The District of Columbia ranks first, with the largest percentage of single-person households overall - 44.75%. The District of Columbia has a large proportion of business professionals and has the lowest median age of all states. This means that there are many people living alone while they pursue their careers.

North Dakota ranks second, with 33.66% of all households being single-person households. North Dakota has seen a recent boom in population, increasing by 15.83 percent between the 2010 and 2020 census - this may be partly due to the fact that the state leads the US in job creation, attracting young professionals. These factors are likely to play a large role in the high number of single-person households.

Vermont ranks third, with 31.64% of all households being made up of single people. 

Further Insights:

• The research also details the states with the highest proportion of widowers and divorcees. West Virginia, Alabama, and Arkansas have the highest proportion of widowed households - with West Virginia obtaining a percentage of 7.8% and Alabama and Arkansas both obtaining a percentage of 7.1%.

• Maine and Nevada have the joint highest proportion of divorced people - with 14% of each population being divorced.

• The top three least lonely states are; Utah, Alaska, and Hawaii. Obtaining Lonely State Scores of 0.72, 2.32, and 2.56 respectively.

The 10 states with the largest percentage of single-person households:

The research, conducted by Aging in Place, analyzed various factors, from the number of single-person households to the number of people searching for friendship apps, to discover which states struggle the most with loneliness. 

You can read the research in full here:

https://aginginplace.org/loneliest-states/ 

A man who had served in four tours of duty for the US Military, received three Purple Hearts, experienced extreme difficulty integrating back into society due to PTSD, anxiety, and having nearly been killed multiple times in war.

Once back home, veteran Joseph Serna was on probation for his alcohol struggles, which he used to fight the demons of his mind.

Sadly, the Judge had to sentence the decorated serviceman to one night in the county jail.

Shockingly, Judge Lou Olivera, after driving Serna to the jail, joined the fellow military man in the jail cell for the night so his comrade could make it through and have someone there to talk to, as the Judge too had served in the military in the Gulf War.

The article from WRAL says:

“A judge’s act of compassion has a former Fort Bragg soldier promising to get his life back on track.”

This is the ultimate Promise story – a Judge following through on the accountability of sentencing someone who had broken the rules, while equally doing what he felt was right in order to help the man make it through one more ordeal.

This is an older story, but a timeless example, of what a Leader can do to become Legendary, sharing a Signature Move of compassion, which any of us can cultivate, and keeping The Promise to serve another in need.

Do you have a story like this you would like to share?  I love receiving them, and extra thanks to my friend and longtime advocate of the Signature Moves brand, the great Thomas Cantrell, for sending this to me to pass along to our readers.