Following an announcement last week that it is upgrading its gender preferences, dating app Tinder analyzed data from Thanksgiving Day weekend last year and as a result expects a jump in swipes as well as matches again this year.

The results reveal daters who are home for the holidays, and engage in a significant number of matches in their hometowns.

“In 2015, there were more than 2.3 billion swipes in the U.S. during [the holiday weekend] proving that hometown romance still exists,” the company noted. “Of those swipes, 17 million-plus matches were made – a 23 percent increase compared to non-holiday weekends.”

 Some of the top cities for swipes and matches include: New York; Houston; Baltimore; and Detroit.

Tinder sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino said “people typically tend to be attracted to those with a similar demographic background — from age, occupation, education and more. Individuals who grow up in the same areas are more likely to have shared experiences, making home a great place for singles with similar values to connect.”

 The app maker said its Tinder Plus users “can get a head start on hometown matches with the Passport function, which allows users to swipe in any destination, before they actually get there.”

In separate news last week, Tinder revealed the launch of new gender preferences for its profiles. Instead of male and female, users can choose nearly 40 gender options. The upgrade is similar to changes other sites such as Facebook had rolled out.

The goal is to give people who do not conform to a specific gender other choices as well as allow transgender people to present themselves beyond being male or female. The other options include non-binary, transgender male, transgender female, two-spirit and agender, among others.

Cities with the Most Matches Made During Thanksgiving Weekend:

1.       Baltimore

2.       New York

3.       Provo, UT (Salt Lake City)

4.       Chicago

5.       Boston

6.       Minneapolis

7.       Kansas City

8.       Portland

9.       Detroit

10.   Seattle

U.S. Cities with the Highest Percent Increase in Matches During the Holiday Weekend:

1.       Detroit – 54%

2.       Houston – 43%

3.       Washington D.C. – 41%

4.       Dallas – 38%

5.       Baltimore – 37%

6.       Philadelphia – 34%

7.       Los Angeles – 32%

8.       Minneapolis – 32%

9.       Charlotte – 32%

10.   Portland  – 30%

Source: Tinder

  tech News, Technology News