The Ultimate List Of The 25 Worst Cities In The United States

See if your city made the cut!

Let’s face it — most of us have lived in pretty shitty towns. First, we didn’t ask to be born. We kicked our way into the world, hoping to land somewhere cool like California, Hawaii, or Florida (when Florida was cool).

Unfortunately, most of us weren’t that lucky, with birthplaces like Youngstown, Ohio, Jackson, Mississippi, or…Abilene, Texas, which is where I was born. With hard work and drive, we got out. (Except in my case, my Mom divorced my stepdad and got the hell outta Dodge!)

You see these lists in the press all the time, and if you’re from Detroit, you hope not to see your city at the top of the list — again.

Now, you may ask, “Arthur, how did you achieve such a feat in figuring out the worst of the worst with all the existing lists? And what possessed you to do something so tedious?”

Well, there’s marijuana.

But I’ll share my methodology with you right here: I took a perfunctory look at all of the “worst” lists, then wrote the name of each city on a 2” x 2” piece of paper, which I folded and put into a fishbowl, then randomly drew 25 pieces. From there, I went through the same process, picking number 25 first and ending with #1, or the worst city. After all, they all suck, so what does it matter?

No, actually, I was as mathematical about it as possible. I’m good if it doesn’t go beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Just don’t ask me to weigh things like a city’s relative size or its ethnic makeup. That requires algebra, and I don’t do that.

Simply put, I assigned a 10 to the worst city on each list I surveyed and a 1 to the #10 city. If the cities weren’t ranked, they all got a 5.

Oftentimes, the cities were listed by their size. I didn’t go there. The only common denominator is that all cities had a population greater than 50,000. In all cases, rankings are based on the city proper only, not the metropolitan area (MSA). Population figures are from the 2020 Census or the latest estimates available.

So, let’s get on to the countdown!

25 Three-Way Tie: Phoenix (pop. 1, 624,569), Oakland (pop. 440,646), and Brownsville (pop. 186,738)

Phoenix had enough points in the middle of several lists to make it into the finals. Surprisingly, it usually wasn’t in the top 10 cities with the worst weather. Oakland was noted for crime and Brownsville for poor healthcare. Most of the Rio Grande Valley ranked very poorly in this category. In fact, most of Texas! They have the most uninsured people.

22 New Orleans (pop. 383,997)

New Orleans didn’t top any “worst of” list but racked up enough points to rank. (FUN FACT: The city lost 29% of its population between 2000 and 2010, mainly due to Hurricane Katrina.) I guess beignets do not make a city great.

21 Two-Way Tie: Charleston, WV (pop. 48,864), and Memphis (pop. 633,104)

Charleston is the smallest city to make the top 25. It has shrunk to about half the size it was back in 1960. A lack of education and opportunity drag this capital city down. West Virginia is also perennially in the bottom five in almost every measurement. Memphis has more going for it, but crime is its downfall. It is also one of our shrinking cities. It was replaced by Nashville as the largest city in Tennessee in the 2020 Census.

19 Three-Way Tie: Shreveport (pop. 187,593), East St. Louis (pop. 18,469), and Philadelphia (1,567,258)

Gambling came to Shreveport in the mid-90s but was not its savior. It is 7th on the list of fastest shrinking cities. Pulling it down are high unemployment, poverty, drugs, and crime. I’m wrong. East St. Louis is the smallest city on this list, but it wasn’t always that way. Industry left the city, and freeways sliced up the neighborhoods. If it and St. Louis were combined (they are in the same MSA), they would be number one on this list. Philadelphia is on almost all of the lists of one of the worst cities in the U.S. It’s high on the list of the most congested cities and has a high violent crime rate.

16 Houston (pop. 2,302,878)

Just yuck. The heat combined with high humidity makes it unbearably hot. It ranks low on healthcare, high on worst traffic, and some of the worst pizza you’ll ever eat! With no zoning restrictions, Houston is one jumbled-up mess. And yet, people continue to flock there. But republicans.

15 Three-Way Tie: Albany, Georgia (pop. 77,434), Miami (pop. 449,514), and Washington, D.C. (pop. 670,050)

Albany made the grade in categories including least healthy, poorest, and fastest shrinking. With 75% of its citizens Black, it is one of the least diverse cities in the country. But there is evidence of progress. And it gave us Ray Charles and Paula Deen! Miami is not all that — at least Miami proper. It’s often noted in the lists of worst cities to live in. Elements affecting this include bad traffic, bad pizza, and climate change — sitting at an elevation between 6 and 42 feet, sea level rise, and geology could combine to put Miami underwater by 2100. And then there’s our capital city. Washington has lost more than 130,000 citizens since 1950. It has a large homeless population (not helped by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas!), it’s expensive, the traffic is horrible with some of the country’s worst drivers, and the people are just rude.

12 San Francisco (pop. 808,437)

You know it’s going to be close to the top in homelessness. You know it’s expensive. But did you know it’s one of the cities most at risk for climate change? Surrounded on three sides by water, it’s susceptible to sea-level rises and warming in a city where air conditioning is practically unknown. Put some flowers in your hair and visit before it’s gone.

11 Chicago (pop. 2,696,555)

“My Kind of Town” is not everyone’s kind of town. Although there are worse, Chicago seems to be best known for its high violent crime rate. It doesn’t fall into the top 10 of most “worst cities” lists. It’s said to be rude, but I lived there for 35 years, and I thought they were some of the nicest people around. Traffic congestion is some of the worst in the country. And pizza? Well, this isn’t the “best of” list!

Well, you’ve made it this far. Now let’s examine just what goes into the making of the top 10 worst cities in the U.S.

