BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce might have you checking on your Brownsville buddies.
They could be lonely— or at least have so much more room for activities.
By choice or not, the overall percentage of people living alone in Brownsville has been increasing faster than all but one other city in the nation — and that is primarily because of the city’s male population, data shows.
“While Brownsville, Texas, ranks No. 2 on the list of cities that have gotten lonelier overall, the city ranks No. 1 for cities that have seen the largest increase in men who live alone,” according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
From 2019 to 2021, the number of men living alone in Brownsville increased from 3,323 to 4,823.
Overall, Brownsville has seen a 26.6% average yearly increase in the number of males living alone since 2016, the Chamber of Commerce stated, based on an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data.
The number of single-person households — either men or women — in Brownsville increased by 10.7% on average every year. Gilbert, Arizona, was the only U.S. city to outpace Brownsville with a 14.3% average yearly increase in single-person households.
“To determine the average yearly increase, we analyzed 2016-2021 one-person household data,” the chamber stated.
Men are increasingly living solo all over the nation. Moreno Valley, California (No. 2); Pomona, California (No. 3), Fort Collins, Colorado (No. 4), and Irving, Texas (No. 5) round out the top five cities that have seen the largest increase in men living alone.
Although the survey was not conducted in 2020, the pandemic appears to have played a large role in men living alone within the city, the Chamber of Commerce suggested.
“Whether it was career changes or relocating, the pandemic uprooted many people’s lives, but certain cities in particular saw drastic changes in living situations,” the chamber’s report stated.
Despite the rapid increases in single-person households, Brownsville remained off the chamber’s ranking of the top overall-loneliest communities in the nation:
- Washington, D.C.: 48.2% of people live alone
- St. Louis, Mo.: 47.5% of people live alone
- Alexandria, Va.: 46.5% of people live alone
- Richmond, Va.: 46.2% of people live alone
- Cincinnati, Oh.: 46.2% of people live alone.
The Chamber of Commerce posted its full report on its website, including breakdowns for various cities in the United States. In all, more than 36 million Americans, or 29% of all U.S. households, are one-person households, according to the Chamber of Commerce, which cited U.S. Census Bureau data.
