Urban life consists of an incredibly mixed bag of living standards. While the wealthy lounge about in their lofty penthouses, the poor languish in the streets at the mercy of mounting crime levels, inadequate healthcare, and a general vulnerability and despair. We decided to take a deeper look into the general unhappiness standards in American cities, nationwide. This information was formulated based on U.S. census data that were collected on 1,000 cities that included traveling time, crime rate, family income, and survival rate as well as population changes. The results have been compiled, and these are the top 49 worst cities to deal with…
49. Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland Ohio
Cleveland has been voted as the most miserable city in the U.S., as declared by Forbes Magazine in 2010. This city is known to many as “the mistake by the lake” as over 35% of the residents live in poverty. Based on a report issued in 2019, it turned out more than half of those living in poverty worked full time or part-time. We cannot understand how the city’s leaders allowed such a massive amount of their population to fall into destitution.
48. Compton, California
More than 23% of the population lives in poverty, while an estimated 40% of the population is unemployed. The crime rate had drastically decreased since 1991 when it was recorded at 87 murders for the year. A report in 2014 shows a total of seven persons being murdered. This city is infamous for its ‘gangster’ culture, as romanticized and popularized by rappers like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. Drive-bys, assassinations, and gang violence are rife in the overwhelmed city.
Compton California
47. Huntsville, Texas
It is often said that where poverty is, there will be a lot of crime, and Huntsville may have just proven that. The population has an average of 35% of poverty with a high unemployment rate. Also, a major standout for this city is its high rate of employment by the Department of Criminal Justice, standing at over 7,000 jobs. After all, most of the state’s executions are done in this city. It is clear that the prison system is exploiting the skyrocketing crime rates and failed social systems.
Huntsville Texas
46. Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is no longer the trade center to benefit the world but more like a home to crime, violence, and gang violence. This New Jersey city once had a high production rate, but along the line, something went wrong. As the city’s industry began to fail with the rapidly changing economic impetuses and reforms, thousands of the working-class’s members were brutally left to fend for themselves. The decline led the city to a hike in illegal activities.
Trenton New Jersey
45. Newark, New Jersey
Newark has a lot of stagnant water lying around, and as such, it has a high level of lead poisoning. One too many American civilians have suffered from severe illnesses due to the high toxicity of basic drinking water. The city also has a high racist-behavior, which generally leads to countless riots and fights. There is an average of 28% poverty level in the city and a population of over 282,000.
Newark New Jersey
44. Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic has been voted one of the most miserable cities because over a third of the city lives in poverty and also has drugs and crime issues. Sex education is also lacking in the city, and this is a major problem, especially for the youths, as no positive growth occurs frequently. With such a severely lacking understanding of basic human rights, the youth in particular fall victim to mass unwanted pregnancies.
Passaic New Jersey
43. Miami Gardens, Florida
Believe it or not, over 57,000 people in the city as of 2008 had been frisked, and as such, this city was classified as the “stop and frisk capital of America.” For you to live happily in Miami Gardens, you have to be on the stable side of life as the cost of living is above the survival level. Also, the water source for the city makes the commodity expensive as it comes from a plant that the City of North Miami Beach funds.
Miami Gardens Florida
42. Hammond, Indiana
If you want to feel the worst of air and water pollution or face the worst of lead poisoning, then you can take a visit to Hammond, Indiana. Simply avoiding severe respiratory and intestinal diseases is a daily struggle as much of the population falls victim to abominable living standards. The city has a terrible chance of you living happily as the poverty level is high, with a lot of people migrating since 2010.
Hammond Indiana
41. Palmdale, California
If you want to reach the office or your appointment early, then you will need to leave at least an hour early as the commute time is generally 42 minutes. That sure is a lot of time wasted! The city’s failure to properly manage traffic and construct adequately efficient highways has caused something as avoidable as road rage to become a leading cause of unhappiness. With a population of a little over 155,000, the unemployment/poverty rate is an average of 19%. As of a few years back, the city was referred to many as “the foreclosure capital of California.
Palmdale California
40. Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen is a relatively small city with a little over 65,000 residents and one that is extremely hot. Believe it or not, the oppressively radiant sun and a lack of air-conditioning in public buildings leave the overheating population grossly unhappy. The population has an approximate 30% poverty level and roughly 56% in a job – survivable or stable. Just imagine how hard it must be in the city, especially seeing 2,000 immigrants were sent back to the city in 2019.
Harlingen Texas
39. Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield recorded 719 crime stories in 1990, making it a miserable state to live in. This figure was recorded three decades ago, and the situation has only continued to worsen over time. However, the cases are on a downward spiral, but the crime and violence struggle is still active. More than one-fifth of the country lives in poverty, with a large number of the residents unable to afford basic health insurance. Leave a little earlier if you wish to reach on time.