10 Stockton, CA (pop. 320,804)

Stockton is at or near the top of many “worst of” lists. Unemployment is high, crime is rampant, it is one of the least educated cities, and it is obese! Even though it has been cited many times as an All-American City, it just doesn’t seem to have many redeeming qualities.

9 Camden, NJ (pop. 70,996)

You know this can’t be good. Lying across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Camden is about half the size it once was due to deindustrialization and the resulting unemployment, crime, and civic unrest. It is often cited in the top 10 “worst cities” lists. You’re no good, Camden. Sorry.

8 Jackson, MS (pop. 153,701)

“Honey, I shrunk the city!” Between 2010 and 2020, Jackson declined 11.4% in population, more than any large city in the U.S. People aren’t going to Jackson anymore. At 79% Black, it is one of the least ethnically diverse cities in the country. It lies in the path of the “new” tornado alley (which has shifted east and south). Violent crime has been on the uptick, and we remember the water quality issues the city has had.

7 Boston (pop. 654,776)

Dog gone it, people just don’t like Boston. It didn’t appear in the top 10 of any “worst cities” lists that I looked at. It, however, is one of the most expensive cities and comes in at #2 in traffic congestion. Combine that with the worst drivers in the U.S., and you’ve got what amounts to ROAD RAGE! Because it is also one of the rudest cities in the country.

6 St. Louis (pop. 293,310)

Once one of the largest cities in the country, St. Louis’ population has declined from a high of 856,796 in 1950. That’s a pretty steep decline. Known as “The Gateway to the West,” that’s where most of the people have gone — the suburbs. It is in the top 10 of most “worst cities” lists. It is strangled by crime, and The Economist ranked it as the 13th most dangerous city in the world for homicide. No thanks.

5 Bakersfield (pop. 403,455)

Bakersfield is bigger than St. Louis! That says something right there — about St. Louis’ shrinkage problem. Home to defunct House Majority Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it’s one of America’s biggest armpits. It’s well below average in educational attainment and is very unhealthy (obesity, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure). Oil well rigs fill the vistas in every direction. The air quality sucks, and many surveys put it at the top of the list of the worst cities in the U.S.

4 Detroit (pop. 620,376)

Aw, I’m sorry. At least you’re not number one on this list. Once the fourth largest city in the country, it’s now #27. It has lost more than one million residents since 1950! If you’ve never been, you can imagine the blight left behind. It has high crime, low income, and high unemployment. At 77% Black, it is one of the least diverse cities. Still, I like Detroit. As the home of Motown, it can do no wrong in my book.

3 Baltimore (pop. 576,498)

I personally don’t know much about Baltimore, having only driven through it years ago. It ranks high (or low, as the case may be) in rudest cities, worst drivers, most dangerous and crime, and climate change. It tried to do a makeover with its famous waterfront, but that didn’t change any of the above elements. The rest of the city is probably nowhere you’d want to go.

2 Los Angeles (pop. 3,819,538)

The City of Angels it’s not. It’s gotten to be just nasty, what with its famous homelessness problem. It has around 65,000 homeless people on its streets, way more than any other city. (Other California cities in this category are San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco). It is expensive. It is well known for its freeways that don’t move. And it has the worst air quality in the country. No wonder people are leaving in droves.

1 New York City (pop. 8,335,897)

The Big Apple, our largest city by far, comes in at #1, which is nothing new. I don’t need to tell you what’s bad about it. Manhattanites will say to you otherwise. But that happens to be the most expensive parcel in the country. It comes as no surprise that it’s the rudest city in the U.S. It’s also likely to be underwater if the sea level continues to increase. NYC: Fun to visit, wouldn’t want to live there. Couldn’t if I wanted to!

I’ve taken too much of your time, but here are just a few more fun facts as I did my research:

• Minneapolis wasn’t in any of the surveys I reviewed. There are worse places for weather. Try Marquette, Michigan!
• Salt-a Lake-a Citay (I hope you’ve seen “The Book of Mormon) placed on one list: worst air quality. The mountains trap smog and dust into what is known as an “inversion layer.” The city is often noted as the best place to live.
• My current home in Albuquerque was ranked in violent crime, auto theft, and car crash and pedestrian fatalities. Nobody walks in L.A. — nor in Albuquerque. But it wasn’t bad enough to make the top 25!
• Speaking of pedestrian fatalities, eight of the top ten cities are in Florida. I’m laughing silently.
• If Alaska and Hawaii were included in this survey (I only included cities in the continental U.S.) Fairbanks would be at the top for air pollution. The least affordable housing award would go to Maui, where it takes an annual income of at least $200,000 to purchase a median-priced home ($881,250). I feel so bad for those folks.
• The ten least friendly LGBTQ cities are all in Florida and Texas. Can we make them both secede?
• The worst state capital city is Trenton, New Jersey. In a state that is #3 in HHI ($89,296), Trenton’s is $35,524. And the cost of living is 17% higher than the national average.
• Got allergies? Don’t move to Wichita. They have the worst.
• The top eight cities for worst healthcare are all in Texas. More than 60% of the residents who had Medicaid during the pandemic are being kicked off, the highest rate in the nation. Texas, you’ve got no soul.
• Also, Baton Rouge and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. “Hard Stop”.

Sources include:

• C2ER.com (Council for Community and Economic Research)
• Kiplinger.com
• Insider.com
• Survey Monkey
• U. S. Census Bureau
• U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration
• CNN.com
• U. S. News and World Report
• Anytimeestimate.com
• PropertyClub.NYC
• WalletHub.com
• American Lung Association
• LawnStarter.com
• 24/7WallStreet.com
• FarAndWide.com
• The Economist
• Asthma and Allergy Association of America
• MoneyInc.com
• BobVila.com
• CoventryDirect.com
• Forbes.com
• PolicyGenius.com

More about cities from Arthur Keith: