First, a disclaimer. We had no part in developing this list. The rankings come from RoadSnacks.net, which gets a kick out of ticking off a bunch of towns with its “worst” list each year.
RoadSnacks sized up the country’s 220 largest cities based on several key factors: population density; unemployment; adjusted median income; low home prices; the number of people without health insurance; crime; poverty; and a large percentage of uneducated adults.
Here were the top 10 worst cities in 2019:
1. Memphis, TN
2. Jackson, MS
3. Detroit, MI
4. Dayton, OH
5. Cleveland, OH
6. San Bernardino, CA*
7. Brownsville, TX
8. Tucson, AZ
9. Mobile, AL
10. Shreveport, LA
San Bernardino ranked as the fifth worst city to live in last year, so its score has slightly improved. It was dinged for high crime and unemployment this time around.
“Perhaps the only thing surprising about San Bernardino being 6th is that it wasn’t higher,” the RoadSnacks team writes. “When considering the data, the only reason San Bernardino is only 5th is that there are some areas of the city in which residents earn professional salaries, and, frankly, there’s a lot more to do in the San Bernardino region than there is in the desert. And no, dodging bullets isn’t one of them.”
RoadSnacks never heard the old adage, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.”
Data is compiled and reported by RoadSnacks.net. Report does not reflect statistics on all U.S. or California cities.