Jeff Reifman
Jeff Reifman

The dating scene can be difficult enough under normal circumstances, but things are very tough for straight men in Seattle these days — and Amazon’s growth is contributing to the problem.

That’s the contention of Jeff Reifman, a veteran of the Seattle-area tech community who makes his case in this blog post, pairing census data with estimates of Amazon’s growth in the city.

Amazon’s workforce is 75 percent male, according to Payscale.com. That’s consistent with the gender ratio at Microsoft and other tech companies, as well. The difference is that Amazon has been expanding rapidly in Seattle, now employing nearly 25,000 people in the city, up from 5,000 in 2010, by Reifman’s estimates.

By the end of 2014, Reifman projects, there will be 130 single men in Seattle for every 100 single women — up from a ratio of 119 single men to 100 single women in April 2010.

So how does this manifest itself? Reifman explains what he has encountered …

Over the past two years, I’ve personally found dating in Seattle has become increasingly difficult. It’s less common to meet single women in person and online dating is more difficult. It’s not that I can’t get dates but it’s harder to find women that are a good match for me. Online, it’s been harder to catch women’s attention, harder to get them to schedule a date and they cancel dates more frequently. When we do meet in person, it’s been harder to capture their interest and nearly impossible to find one interested in a relationship. The women here seem more distracted than ever before and at times, I’ve felt like a number to them. Turns out, the statistics back up my qualitative experience.

The bright side: “If you’re a straight single woman outside of Seattle, this might be a great time to move here. Seriously, please move here,” Reifman writes. “Amazon’s hiring.”

See his post for the full explanation, complete with charts that help make his case.

Note: 2014 gender ratio estimate for Seattle corrected since original post.

FOLLOW-UP: Online dating coach: Here’s how single techies can find love

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