particles - に vs で with state of being (but no verb)

All the に vs で comparisons I can find discuss using them with verbs. However I recently wanted to say something like "I am alone at home", and phrased it without a verb:

家で一人です

But that got me thinking whether it could also have been:

家に一人です

because my understanding is that に is used in a similar way with ある/いる for "existence in a place".

Google has lots of results for both. Can I use either? If so, what's the difference?

Answer

I don't see much difference between:

• [家]{いえ}に[一人]{ひとり}です。and 家で一人です。
  


• [今]{いま}、家に[独]{ひと}りぼっちです。and 今、家で独りぼっちです。
  



• [今夜]{こんや}は[部屋]{へや}に一人きりだ。and 今夜は部屋で一人きりだ。
  

I think we tend to use で in daily conversation and に when we write when we use 一人だ/独りぼっちだ etc. to mean "alone/there's nobody else in the room/house".

However, I see a slight difference between:

• [職場]{しょくば}に独りぼっちです。and 職場で独りぼっちです。
  


• [教室]{きょうしつ}に一人です。and 教室で一人です。
  


• 今、[学校]{がっこう}に一人きりです。and 今、学校で一人きりです。
  

I think ~~に一人/独り means "I'm (physically) alone/Nobody else is here", while ~~で一人/独り can be used for both "I'm (physically) alone" and "I'm (mentally) alone. I'm isolated. Nobody talks to me in class"...

(And I think this is why 「[最近]{さいきん}、クラスで一人です。」「このごろ、教室で[孤独]{こどく}です。」(I've been isolated and lonely in class these days) sound fine but 「最近、クラスに一人です。」「このごろ、教室に孤独です。」sound awkward.)