Do you know a potential cheater?
Odds are that if you live in one of the cities below, you do. At least, you probably know someone who created an account on Ashley Madison, or had an account set up in their name by a friend or colleague.
There were over 32 million accounts created on Ashley Madison, and the going consensus is that almost all of them were created by men.
After analyzing the 100 biggest cities in the United States with Saturday Night Science, we identified the cities with the most Ashley Madison accounts per capita.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Cities In America With The Most Ashley Madison Accounts
Many of these are wealthier cities with larger populations of professional men. Which means, in theory, they have a high number of people looking to discreetly hook up with a woman.
Check out more about America here:
- Best Cities In The United States To Raise A Family
- Most Affordable States In The United States
- Most Dangerous States In The United States
The 10 Cities With The Highest Number Of Ashley Madison Accounts Per Capita
/10
Population Estimate: 135,047
Account Estimate: 23,799
Accounts Per Capita: 0.1762
More on Boston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Wow, Boston men. Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy attempting to see what all the fuss was about on a site that specializes in helping you cheat on your wives.
Boston is actually one of the poorest cities of the 250 most population; residents average about $53K a year. So in this case, it wasn’t about wealthy men attempting to skirt around their familial duties.
The divorce rate is 7.8% in Boston, which is just about double the national average. But not the highest of cities on this list by any stretch.
/10
Population Estimate: 133,079
Account Estimate: 22,558
Accounts Per Capita: 0.1695
More on Schenectady: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Schenectady is an interesting situation, data wise. It’s a very blue collar place (not wealthy by any stretch), where there are a much higher percentage of women in the city than men.
In any event, you might be surprised to hear that there were more than 20,000 accounts created here. Yes, in a middle-of-nowhere city in Upstate New York.
The divorce rate in Schenectady is higher than 10%, and the unemployment rate is very high at 7.1%. Sometimes, cheating spouses do so because they’re depressed.





IT IS VERY BEAUTIFUL PLACE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST FAVOURITE PLACE. SO MANY COUNTRY PEOPLE ARE VISITING IN NEW YORK. BECAUSE NEW YORK IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACE. AND NEW YORK FOOD ITEMS WAS SUPER AND DRESSINGS WAS VERY GOOD BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
IT IS VERY BEAUTIFUL PLACE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST FAVOURITE PLACE. SO MANY COUNTRY PEOPLE ARE VISITING IN NEW YORK. BECAUSE NEW YORK IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACE. AND NEW YORK FOOD ITEMS WAS SUPER AND DRESSINGS WAS VERY GOOD BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
/10
Population Estimate: 1,220,436
Account Estimate: 184,891
Accounts Per Capita: 0.1515
More on New York: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
No one is surprised that there were a high number of potential cheaters in New York City. You have a ton of rich, successful men who work and live here.
The percentage of New York City residents that’s married is 39%, which is far lower than the national average. The percent that’s divorced is 8%, which is far higher than the national average.





The crime level is higher than most cities but in general it feels safe because there are always people around especially during the day. There are a lot of good schools in the city but many of them are expensive private ones. It’s probably the best city in terms of things to do due to the variety. There are plenty of restaurants, shopping, and activities for all different types of people. There are a lot of great fitness classes and speciality boutiques that sell organic products.
Some of my favorite places are Central Park, the river, yoga studios, and the Lincoln center to see ballets. The negative part of the city is the crowds, traffic, and unreliable subway system.
/10
Population Estimate: 108,875
Account Estimate: 14,945
Accounts Per Capita: 0.1373
More on Albany: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
There were a ton of accounts registered with a Albany address on Ashley Madison. And Albany is far from a wealthy, successful town. Most of the population is very blue collar.
Perhaps it’s just a matter of family values on the east coast.





NYC is called the city that never sleeps for good reason- there is always something to do, no matter the time of day or night! There is amazing food, a good variety of sports teams, and just the feeling of being in the city is energizing.
Ellis Island, Central Park, and Empire State Building would be my highlights. The only drawbacks I could see would be if you go during high tourist season, as any of these places would be crowded or have long lines. New York City is great to visit any time of year, and I would highly recommend avoiding high tourist times.
5. Washington, DC<
/10
Population Estimate: 418,859
Account Estimate: 55,231
Accounts Per Capita: 0.1319
More on Washington:
Is there really a surprise that the nation’s capital has one of the highest numbers of cheating men in the nation? More than 50,000 accounts had Washington, D.C. addresses attributed to them.
The divorce rate for men in D.C. is at about 7%, which isn’t too far above average.