Plainfield New Jersey
38. Bell Gardens, California
Bell Gardens is overpopulated, with more than 30% of the residents living in poverty. The city depends mainly on a casino to get most of its survival and tax revenues. In a 2002 report, it detailed that the casino brought in more than half of the city’s tax revenue. As you can imagine, working for a casino (as much of the population is forced to) is not the ideal occupation.
Bell Gardens California
37. Warren, Ohio
Warren’s population fell by 7.7% since the 2010 census. This is due to much of its former population having been driven out due to destitution and a need for better living standards. The unemployment rate dropped massively too when GM closed their plant that was based in the city, one of the highest employment firms in the city. Sadly, Warren is one of the only cities that has it the hardest to survive in the country.
Warren Ohio
36. Union City, New Jersey
There are a little over 68,000 people living in Union City, and over 23% of this amount live in poverty. The city sits on an estimated 1.28 square miles, making it one of the most jammed and densely populated cities. Not surprisingly, jostling your way through thick crowds and having to share small and cramped spaces with a lot of people will make anyone unhappy. You may have a travel time of up to 33 minutes in this city.
Union City New Jersey
35. El Monte, California
The productivity of El Monte has dwindled since the city had to close three of its biggest auto dealerships, an employment killing blight that it shares with so many other cities. The city is known to rely on the auto dealership industry, but since the struggles, the poverty percentage has risen to 22%. When you lose your population’s main source of employment, a city begins to die. The commute time is an average of 30 minutes.
El Monte California
34. Albany, Georgia
Disaster hit Albany, Georgia, when it suffered a hurricane strike from Irma and also a tornado. This caused a lot of damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, a debilitating crisis that the city has struggled to recover from. With these issues, the city also suffers from high poverty rates and crime, as well as an impoverished population. If Albany is to return to its former glory, then it will need a tremendous amount of united aid.
Albany Georgia
33. Camden, New Jersey
New Jersey sure pops up on this list a lot, and another of its cities, Camden, has been voted one of the most miserable. Reports indicate that the average earning per household annually is $26,105, which makes it the lowest survival amount on this list. Crime rates are gradually lowering, while over 37% of the population lives in poverty. As you can see from the picture below, its poorest population bracket is sorely neglected.
Camden New Jersey
32. Pine Bluff, Arkansas
With one year showing a major reduction in manufacturing jobs by over 3,000, Pine Bluff has seen a drastic migration of its residents to other cities and states. As of 2010, more than 14% of the residents have relocated, and with the continued struggles, they were hit by all-city flooding in 2019. You can expect Pine Bluff to become America’s first-ever 21st century ‘ghost city’ in the near future.
Pine Bluff Arkansas
31. Mansfield, Ohio
When you speak of success in terms of the availability of industrial jobs, Mansfield could have been at the forefront of that. However, things have changed over time as a lot of these jobs became non-existent. With GM closing one of its factories as well, the city’s crime rate rose to 37% and a high rate living in poverty. You have probably picked up on the industrial-related trend that has wrecked so many of America’s once-great cities.
Mansfield Ohio
30. Fort Pierce, Florida
With an average of 46,000 people living in Fort Pierce, more than 36% of that population lives in poverty. Ocean erosion is also a major issue as the city has to have its beaches replenished with sand every few years. Either way, the city is steadily being consumed by the ocean. The city’s main source of income lay in citrus farming, and when trade deals were threatened, the primary source of income was badly affected.
Fort Pierce Florida
29. Montebello, California
Montebello makes it to this list because it is just naturally hard to live in. It has an incredibly harsh and oppressively hot climate, often being hit with water shortages. The city has over 14% of its population living in poverty, while another 19% does not have health insurance. Also, affordable housing is pretty hard with experts in the field, noting how hard it may be for first-time buyers to access housing. The average commute time is 33 minutes.
Montebello California
28. Pasadena, Texas
Racial issues are a big deal in Pasadena as it used to house the headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan. There are mostly working-class people living in this city but are extremely divided. The city mostly has Latinos living in the north with the south occupied by whites. While racism is a problem in many American cities, Pasadena suffers from a violent and primitive level of division where racial violence is rife.
Pasadena Texas
27. Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport has never had it easy, as the city has had a lot of struggles to go through. There was a massive flood in 2015 that sent the city into deep distress, and with the pressure mounting, a lot of the youths have turned to crime. The city’s social structure was literally washed away by the flood, devastating many livelihoods and civil order in general. This is like something out of a disaster movie.
Shreveport Louisiana
26. Hallandale, Florida
Hallandale is known for its high number of strip clubs, which doesn’t help the city’s 20% poverty rate. With so many of its citizens forced into sex work, we do not need to explain why that would be an unsatisfactory and dangerous career path. Close to 30% of the population lives without a healthcare plan, and the once “scruffy beach town” makes it a little stressful for people to live.
