New York has been rated the best U.S. city for singles, bumping Atlanta out of the top spot.

The Big Apple also edged past Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D.C., which rounded out the top five cities in the Forbes.com survey.

Atlanta fell to No. 6, followed by San Francisco, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

It was the first time New York had won the title in the annual poll that assessed 40 of the largest U.S. urban areas for coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and ratio of singles to the entire population in the area.

But it was online dating that pushed it to the No. 1 position because it has more people with active online dating accounts than any other city in the country.

Wherever you live, even if it's Jacksonville, Fla., which falls dead last on our list, there's a community of singles making the best of that particular place, said Lauren Sherman, of Forbes.com.

Whether that means embracing the great outdoors around Denver or buying the next round of tequila shots in nightlife-oriented Virginia Beach, there are plenty of other like-minded people on the prowl. And, right now, the easiest place to find them is online, she added in a statement.

Financial stresses felt by New Yorkers in the last year caused a shift in priorities, which may also have contributed to New York's success, according to Forbes.com.

Whereas New Yorkers may once have been preoccupied with earning high salaries, they appear now to be putting a greater emphasis on finding love.

Compared with past years, Cleveland, Ohio, is the biggest gainer, moving up 24 spots from 38 to 14, while Providence, Rhode Island moved up 18 spots to No. 15

Phoenix, Arizona, performed less well, falling out of the Top 10 to No. 30.

(Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by Patricia Reaney)

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