/10
Population Estimate: 165,826
Account Estimate: 15,550
Accounts Per Capita: 0.0938
More on Arlington: Data | Cost Of Living
Arlington is a very wealthy and privileged suburb of Washington, D.C. where 8% of the population is already divorced, and where it sounds like a lot of the population shouldn’t have been married in the first place.
There were a total of 15,500 Ashley Madison accounts created using an address from Arlington.
/10
Population Estimate: 133,302
Account Estimate: 11,886
Accounts Per Capita: 0.0892
More on Roanoke: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
What’s the deal with the number of cheaters in this part of the country? And, on the east coast in general?
Roanoke is a very blue collar town with a staggeringly high 13% divorce rate. And you can bet that number will continue to stay high, as long as husbands are creating Ashley Madison accounts. (Which is still up and running, by the way.)
/10
Population Estimate: 159,661
Account Estimate: 13,977
Accounts Per Capita: 0.0875
More on Irvine: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Irvine can make a claim that it’s the king of west coast cheaters. Surprisingly, it’s the only city from California in the top 10. (Pasadena isn’t too far behind).
Irvine is an upper-middle class place in Orange County where people are highly educated, and where homes are far overpriced. The divorce rate is already inching towards 9% here.
/10
Population Estimate: 114,798
Account Estimate: 9,896
Accounts Per Capita: 0.0862
More on Tempe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Tempe is a major college town in Arizona, so several of the 10,000 or so accounts created from Tempe may have been from obnoxiously nosy frat kids. But still, this middle class town already has a 10% divorce rate as it is.
Perhaps, based on the percent of the population that’s already looking to cheat, it’s a good thing that only 35% of the population is currently married.
/10
Population Estimate: 133,696
Account Estimate: 11,357
Accounts Per Capita: 0.0849
More on Alpharetta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Most of the residents of Alpharetta are white, successful, smart, rich working professionals who work in Atlanta.
There are a lot of married people in Alpharetta, and 10% of the population is divorced. There were a total of 11,357 accounts registered with an Alpharetta zip code.
How We Determined The Cheaters of The United States
Want to know who is attempting to cheat? Go directly to the source of people actively trying to cheat â Ashley Madison users.
We used Saturday Night Science to analyze the Ashley Madison database leak. We counted how many accounts were created in each zip code. We are saying “accounts” and not “people” because it is possible to create dummy accounts assigned to a city or to have multiple accounts. However, we believe the number of accounts to be a solid proxy for the number of people trying to cheat.
We then matched each zip code to its corresponding city. If a zip code falls into more than one city, the accounts registered in that zip code were applied to each city.
Finally, we used an estimate for the population of the zip codes to identify the number of cheaters per capita.
After identifying the number of cheaters per capita in a city, we ranked each place from highest number of cheaters per capita to lowest. The place with the most cheaters per capita “earned” the title of cheating central of America.
We limited the analysis to only cities with greater than 100,000 people.
There You Have It — The Cities In The US Which Had The Most Ashley Madison Accounts
If you’re measuring the locations in the United States where there are a high number of Ashley Madison accounts registered per capita, and we can assume that people registering on the site are exploring the idea to cheat, then this is an accurate list.
Here’s a look at the cities in America with the fewest accounts per capita according to the data:
- Mission
- Brownsville
- Laredo
Cities In The United States With The Most Ashley Madison Accounts
Rank | City | Population Estimate | Account Estimate | Accounts Per Capita |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston, MA | 135,047 | 23,799 | 0.1762 |
2 | Schenectady, NY | 133,079 | 22,558 | 0.1695 |
3 | New York, NY | 1,220,436 | 184,891 | 0.1515 |
4 | Albany, NY | 108,875 | 14,945 | 0.1373 |
5 | Washington, DC | 418,859 | 55,231 | 0.1319 |
6 | Arlington, VA | 165,826 | 15,550 | 0.0938 |
7 | Roanoke, VA | 133,302 | 11,886 | 0.0892 |
8 | Irvine, CA | 159,661 | 13,977 | 0.0875 |
9 | Tempe, AZ | 114,798 | 9,896 | 0.0862 |
10 | Alpharetta, GA | 133,696 | 11,357 | 0.0849 |
11 | Buffalo, NY | 416,797 | 35,335 | 0.0848 |