Hallandale Florida
25. Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown was once one of the largest steel manufacturing cities in the United States but started going down in the late 1970s. Jobs were being lost, and people found it hard to survive. Also, the city is one of the worst in terms of air pollution. It is a crying disgrace that despite so much industry having been shut down, at the cost of many jobs, that the air quality continues to radically plummet.
Youngstown Ohio
24. North Miami Beach, Florida
When the political arena is covered with criminal charges and allegations, then you know a city is in trouble. With its coastal presence and many snaking waterways, North Miami Beach is a paradise for smugglers and drug traffickers, putting the ‘vice’ in Miami Vice. It has a poverty rate of 20%, while over 32% don’t have health insurance. The city’s commute time is 31 minutes, and it’s a little challenging to survive.
North Miami Beach Florida
23.Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading has been classified as the poorest city in the United States based on a report from The New York Times in 2011. The city saw a lot of factories being closed down with a lot of people losing their jobs. These closures resulted in a 36% poverty rate and left a lot of households living on food stamps. As you can see from the picture below, many neighborhoods are falling apart,
Reading Pennsylvania
22. Danville, Virginia
Danville had a lot of textile and tobacco mills in operation, making it one of the richest cities in the country. However, when a lot of them closed down, the productivity of the city went downhill, and a lot of the population relocated. Currently, they are working on establishing solar farms to help rebuild the city. These productions are said to be done from the empty warehouses that are widely available.
Danville Virginia
21. Hemet, California
Hemet has made this list for so many reasons to include the city being overpopulated as the population has been growing since 2010, as well as crime rates going up. Just four years ago (2016), the highest rates of aggravated assaults (398), robberies (179), and stolen car reports (623) were reported. This city has a particularly high culture of grand theft auto. In addition to all this, the city suffers from a 23% poverty rate.
Hemet California
20. Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is known for its high rate of illegal immigration, and as such, you will encounter a lot of patrol officers daily. The city is located along the Mexican border, which makes it a hot spot for lots of traveling. With so many destitute and desperate individuals flooding the place, Brownsville suffers from 31% poverty, and housing is not the easiest thing to sell either, given the discrimination against the many low-income immigrant families moving in.
Brownsville Texas
19. Lynwood, California
Lynwood was classified as “The best place to live” up until authorities decided to build Interstate 105 through the city. The once peaceful suburbs suddenly became unlivable as the noise and air pollution came flooding in to destructive effect. As a result of this, a lot of people had to move out as well as lots of businesses were demolished in the process of getting the space for the construction.
Lynwood California
18. West New York, New Jersey
West New York is almost like a big dumpster as the city suffers heavy traffic and trash problems. The dwindling refuse services simply cannot cope with the mounting levels of trash and illegal dumping. As a result, entire communities become completely devalued and urban blight begins to seep in. With these annoying issues comes the fact that the city has a 22% poverty rate and a commute time of 37 minutes.
West New York New Jersey
17. Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is not the amazing place it used to be as there was a high shooting record in 2018, giving the city the nickname “sag-nasty.” The city is also an epicenter for gangster culture, as rapped about by rapper Dangerous D. The unemployment rate is also relatively high as many factories have closed down, leaving more than 25,000 people without work. This action has also resorted to lots of people migrating to other cities and states.
Saginaw Michigan
16. Jackson, Mississippi
With 29% of the population already living in poverty, matters were made worse when the city threatened to disconnect the water supply to more than 20,000 residents. This kind of gross abuse of human rights is indicative of a city council that has abandoned its citizens. When your leaders turn their backs on you, what can you expect? Just imagine over $45 million was overdue in bills and an average of 5% of people relocating.
Jackson Mississippi
15. Anderson, Indiana
Anderson has seen its worst over the last few years as over 24 GM factories have closed down, and over 23,000 jobs lost. It is incredible and tragic to see how many cities depended on GM for their working classes’ livelihoods. The economic status of the city started dwindling, and in 2015, the city was afforded over $2.5 million for home demolition. These demolitions, however, were for abandoned homes lying around.
Anderson Indiana
14. Macon-Bibb County, Georgia
Macon-Bibb County has over 56% of its population working, another 26% living in poverty while the remaining struggles to survive. Over the last eight years, the population has decreased by over 2%. Living and business properties in the city are much as over 3,700 buildings are unoccupied – due to the spaces being unappealing. You can then expect to walk through entire sectors of Macon-Bibb County that are completely ghostly.
Macon Bibb County Georgia
13. Lancaster, California
Lancaster is not the ideal place you would want to live like a lot of people have resorted to relocating elsewhere. The population stands at over 160,000, with an average of 23% living in poverty. The city has a major meth addiction and neo-Nazi issue, which turns off a lot of potential residents. However, Rex Parris, the city’s mayor, is currently working overtime to restore the city to its former glory.
