Worst Cities in the U.S.

Lamentably, not all American cities are created equal. Some seem to be plagued by societal problems such as economic disparity, unemployment, and poor health care accessibility. In our analysis of the 50 worst cities in the United States, we ranked the cities based on indicators including population change, workforce participation, median household income, lack of health insurance, commute times, and poverty levels. Key findings from the data include:

• Geographically, the cities in our lowest-ranking list are quite diverse, spanning from the midwestern heartland (Gary, IN), through the Rust Belt (Detroit, MI), to the densely populated northeastern states (Passaic, NJ, and Newark, NJ).
• States like Michigan, New Jersey, and Indiana have more than one city in the top list indicating state-level issues might be playing a significant role in the status of these cities. Michigan, for instance, has three cities in the list: Detroit, Flint, and Camden indicating an economic downturn related to the decline of domestic auto production.
• A noteworthy pattern is that many of these cities had industrial roots, and their decline can largely be traced back to the decline in manufacturing in the U.S. and the subsequent loss of jobs. Cities like Gary, IN, and Detroit, MI, were once thriving industrial hubs.
• While Southern states have often been associated with higher poverty and lower median household income, only one city from the South, Port Arthur, TX, is included in the top ten of this worst city list.