By: Rob Otto

Dating in New York City has always been a wild ride, but a recent survey has exposed just how treacherous the terrain really is. When it comes to honesty in online dating, New Yorkers have taken the dubious honor of being the worst in the nation. According to a survey by DatingAdvice.com, the Empire State scored a dismal 3.4 out of 10 in truthfulness, falling well below the national average of 5.1.

The NY Post dove into this fascinating subject in a recent report, which this article is based on ,

The survey, which polled 3,000 singles, asked participants to rate the honesty of their online matches on a scale from 1 to 10. The results? New Yorkers are apparently masters of deception, with the survey uncovering lies about everything from age and job titles to where they actually live. For many in the Big Apple, the online dating world is less about finding love and more about navigating a minefield of half-truths and outright fabrications.

Cameron Aragon, a 25-year-old actress from Hell’s Kitchen, knows this all too well. She once matched with a man on Hinge who appeared to have an athletic build in his photos. But when she arrived for their first date, she didn’t even recognize him. “He put this persona on that he lived an athletic life and had a shirtless picture with a little bit of abs going on, but he was unfit,” Aragon recounted. “I couldn’t get out of the Uber. I was in shock … this person in front of me was unrecognizable. It felt like I was being catfished.”

To add insult to injury, the man, who worked in finance and lived in FiDi, admitted that she wasn’t the first to call him out. “When I called him out for it, he was like, ‘Yeah, I know, I’ve been told this before. Those pictures are a little old,’” Aragon said. “I probably would have gone out with him if he accurately presented himself. But I was uncomfortable just because I was like, ‘I don’t know what else he’s lying about.’”

When it comes to what New Yorkers lie about most on dating apps, relationship status tops the list. A staggering 32% of survey respondents said they’ve encountered matches who weren’t actually single. “Unfortunately, most people I know have encountered somebody who’s on a dating site, who’s already in a relationship,” said Brooklyn-based online dating coach Erika Ettin. “People get bored in their relationships. They want to feel attractive. They want to feel like there’s still options.”

Age came in second on the list of most common lies, with 30% of respondents reporting they were misled about how old their matches were. Real-life appearances, not surprisingly, ranked third at 22%. Employment, education, and even height were also frequent points of dishonesty.

New Jersey and Connecticut daters didn’t fare much better, with scores of 4.1 and 4.9, respectively. In contrast, South Dakota took the crown for honesty, scoring an impressive 7.5.

So, why are New Yorkers so dishonest in the dating game? Comedian Maximillian Lowe, who lives in Hell’s Kitchen, has a theory. “We already lie to ourselves so much, so lying to other people comes naturally to us,” he quipped.