Nevada men-women ratio second highest

Thursday, May 9, 2002 | 9:54 a.m.

If you're one of Nevada's 700,000 singles, one piece of data gleaned from a census report issued today may be of interest: Three of the nation's 10 cities in which men outnumber women are in this state.

Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Reno appear in that category, according to the report on cities and counties based on Census 2000 and other government figures.

Earlier census data on states showed that Nevada was second in the nation in that category only to Alaska, with nearly 104 men for every 100 women. For Las Vegas, the figure was 103.3 men for every 100 women, according to today's report.

Of course, how these figures are interpreted could depend on whether you're a man or a woman. Or maybe not.

"If you look at the math alone, it looks easier for women to meet men," said Marc Portugal, marketing director for the N9ne Group, a firm that works with several Las Vegas clubs, including ghostbar at Palms.

"But if you look at the image of Vegas, a town known for sin and sex, then it shouldn't matter for people meeting each other.

"Then again, women are objectified so much here, with the strip clubs and the shows, that many women tend to be defensive or distant, so the good guys that are out there don't always get an even chance."

In other words, who knows what the census data means on the dance floor at night?

"It's more difficult for men and women to meet in this city anyway, regardless of whether there are more men than women," said Elaine Casale, director of Interactions, a dating service for professionals.

"It's not like cities like Chicago, where people tend to have similar work schedules, and there's places downtown where they can go to meet at night. Here, where are you going to go? The Strip? How do you know if you're meeting someone from here or somewhere else?"

Mollie Schneider, account manager for Kirvin Communications Group, a Las Vegas native who is and single, said she was surprised to hear that men outnumbered women in Las Vegas.

"When I go out to clubs or on the Strip, it always seems there are more women than men -- though it's hard to tell who's a tourist," she said.

The 27-year-old public relations executive said she didn't feel as if she had an advantage when it came to meeting men.

"In Las Vegas, the singles scene is so tough anyway, since it's such a transient town and people just come and go."