Most Miserable American Cities – 9 are in New Jersey
If you're feeling kinda blah today, this news probably won't turn your frown upside down. Nine of the most miserable cities in the nation are right here in New Jersey.
Yeah, nine.
Nearly 1-in-3 of the most sorrowful, dejected, and depressed towns that you can find are just a short drive from where you are right now.
Of course, driving in New Jersey is one of the factors that put many towns on this list. More on that in a moment.
Researchers at Business Insider recently analyzed census data from 1,000 cities and they looked at things like population change, the percentage of people working (or not working), median household income, crime, commute times, and other factors to create a list of the 50 most miserable towns in the nation. Of their rankings, they said,
Often, these cities have been devastated by natural disasters. They've had to deal with blight and with high crime rates. Economies have struggled after industry has collapsed. These cities also tend to have high rates of addiction.
Now, before we dive into a big pit of Garden State-flavored despair, here is some good news (relatively speaking). While New Jersey has nine miserable cities in the top 30, California has ten in the top 50. And the number one city is not in New Jersey.
The absolute most miserable cities in America
- Gary, Indiana
- Port Arthur, Texas
- Detroit, Michigan
What about New Jersey?
The nine Jersey cities ranked below all have many common factors: high crime rates, drugs, poverty, long commute times, etc.
Generally speaking, the stereotypes that each city is known for are what make it miserable for the people that live there.