LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – “Cuffing season” is here. And while, typically, that’s the time when singles start looking to find a partner with whom to pass the colder months, especially ahead of the holidays, married couples appear to be hooking up as well.
Dating site Ashley Madison, which caters to people who are married or already in relationships, has compiled a new list of the top 20 American cities for wintertime infidelity using its own data from more than 70 million users.
The fact that Las Vegas ranked as one of the top cities where people cheat on a spouse might not be a surprise. (After all, “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”)
What might be surprising, however, is that it ranked fourth.
The cities coming in ahead of Las Vegas were Orlando at No. 1, Miami at No. 2, and Atlanta at No. 3.
“Florida has been well represented in every Ashley Madison top city list since 2019, but the Sunshine State really came through during the height of the pandemic,” the site said in a news release.
On last year’s list, Miami was No. 1 and Orlando was No. 2.
The company said it has found that pandemic lockdowns — when people are stuck at home with their spouses — have been a catalyst for infidelity, especially online.
According to data the site gathered last year from six member surveys, 64% of respondents said they’ve had affairs during the pandemic.
Here’s the full list of the cities where cheating happens most:
- Orlando, FL
- Miami, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Las Vegas, NV
- Cincinnati, OH
- St. Louis, MO
- Boise, ID
- Saint Paul, MN
- Minneapolis, MN
- Tampa, FL
- Buffalo, NY
- Spokane, WA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Denver, CO
- Cleveland, OH
- Anchorage, AK
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Tucson, AZ
- Reno, NV
“If this list tells us anything, it’s that married people from coast to coast are ready to heat things up this cuffing season,” Isabella Mise, Ashley Madison’s senior director of communications, said in a statement. “As temperatures drop, so will inhibitions.”
The website, which draws people who may want to have an affair, has been widely criticized since it launched in 2002.
The CEO of a competing dating site once said Ashley Madison was “a business built on the back of broken hearts, ruined marriages and damaged families.”
The site is available in 52 countries and 15 languages.