12 | Irving, TX | 167,856 | 13,951 | 0.0831 |
13 | Ann Arbor, MI | 112,137 | 9,071 | 0.0809 |
14 | Pasadena, CA | 116,540 | 9,313 | 0.0799 |
15 | Scottsdale, AZ | 224,351 | 17,779 | 0.0792 |
16 | Charleston, SC | 132,713 | 10,489 | 0.079 |
17 | Clarksville, TN | 117,454 | 9,166 | 0.078 |
18 | Los Angeles, CA | 1,591,134 | 123,092 | 0.0774 |
19 | Charlotte, NC | 610,946 | 46,750 | 0.0765 |
20 | Lansing, MI | 123,590 | 9,438 | 0.0764 |
21 | Oceanside, CA | 146,959 | 11,190 | 0.0761 |
22 | Madison, WI | 212,346 | 16,004 | 0.0754 |
23 | Boca Raton, FL | 173,183 | 12,945 | 0.0747 |
24 | Atlanta, GA | 814,885 | 60,469 | 0.0742 |
25 | Austin, TX | 698,371 | 51,663 | 0.074 |
26 | Huntington Beach, CA | 158,209 | 11,648 | 0.0736 |
27 | Stamford, CT | 100,204 | 7,352 | 0.0734 |
28 | Worcester, MA | 127,725 | 9,349 | 0.0732 |
29 | Fairfax, VA | 122,544 | 8,914 | 0.0727 |
30 | Syracuse, NY | 159,036 | 11,430 | 0.0719 |
31 | Fayetteville, NC | 184,639 | 13,083 | 0.0709 |
32 | Springfield, MO | 166,029 | 11,750 | 0.0708 |
33 | Norfolk, VA | 166,051 | 11,677 | 0.0703 |
34 | New Orleans, LA | 246,191 | 17,246 | 0.0701 |
35 | San Diego, CA | 959,307 | 66,947 | 0.0698 |
36 | Lexington, KY | 219,675 | 15,265 | 0.0695 |
37 | Tampa, FL | 564,553 | 39,223 | 0.0695 |
38 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 129,593 | 8,982 | 0.0693 |
39 | Virginia Beach, VA | 366,655 | 25,024 | 0.0682 |
40 | Carrollton, TX | 103,201 | 6,993 | 0.0678 |
41 | Nashville, TN | 327,225 | 22,053 | 0.0674 |
42 | Harrisburg, PA | 138,527 | 9,273 | 0.0669 |
43 | Greenville, SC | 151,122 | 10,115 | 0.0669 |
44 | Marietta, GA | 246,339 | 16,451 | 0.0668 |
45 | Bellevue, WA | 115,836 | 7,708 | 0.0665 |
46 | Plano, TX | 235,179 | 15,637 | 0.0665 |
47 | Kansas City, MO | 416,171 | 27,650 | 0.0664 |
48 | Colorado Springs, CO | 413,348 | 27,354 | 0.0662 |
49 | Lafayette, LA | 113,710 | 7,492 | 0.0659 |
50 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 624,412 | 41,108 | 0.0658 |
Cheaters Places By State
Most Dangerous Cities In Alaska
Most Dangerous Cities In Alabama
Most Dangerous Places In Arkansas
Most Dangerous Cities In Arizona
Most Dangerous Cities In California
Most Dangerous Cities In Colorado
Most Dangerous Cities In Connecticut
Most Dangerous Cities In Delaware
Most Dangerous Places In Florida
Most Dangerous Places In Georgia
Most Dangerous Cities In Idaho
Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois
Most Dangerous Cities In Indiana
Most Dangerous Places In Kansas
Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
Most Dangerous Cities In Maryland
Most Dangerous Cities In Maine
Most Dangerous Places In Michigan
Most Dangerous Cities In Minnesota
Most Dangerous Cities In Missouri
Most Dangerous Cities In Mississippi
Most Dangerous Cities In Montana
Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
Most Dangerous Cities In North Dakota
Most Dangerous Cities In Nebraska
Most Dangerous Cities In New Hampshire
Most Dangerous Cities In New Jersey
Most Dangerous Cities In New Mexico
5 Most Dangerous Cities In Nevada
Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma
Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon
Most Dangerous Cities In Pennsylvania
Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island
Most Dangerous Cities In South Carolina
Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota
Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee
Most Dangerous Places In Texas
Most Dangerous Cities In Virginia
Most Dangerous Cities In Vermont
Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
Most Dangerous Cities In Wisconsin
i think Schenectady, NY is up there because of the 12345 zip code
I suspect Schenectady’s spot on this list is simply due to it being the home of zip code 12345, a zip listed – I would think – by many who wanted to keep their location secret.
Paul and Dave are right! I’m a reporter in the Capital Region area and I just did a story on the “Schenectady Problem” – you can watch it here: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2015/09/18/sorting-fact-from-fiction-in-schenectady.html
Based on my research, the “user profiles” is not indicative of the amount of users per city. On average, ashleymadison users tended to have more then one profile, with many people having 5 or more.
By using this number, the rates of cheaters for the cities is considerably off the real value. Also, the data dump included latitude and longitude data for users, however these are based on IP address generation services, and considerably inaccurate.
This study should have calculated total individuals by their credit card data, and paired them to the profiles to get a much better reflection of the population.
~K