2. Detroit, Michigan
Detroit suffered a significant population decline from 2000 to 2010, falling nearly 25%. Today, Detroit has 688,701 residents, but the drastic population decline lead to a number of abandoned households and commercial buildings. The city is suffering from urban decay. Although Detroit is home to major Fortune 500 companies including General Motors, Ally Financial and DTE Energy, the unemployment rate stands at 14.5%. The median household income in the city is $25,787, with 32.3% living below the national poverty line. According to the FBI’s 2012 Uniform Crime Reports, Detroit had the highest rate of violent crime of any city over 200,000. In May 2014, JPMorgan Chase said it planned to inject $100 million over five years into the Detroit economy to kick-start projects and provide development funding for employment, residential development and other community-related programs. Hopefully this will remove it from the list of worst places to live in the US in the future.
1. Camden, New Jersey
Camden has been voted onto Forbes’ list of “America’s Most Miserable Cities” for years. The small city that sits directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia has a population of just over 77,000. Camden was once known for its manufacturing industry, but today it is riddled with urban decay and political corruption. Camden is considered the most impoverished city in the US, with a median household income of $18,007 and 42.5% of residents living below the poverty line. Camden also has one of the highest crime rates in the country, at 560% above the national average. As of July 2014, the unemployment rate in Camden was 14.3%, almost three times higher than the national average. Life in Camden is dreary and dangerous, so moving here is to be discouraged.
