According to the 2000 United States Census, there are unnumbered divorced/widowed/never-been-married Americans eligible for the dating game or ready to get back into the game.

So you are 25 to 29? You have 9 million unattached peers to choose from! You're 35 to 44? You've got 13 million singles just like you! You're 55 to 64? You have 2.3 million contemporaries of your same age. Singles make up 42 percent of the workforce, 40 percent of home buyers and 35 percent of voters.

Believe it or not, American culture remains very marriage-centric. Almost 75 percent of Americans get married by age 35, 95 percent by 65.

Recent data from the United States Census found that among households headed by a person who is 45 or older, 1.2 million contain two adults who are not related or married to each other. That represents a dramatic increase from 1995, when just 736,000 of such households contained two unmarried adults.

There are some dating obstacles that are unique to single women: They live longer—which is a medical blessing but a relationship curse. While the differences are relatively minor for those ages 55 through 64, when there are 92 men for every 100 women, they get more dramatic as men die and women thrive. In the 65 through 74 age group, there are 82 men for every 100 women. And after 75, the ratio drops to 53 men for every 100 women.

Way back in 1727, a lonely spinster named Helen Morrison became the first woman to place a "Lonely Hearts" ad in a newspaper, the Manchester Weekly Journal. The result: the mayor of Manchester committed her to a mental institution.

The online portion of the dating services industry makes up one third of the total revenues with $304 million in 2002. The target demographic for these services are the 83 million Americans that are between 19 and 45 and single. They have received a significant increase in the number of single women in their thirties and forties searching for a connection through a very impersonal medium. This trend has been on the rise since September 11th, an event which made people realize how important life is and how personal attention can ad to your life. That may be why almost 40% of frequent users are already married. 2-3% of Internet users visit these sites and 60-70% of those say they have made long-lasting friendships from their encounters.

Of the 97 million Americans who are 45 or older, almost 40 percent—36.2 million—are single and on the hunt, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Over seventeen (17) million people browsed online personal ads last year and 2 and a half million people have paid for online personals.

Speed dating puts together a group of men and women who spend an evening taking turns mixing and mingling (meeting everyone of the opposite sex.) The Each person spends only a minute with every potential match. Then, if two individuals hit it off within those sixty seconds, the two can exchange phone numbers or get contact information from event organizers. Speed dating offers people the chance to meet a number of new singles quickly and safely in a public environment. Most speed dating organizations charge between $20 and $40.

67 percent of Americans with access to the Internet believe that cyberspace isn't a good place to meet singles whereas 24 percent say it is.

Almost 33% of single American woman in their 40s through 60s who are dating are going out with younger men. With men, 66% said that they were dating younger women.

When asked about having sex on the first date, a mere 2% of single women approved, while 20% of men were all for it.

60% of women and 45% of men said they hadn't had sex in the past six months.

When asked whether the pursuit of a sexual relationship was the main reason for dating, 11% of men and only 2% of women said that sex was the primary motive.

In a recent poll, 8% of both male and female participants said they were dating in order to find someone to marry. 9% said they were seeking a partner to live with.

30% of singles reported major difficulty in finding dates. A significant number were trying mixers or experimenting with online dating services.

• 1 in 8 chance that a first date will call you for a second date after 24 hours have passed.
  
  
• $201 is the average amount that men spend on dates per month.
  
  
• 17% is the likelihood that a date set up by a friend is going to work out.
  
  
• 79 percent of men will take 15 minutes on a first date to make up their mind whether or not to see the person again.
  
  
• The average number of first dates for a single professional in the past year is 8.

Online Dating Magazine reported in 2007 that at least 20 million people visit one or more online dating site per month. In fact, one third of Americans personally know someone who has used an Internet dating site.

Many online dating sites are 100% free, while others charge a regular monthly fee for access (and free doesn't necessarily mean low quality.) Choosing an online dating service is a personal decision dictated by how you will use the site, how much you are willing to pay, the type of person you're hoping to meet and how exclusive you want the site to be. New niche sites are popping up all the time. There are sites that match individuals based on income, IQ, ethnicity, geographical location, age, sexual orientation, hobbies, disabilities...and the list goes on.

Once you settle on a site, it is tempting to jump right in and meet as many eligible singles as you can, as fast as you can. It's much like heading out to the local dinner buffet and wanting to load your plate full on the first go around, in lieu of taking a small dish and making several trips. Not to worry: no matter how slowly you go, there will always be plenty of great dating sites to choose from, sites filled with intelligent, well adjusted people.

After you have taken your time and built a profile that sincerely reflects who you are, ask a close friend or family member for their honest feedback concerning what you've posted. While it may be tempting to fudge a bit on how you present yourself, don't do it!. Scientific American has reported that an astounding 90% of folks are dishonest in their online profile. This can mean something as minor as posting a photo you pass as current but is actually circa 1985, to outright lying about your marital status. Profile fibbing remains one of the most vexing problems with searching for love online, but it's not so serious that you, as an online dating newbie, should shun online dating altogether.

On the other hand, 100% full disclosure is not necessarily recommended either. Do you need to announce that you would like to have kids someday? Maybe. Do you need to declare that you would like to be married with a kid or two in the next three years? Probably not. This is not to say that you should withhold vital information, but you should certainly pace yourself with details about your life plan. While your thought process may be along the lines of wanting to “weed out the weak ones,” providing an overabundance of detail upfront may actually end up causing high quality singles to shy away from you.

Eventually, there will come a time when you will have discovered someone that you feel is a good match for you and would like to move towards a dating relationship. The most salient best practice is to exercise caution. No matter how well you think you know someone via a series of emails, text and instant messages, and phone calls, the fact remains that you do not truly know someone until you really know someone. Never think in terms of weeks, always months. With the simplicity of the Internet often comes a false sense of connection which can prove to be dizzying. Actually knowing someone takes time. You should never kid yourself by thinking that someone is perfect for you after knowing them for three and a half weeks.

As of 2010 about seventeen percent of couples who marry met online, so there certainly is hope that you and you new online sweetheart may make it to the alter. Making that journey a marathon rather than a sprint is the wise way to go. Once you actually decide to meet in person, make it a brief encounter in a public location. Moreover, advise a friend, coworker or family member about your plans and have them check in with you with a quick call to your cell phone an hour or so after your arranged meeting time.

If you get any sort of strange “gut” reaction at the time of your initial meeting, really pay attention to those feelings. Oftentimes the body absorbs signals that the brain chooses to ignore. Forty percent of the adult single population are using online dating to meet someone special and if this is not the person for you, don't worry about it. There are literally millions more to choose from.

If your initial, visceral reaction is a positive one, keep in mind that people typically develop a long lasting impression of you within the first fifteen minutes of meeting you. In this short timeframe take the time to smile, make eye contact, be engaging, ask questions and do your best to keep the complaints at a bare minimum. In fact, you'd probably be much better off if you kept the entire conversation a positive one. Something as simple as “oh great, my coffee is cold” or “my boss is a real jerk” or “these shoes are really killing my feet” can really turn a potential mate off. It may be very tricky or impossible to regain a positive and attractive opinion of you.

The Internet can be a great place to meet someone with whom you would like to have a romantic relationship. If you move slowly, be honest, exercise caution and remain positive then finding your perfect mate can be as simple as point and click.