlimited communication with your matches, as well as additional resources to help you on your journey, which is very much worth the price.

For the LGBTQ Community

Though small, Dayton is a gay-friendly community with lots of places for LGBTQ members of the community to go and meet.

When it comes to online dating, the gay community can utilize sites like Match and Zoosk, which have filters to sort through profiles. But there are also gay-centric dating sites that help LGBTQ members find matches in an environment made for them.

Grindr

Grindr is the most popular dating site for the gay community. It’s a social networking app as well as a dating app, making it a versatile tool in the search to meet new people.

Just She

Just She is a dating site that was designed to help women in the gay community to find and connect with other women. Just She works for all kinds of relationships, be it lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, as well as for individuals who identify as female.

For Hookups: Adult Friend Finder

Dayton might be a smaller city in Ohio but that doesn’t mean that everyone there is looking for a long term relationship. Sometimes people are looking for a one night stand or hookup, and when Dayton singles need a no strings attached meeting they turn to Adult Friend Finder.

Adult Friend Finder offers a free platform to get started, but serious singles should consider upgrading to the paid membership package to access more benefits and perks to help your search.


Best Dating Apps in Dayton

Dating apps are very important in online dating. Singles in Dayton use dating apps to access their dating profiles while out and about throughout their day. While major platforms offer mobile versions of their sites, there are also dating sites that originated as apps that are very popular.

Plenty of Fish

Plenty of Fish is one of the most trusted dating apps available, and after a series of changes over the years the app remains very popular. Dayton singles can download the app for free and get started right away. The benefit to the app is that once you have a profile you’ll be connected to your matches right away.

Zoosk

With over 40 million profiles in the Zoosk database, Dayton singles can download the user-friendly Zoosk mobile app and get started right away. The site is optimized so that once your profile has been created, your profile is searchable and you can start searching too.


Best Dating Bars for Singles in Dayton

Dayton has plenty of places for singles to meet. There are restaurants and bars that are geared to singles with plenty of nightly events and a fun atmosphere for flirting. No matter if it’s a sports bar or traditional bar, these hot spots are where Dayton singles go to mingle.

Airway Billiards Bar & Grill

Pool-loving singles will love Airway Billiards & Grill. Between playing pool and enjoying good food and drinks, this place has it all. It’s also home to several pool tournaments each week, making for a fun place to hang out and meet people while watching the local legends compete.

Proto BuildBar

Singles who do freelance work might need a space to get some work done while meeting new people. Enter Proto BuildBar, a place to hang out and be creative. There’s even a 3D printer to help people with their endeavors. Not only does it have a bar and cafe, but it hosts art classes. The classes would be a great place to meet new people and learn something at the same time.

Slyder’s Tavern

Slyder’s Tavern is a local spot that has been around for over seven decades. It boasts Dayton’s best burger three years in a row along with a huge assortment of beer on tap. This is the place you come when you want to hang out in a mellow environment without a lot of frills. It’s a place where locals come to meet up, and singles will always find people to talk with.


Speed Dating in Dayton

Dayton plays host to speed dating events each week at local bars and restaurants and you’ll find that the calendar is packed each week. Expert matchmakers work to connect people whose profiles share common interests so that you’re meeting people that you can relate to without having to go through the search on your own. These events are open to everyone, but in some cases the events are focused on specific groups. If you’re in Dayton and you want to meet lots of people at one time, speed dating is a great idea!


Dayton Dating Events & Clubs

Thanks to websites like Meetup and Eventbrite, groups of people with common interests can come together to explore Dayton’s nightlife, spend time in the great outdoors or even meet for drinks in a local restaurant. There are groups geared toward specific demographics, like singles in their 20s or senior singles.

Here are the top singles events and clubs:


Dating Chat Rooms in Dayton

Chat rooms started out as places for people to go online and meet people around the country and around the world. As the internet evolved there are chat rooms for groups of singles to meet each other, and there are chat rooms in almost every city. Dayton is no exception, and for Dayton singles who would rather go out and talk to people online the chat rooms are the perfect place to make a connection.

Take a look at some of the top dating chat rooms in Dayton:


Personals in Dayton

Personal ads are a mixed bag. Some people want to hook up while other people are just looking for a companion or new friend. There are two destinations for personals in Dayton, Do You Like and Book of Matches. Both sites provide a space for people to post messages for other singles.

Personal ad sites can be straightforward or some can be hookup requests, but either way they’re great resources for Dayton singles.


Things to Know about Dayton Dating

Dating in Dayton, Ohio

Understanding a city’s demographics, including details about race, religion and LGBTQ+ demographics will help to prepare you for your dating journey. For example, knowing that the median age is 33 is very helpful if you’re single in your early 20s as opposed to being in your early 30s. Dayton has a relatively small population compared to other cities in Ohio, and understanding who is out there will help you when creating your profile and exploring your matches.

Race

Dayton is home to 140,939 residents with a median age of 33. One third of the population is married and 33% are single with children.

  • White: 51.4%
  • African American: 41.0%
  • Hispanic: 3.4%
  • Asian: 1.1%
  • Native American: 0.4%
  • Other: 0.1%

Religion

Almost half of Dayton’s population is religious, with 48.2% of the population who belong to a religion. Here are the top five religions in Dayton:

  • Catholic: 15.4%
  • Another Christian Faith: 10.7%
  • Baptist: 9.5%
  • Methodist: 3.9%
  • Lutheran: 2.2%

LGBTQ+

In 2015 The Advocate ranked Dayton as the top “Queerest” city in the nation. The finding was based on all areas of a city, but Dayton’s rich theatrical culture weighed heavily in the decision along with several LGBT outdoor groups that welcome members of the community on outdoor group activities. While there’s no data as to how many members there are in the Dayton gay community there’s no question that Dayton is a very welcoming place.


Wrap Up

Despite its size, dating in Dayton is great. With lots of things to do around town along with lots of bars and restaurants to visit, there are plenty of places to meet singles in addition to using online dating tools to help your search.



chelsea king - chief editor of romancescams
Written by Chelsea King

Chelsea has been a direct victim of romance scams herself losing over $35,000 in a span of a year in 2015. She joined and took over operations of RomanceScams.org in 2015. She brings first-hand experience in studying romance scams, and also experience in vetting dating sites for legitimacy. Read more of Chelsea's articles.

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