By Amelie Gregory, for SplitUp

They say money can’t buy love, but it can certainly complicate things, as seen in a recent story of a millionaire accountant, whose two Las Vegas brides are battling over his fortune, facing accusations of being a ‘gold digger’ interested only in his cash.

Curious about where the line between affection and ambition begins to blur, the divorce app SplitUp created an index study. By analyzing factors such as income levels, the concentration of millionaire and billionaire households, dating app behaviors, and online search volumes to uncover the ‘gold digging’ states of America.

Key findings include:

• Florida and Nevada rank as the top ‘gold digging’ states, both scoring 8.24/10. 
• Texas, California and New York rank just behind, boosted by high numbers of millionaire and billionaire households.
• States like Colorado, Georgia, and Tennessee appear in the top 10 despite lower average incomes, but due to the sharp rises in searches for terms like “sugar daddy”, “sugar baby” and “marry rich”.
• The study also found that consumer spending on dating services was highest in New York and Massachusetts, suggesting a willingness to invest in finding (and funding) romance.
• Those living in Vermont are least likely to marry for money, scoring the lowest in the study (4.38 out of 10). 

Top 10 ‘gold digging’ states 

To see the full breakdown of income levels, cost of living, millionaire households and full search volumes in the dataset, please see here. We ask that you do not share this link in your article. 

SplitUp can reveal Florida shares the top spot with Nevada, both earning a score of 8.24/10. 

For Florida, with nearly 500k millionaire households and an astonishing 97 billionaire households, it’s easy to see why the ‘sunshine state’ ranked the highest. With a 74% surge in “sugar daddy” searches and 77% increase for ‘sugar baby’ searches in the last 12 months, Florida’s reputation for blending luxury with leisure holds true.

Nevada reflects its Vegas-fueled reputation, despite its much smaller population, it boasts over 63,000 millionaire households and 17 billionaires. Online search behavior reveals “sugar daddy” queries jumped 90% in the past year, and “sugar mommy” searches soared 69%, leading as one of the sharpest increases nationwide.

Texas comes in a close third, scoring 8.23/10. Texas has one of the highest numbers of millionaire households at 650,000+ and ranks high for billionaires (73 total). With a relatively low cost of living compared to income, plus a 76% rise in “sugar daddy” searches in the last year, the Lone Star State shows how money, ambition, and opportunity collide. 

Vermont ranks as the state least likely to be labeled a ‘gold digger’ 

With a total score of just 4.38/10, Vermont ranks as the state least likely to be labeled a ‘gold digging’ hotspot. Despite having a relatively solid average annual income of $66,330, the state’s small population means there are only 16,000 millionaire households and no billionaires. Online search behavior also reflects the state’s more modest attitudes toward money in relationships, recording the lowest increases in Google search trends for “sugar daddy,” “sugar baby,” and “marry rich”. Combined with low household spending on dating services, the data suggests Vermonters may prioritize love over luxury, earning the Green Mountain State its spot at the very bottom of the index.

Keen to understand what difference ‘marrying for money’ makes to a divorce settlement, Divorce advisor, Launi Sheldon, at divorce coaching app SplitUp, explains:

“In the U.S., there aren’t any laws that directly address so-called ‘gold digging’, it’s more of a cultural term than a legal one. However, the law does deal with money and motives in relationships in several important ways. In divorce cases, courts divide marital property either through community property rules, this rule applies only in Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, where assets are split 50/50, or through equitable distribution, which is used in most states and is where a judge divides property fairly, though not always equally. If one spouse earns significantly more, the other may also be entitled to alimony, particularly if they gave up work or supported their partner’s career. While this can sometimes fuel perceptions of ‘gold digging,’ the courts view it as an issue of fairness.

On the other hand, couples can sign a prenuptial agreement that sets out terms for money, property, and support in the event of divorce. This is one of the most common ways wealthy individuals protect themselves from a potential ‘gold digger’ scenario. It’s also worth noting that you can legally marry someone for any reason, including financial security. Courts don’t punish motives, unless fraud, coercion, or bigamy is involved.”