Lancaster California
12. San Bernardino, California
30% of San Bernardino’s 216,000 population lives in poverty, and with the slow economic drive, the unemployment rate is gradually going up. The city is the home to the first McDonald’s restaurant and also the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Quite the combination – delicious burgers and murderous bikers! Survival in this city is becoming a lot harder to achieve, pushing many people to flee for their lives from the hellish city.
San Bernardino California
11. Cicero, Illinois
Does the name Al Capone ring a bell? Well, this city was his “toy place” back in the 1920s, and as such, it’s a struggle for the people to live in peace due to a bad reputation. This bad rap is not unfounded, however. The city has major gang issues, and a drastic measure had to be taken in 1999 to have gang members removed or pay a daily fine of $500. The city is struggling to keep its existence on the map.
Cicero Illinois
10. Port Arthur, Texas
Port Arthur has had a lot of misfortune since 2005 from being hit by numerous hurricanes that caused a lot of infrastructural damages. Take, for instance, in 2017, the city faced up to $1.3 billion in damages, and this helped to plunge the city’s economic stability downward. A lot of people are leaving for better lives, and the authorities are worried should the migration continue, they will fall below 50,000 in population, making them ineligible for federal grants.
Port Arthur Texas
9. Detroit, Michigan
Detroit was once an iconically productive and thriving city where the working class was relatively happy, with tens of thousands of workers employed in the motor industry, at least up until the 50s. In ten years (1950-1960), over 600,000 residents migrated from Detroit, and as such, the manufacturing industry went downhill. The population has also declined by 6% from 2010, with over 43,000 unoccupied buildings still standing. Also, Detroit is classified as one of the country’s most dangerous cities.
Detroit Michigan
8. St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis has a terrible crime problem, which has helped in the population declining by 5% between 2010 to 2018. Within one year, the country saw an increase of 33% in crime and violence and over 150 deaths. Currently, the main fight of the mayor and other officials is to control the crime rate. This is the type of city that could benefit greatly from a superhero. Alas, this is not a fictional comic book world.
St Louis Missouri
7. Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington has been hit by hard times since its once-booming coal industry has been thrown overboard. More than 6% of the population has relocated since 2010 and may be a result of the overdose on opioids. In recent times, the city has been voted as the overdose capital of America and was also listed as one of the most unhealthy cities in 2008. This lethal combination of high unemployment and rampant substance abuse will be the city’s undoing.
Huntington West Virginia
6. North Miami
North Miami is known for its constant flooding due to its history of high tides. If the city is not careful, they could have a major wastewater overflow soon as the city fears its septic tanks – 2,780 in total – will become destroyed due to rising sea levels. Can you imagine being flooded with sewerage? The high possibility is certainly enough impetus for many people to leave the city.
North Miami
5. Paterson, New Jersey
Hurricane Irene caused a lot of troubles for Paterson in 2011 as it resulted in The Great Falls flooding the city. In seven years, the city’s tax revenue fell by 38% as over 1,250 homes have been left abandoned. So far, there has been little effort to reclaim these properties, and it seems like these uninhabitable sectors have been left to rot further by a city council uninterested in such costly efforts.
Paterson New Jersey
4. Huntington Park, California
Huntington Park is a hot spot for illegal immigrants as it comprises an average of 97% Latinos. The city has a high poverty rate, which makes it extremely hard for properties to be purchased, rented, or sold in the area. In addition to these setbacks, due to a majority of the city’s population being illegal, not much political engagement and activities take place there. Here we have one of the most neglected populations in all of America.
Huntington Park California
3. New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick’s population stands at 56,000, of which over 34% live in poverty, meaning that more than 19,000 people are currently destitute. The city is known for its high crime and violence rate, making it a terrible option to choose from when seeking places to live. This also means that the nearly 20,000 impoverished citizens struggle to find peace and basic comfort. In 2017 alone, gun and assault charges went up by 64%…a high figure if you ask us!
New Brunswick New Jersey
2. Flint, Michigan
Flint is the most impoverished city on this list as it has a poverty rate of over 41% and terrible water problems. Flint currently has over 20,000 abandoned properties, high crime and violence rates as well as extreme opioid overuse. If you can imagine a post-apocalypse movie, Flint would be the perfect setting. With undrinkable water, murderously rampant gangs and domestic violence, and a large sector of its population bombed out on drugs, this is one of the most terrible places to live in America.
Flint Michigan
1. Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city like no other, as the description is a big turnoff for those who wish to live there. One official noted, “the city no longer has a crime problem as it has no one left to kill, nor does it have money, jobs, or resources to access drugs or to steal. Yeah, Gary used to be the murder capital of the US as well as the city with the most drug overdose. What little population remains in Gary is largely at the mercy of corrupt casinos.
Gary Indiana