Study Reveals America’s Loneliest Men

For a man who grew up hearing “man up,” admitting “I’m lonely” can feel like breaking an unwritten rule. He might happily ask a friend for help moving a couch, yet hesitate to mention that he’s struggling in the apartment once everyone has gone home.

Research suggests that hesitation deserves attention. A 2025 Pew Research Center report found that just 38% of men would be very or extremely likely to turn to a friend for emotional support, compared with 54% of women. Having someone to watch the game with is one thing; knowing you can call them when life falls apart is another.

So where are men feeling most disconnected – and what are they keeping to themselves? AMFM Mental Health Treatment surveyed 3,004 men across America to explore loneliness by state, the strength of their support networks and the conversations that too often go unspoken.

The 5 states with the loneliest men:

1. Alabama: 60%
2. Alaska: 50%
3. Arizona: 60%
4. Arkansas: 55%
5. California: 51%

At the other end, Delaware and Nebraska had the lowest reported figures, both at 20%, followed by Utah at 27%.

One in Five Men Have Nobody to Confide In

Asked how many people they could speak to about a personal problem, 20% said none. Another 32% named just one person.

Having a single trusted confidant can mean a great deal. It also leaves little backup when that person is unavailable, going through difficulties of their own or part of the problem someone needs to discuss.

The full breakdown was:

• 20% had nobody they felt they could confide in.
• 32% had one person.
• 39% had two or three.
• 11% had four or more.

For Some, “How are you?” Rarely Gets an Honest Answer

A third of respondents (33%) had held a meaningful conversation about how they were really feeling within the past week. Another 24% had done so between a week and a month ago.

For others, the gap was considerably longer:

• 14% last had that conversation between one and three months ago.
• 6% said between three and six months ago.
• 11% said more than six months ago.
• 15% couldn’t remember ever having one.

Taken together, 25% either hadn’t had a meaningful conversation about their feelings in more than six months or couldn’t recall ever doing so.

Sometimes, The Office is the Easier Place to Be

Perhaps the most revealing finding had little to do with workloads: 41% of men said they had stayed at work longer than necessary because they didn’t want to return to an empty home.

That puts a different spin on the colleague who is always last to leave. Sometimes the attraction of the office may be less about what’s on the desk than what isn’t waiting at home.

When asked which aspects of work made connection harder, long hours and being too drained to socialize led the responses:

• 17% cited long working hours.
• 17% felt too drained to socialize after work.
• 14% worked alone for much of the day.
• 11% pointed to unpredictable hours or shift work.
• 9% said personal conversations felt uncomfortable in their workplace.
• 7% worked away from home overnight.
• 5% cited responsibility for staff or a business that felt difficult to share.

“I don’t want to burden anyone” was the Biggest Barrier to Speaking Up

The most common reason for hesitating to tell someone about loneliness was not wanting to burden them, cited by 20%.

Even asking for support, it seems, can become an exercise in worrying about somebody else.

Other reasons included:

• 15% would feel embarrassed.
• 15% believed they should deal with it themselves.
• 12% worried they would seem weak.
• 11% felt nobody would understand.
• 9% didn’t know how to start the conversation.
• 9% had nobody they would feel comfortable telling.
• 6% worried about how people would see them at work.

Just 8% said nothing would make them hesitate. For the rest, there was some obstacle between feeling lonely and saying so.

Partners Come First for Ssupport – but Some Men would Turn to a Chatbot

A partner or spouse was the first choice for emotional support for 36% of respondents, followed by a friend at 26% and another family member at 21%.

Outside those personal relationships, the responses were more scattered:

• 7% would first turn to a mental health professional.
• 5% would turn to an AI chatbot.
• 3% would approach a colleague.
• 3% would turn to a faith or community leader.
• 2% would seek out an online community.

More respondents selected an AI chatbot than a colleague. That is a striking detail in a survey where work occupies so much of the discussion: spending the day alongside someone doesn’t necessarily make them the person you would trust with a difficult evening.

Friendships Exist. Finding Time – and Closeness – is Another Matter

There was encouraging news, too: 42% said they were happy with their friendships.

Others weren’t necessarily short of friends; they were missing something within those relationships. 17% wished they were closer to the friends they had, while 11% struggled to find time for them.

Another 13% had drifted apart from friends and wanted to reconnect. That is a different challenge from starting from scratch: the friendship may already exist, but someone still has to send the slightly overdue message.

Meanwhile:

• 8% had no close friends and wanted to make some.
• 12% had no close friends and felt comfortable with that.

Would anyone call if you stopped calling first?

Asked whether someone outside their household would get in touch within a week if they stopped initiating contact, 30% were very confident and 36% were somewhat confident.

Others were less sure:

· 20% were not very confident.

· 16% were not at all confident.

The question doesn’t establish whether those calls would actually come. It does reveal how uncertain some men feel about their place in other people’s lives – and whether their relationships would keep going without them doing the chasing.

Being Close Doesn’t Always Mean Knowing What’s Going On

Asked how well the people closest to them understood their real feelings, 22% said “very well” and 41% said “fairly well.”

But 26% said “not very well,” while 14% said “not at all.”

Knowing someone’s routine, responsibilities and coffee order can create a convincing impression of knowing the person. These responses suggest there can still be quite a lot left unsaid.

Truck Drivers Topped the Loneliest Jobs

Long-distance truck drivers were the clear loneliest profession:

1. Truck drivers
2. Night-shift hotel receptionists

The remaining responses were:

• Delivery drivers
• Farmers
• Self-employed tradespeople
• Warehouse workers
• Traveling sales representatives
• Airline pilots
• Software developers
• Caretakers and groundskeepers
• Freelance writers and editors
• Accountants

Anand Mehta, LMFT, Executive Director at AMFM Mental Health Treatment, says:

“Someone can be reliable at work, present for their family and still feel they have nobody to talk to about what they’re going through. When people are used to you being the one who copes, it can be difficult to tell them you’re struggling.

“What stands out in these findings is the hesitation around reaching out. Men described not wanting to burden anyone, feeling embarrassed or believing they should handle things themselves. A conversation doesn’t have to begin with a major disclosure. ‘I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected lately – have you got time for a call?’ is a perfectly good place to start.

“And if you’re concerned about someone, make the invitation specific. Suggest a walk, a coffee or a time to catch up, and leave room for an honest answer when you ask how they are. If loneliness persists or starts affecting daily life, a mental health professional can help you work through what’s making connection difficult.”