Washington, June 7: Over the years, India was considered as a capital of poverty, poor lifestyle, crimes etc. The Indians who later visited other countries mainly the United States of America in search of better opportunity were embarrassed to speak about India as foreigners would overpower them. However, the trend has changed as India has been developing round the clock and today emerged as a world power. No one points at India when it comes to cleanliness, crime rate, poverty etc.
Countries like US, England, Russia, China were earlier known for their culture of cleanliness, less crime rate etc but the time has taken a U-turn. Mainly the standard of United States has fallen severely. Notably, 24/7 Wall Street conducted a study in which it found that Detroit city of Michigan holds the title as the worst city to live in America.
According to a study conducted by 24/7 Wall Street named ‘America's 50 worst cities’ using US census data on the roughly 600 cities that had populations of more than 50,000 in 2016, which was the most recent year available. However, each city was given a rating based on nine categories including crime, economy, education, environment, health, housing, infrastructure and leisure.
The 24/7 Wall Street in its study found that Detroit city of Michigan was the worst city while Flint and St. Louis stood on the second and third rank respectively.
Description of top five worst cities of United States of America are as follows:
1. Detroit, Michigan
> Population: 672,829
> Median home value: $43,500
> Poverty rate: 35.7%
> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree: 14.9%
The poster child of American post-industrial urban decline, Detroit, Michigan, ranks as the worst city in the country to live in. Once home to 1.8 million residents at the peak of U.S. auto manufacturing in the 1950s, the city is now home to fewer than 700,000 after decades of decline.
A poor, economically depressed city, more than one in every three Detroit residents live below the poverty line. The city also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the United States, with 10.9% of the workforce out of a job. Detroit is also dangerous. Along with Las Vegas, it is one of only two cities nationwide where there were over 2,000 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2016.
2. Flint, Michigan
> Population: 97,379
> Median home value: $28,200
> Poverty rate: 44.5%
> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree: 10.5%
Flint is second worst city to live in in both Michigan and the United States as a whole. Some 44.5% of Flint’s population lives below the poverty line, the highest poverty rate of any city in the country. Financial hardship in the city is precipitated in part by a lagging job market. The city’s 9.8% unemployment rate is double the annual U.S. unemployment rate of 4.9%. The city may be an unattractive place for many employers and small business owners to operate in, both because of high crime rates and the relatively small college-educated population. Flint’s violent crime rate of 1,587 incidents per 100,000 people is more than triple the state violent crime rate. Also, only 10.5% of city residents have a bachelor’s degree, about a third of the 31.3% share of American adults.
3. St. Louis, Missouri
> Population: 311,404
> Median home value: $125,800
> Poverty rate: 23.8%
> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree: 34.1%
St. Louis is the worst city to live in in Missouri and third worst nationwide. A concentration of violence in parts of the city makes St. Louis a particularly difficult place to live. There were 1,932 violent crimes for every 100,000 city residents in 2016, the third highest violent crime rate of any U.S. city and five times the comparable U.S. rate. Crime rates are often higher in economically depressed areas, and St. Louis is a relatively poor city. Some 23.8% of residents live below the poverty line, a higher poverty rate than in the majority of U.S. cities and nearly 10 percentage points above both the U.S. and statewide poverty rates of 14.0%.
As is the case in nearly every other Midwestern city on this list, St. Louis is losing residents. The city’s population fell by 11.2% over the past decade, even as the U.S. population expanded by 7.1%.
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Population: 632,916
> Median home value: $228,300
> Poverty rate: 15.6%
> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree: 23.0%
Crime rates in Las Vegas — violent crime in particular — detract considerably from quality of life in the city. With 2,136 violent crimes — a category comprised of aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder — for every 100,000 Las Vegas residents in 2016, Las Vegas ranks as the most dangerous city in the United States. Property crime is also a major problem in Sin City. Property crimes include larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and there were 7,268 property crimes from every 100,000 Las Vegas residents in 2016, more than in all but five other cities nationwide. With lower crime rates, Las Vegas would likely not rank among the worst U.S. cities.
5. Memphis, Tennessee
> Population: 652,752
> Median home value: $96,800
> Poverty rate: 26.9%
> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree: 25.6%
In Memphis, serious financial hardship and high crime rate detract from the overall quality of life of many residents. Some 26.9% of area residents live in poverty, the largest share of any city in the state and well above the 14.0% U.S. poverty rate. Poorer cities often struggle more with crime, and Memphis is no exception. There were 1,830 violent crimes in the city for every 100,000 residents in 2016, a higher violent crime rate than in all but three other U.S. cities and nearly five times the comparable U.S. violent crime rate.