Worst Cities in America 2026

Worst City Ranking (USA Today)

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The affordability included factors such as median home value, taxes, and cost of living. The economy category included unemployment rate, five-year employment growth, and the share of total work-age population. In the quality of life category is the poverty rate, mortality rate, and drug overdose mortality rate. The community category included factors such as average travel time to work, the violent crime rate, property crime rate, and the total number of restaurants, bars, museums, parks, and other entertainment per capita.

Key Findings and Trends

Mendota, California, is the worst city in the United States. Almost half (49.5%) of the city’s population of 11,396 lives in poverty. Only 1.8% of the population has a Bachelor’s degree and half of all households earn less than $27,500 per year. The financial insecurity in Mendota is attributed to a lack of jobs, with an unemployment rate of 15.4%.

Highland Park, Michigan, is the fifth worst city in America but is by far the poorest on the list. The median household income is $15,699, which is almost $42,000 lower than the national median income, and it is the only city in the United States where most households earn less than $20,000 per year. 49% of the city’s residents live below the poverty line.

Of the top ten cities, Anniston in Alabama has the highest violent crime rate of 3,434 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The lowest median home value is $33,500 in Highland Park, Michigan.

There are some trends among the top 50 worst cities. One of these being that high crime rates, widespread poverty, weak job markets, and few entertainment options are more common in areas with lower educational attainment. The highest percentage of adults in these cities with a Bachelor’s degree is still below the national attainment rate of 30.9%. In 19 of the 50 cities, fewer than 10% of adults have a Bachelor’s degree. A majority of the cities on the list are in the West or South, with only 12 cities being in the Midwest or Northeast. In the top ten cities, nine out of the 10 are located in the West or South.

City	State	Worst City Ranking (USA Today)↑	Additional Worst City Details
Yazoo City	Mississippi	1st	According to the Census, unemployment in Yazoo City stands at 20.7%, well more than triple the comparable 5.9% national rate.
Donaldsonville	Louisiana	2nd	The city's 14.3% five year unemployment rate is well more than double the comparable U.S. unemployment rate.
Fair Oaks	Georgia	3rd	For many in Fair Oaks, food insecurity is worsened by poverty.
Irondale	Georgia	5th	In Irondale, Georgia and across the broader county, there were 498.1 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2018.
Poinciana	Florida	6th	The average commute time in Poinciana is about 44 minutes, well above the 27 minute national average.
Golden Valley	Arizona	7th	The poverty rate in Golden Valley stands at 24.1%, well above the comparable 14.1% national poverty rate.
Conyers	Georgia	8th	As is the case in many cities on this list, the homeownership rate in Conyers is low, standing at just 28.8%, well below the 63.8% national rate.
La Homa	Texas	9th	Over the last five years, the number of people living in La Homa declined by 14.5%.
Shady Hills	Florida	10th	From 2015 to 2017, there were an annual average of 29.7 drug poisoning deaths per year in the community for every 100,000 people, well above the 20 per 100,000 national fatal overdose rate.
Silver Springs Shores	Florida	11th	The nearest hospital to Silver Springs Shores is nearly 10 miles away.
Beverly Hills	Florida	12th	Florida. In Beverly Hills, the typical home is worth just $69,800, about one-third the value of the typical home nationwide.
Laurinburg	North Carolina	13th	The city's unemployment rate of 14.2% is more than double the comparable 5.9% national rate.
Berea	South Carolina	14th	An estimated 72% of Berea residents live at least a mile from the nearest grocery store in urban areas and at least 10 miles in rural areas.
Micco	Florida	15th	Not only are incomes low in the town, but it also has a high cost of living, meaning a dollar does not go as far as it might elsewhere.
Lancaster	South Carolina	16th	As is the case in many cities and towns on this list, places for physical exercise like parks or recreation centers are relatively scarce in Lancaster.
Immokalee	Florida	17th	Goods and services are 8.5% more expensive in Immokalee than they are nationwide on average.
Chaparral	New Mexico	18th	The nearest hospital from the center of Chaparral is 11 miles away.
Buenaventura Lakes	Florida	19th	An estimated 82% of residents live in low access areas, meaning they live at least a mile from the nearest grocery store in urban areas and at least 10 miles in rural areas.
Douglas	Arizona	20th	In Douglas, the population contracted by 4.8% in the last five years.
Robstown	Texas	21st	Robstown's poverty rate is a staggering 41.1%.
Phelan	California	22nd	For many area residents, it may take longer than average to obtain emergency medical services as the closest hospital is over 13 miles from the center of town.
Winton	California	23rd	About one in every four Winton residents live below the poverty line.
Lawrenceville	Georgia	24th	Goods and services in the county are about 6% more expensive on average than they are nationwide.
Avon Park	Florida	25th	According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.9% of Avon Park's labor force are unemployed, more than double the 5.9% national five year unemployment rate.
Brooksville	Florida	26th	Brooksville's weak job market is one of the reasons the city ranks among the worst places to live.
Stockbridge	Georgia	27th	The area's low income residents face some additional financial strain due to a slightly higher cost of living.
Bessemer	Alabama	28th	The majority of households in the city have an income of less than $32,000 a year, and nearly 14% of households live on less than $10,000 a year.
Perry	Georgia	29th	Access to fresh and healthy food in the area is limited for many by income, as 18.9% of the population live below the poverty line, well above the 14.1% national poverty rate.
Coatesville	Pennsylvania	30th	In Coatesville, the homeownership rate stands at just 38.0%, well below the 63.8% national rate.
Earlimart	California	31st	There are far fewer places like restaurants, bars, and gyms on a per capita basis in the town than there are nationwide.
Bacliff	Texas	32nd	Most households have an income of less than $40,000 a year, and 23.3% of the population live below the poverty line.
Arizona City	Arizona	33rd	Arizona City residents are far more likely than most Americans to have to travel long distances to get to the nearest grocery store.
Artesia	New Mexico	34th	A relatively large share of Artesia residents may struggle to obtain fresh, healthy food.
Lehigh Acres	Florida	35th	The unemployment rate in Lehigh Acres is 6.9%, a full percentage point higher than the national rate.
Makaha	Hawaii	36th	Goods and services in the town are 61.4% more expensive than they are nationwide on average.
Lakeland Village	California	37th	The average commute time in Lakeland Village is about 40 minutes, well above the 27 minute national average.
Pahrump	Nevada	38th	There were 38 drug deaths for every 100,000 people in the area between 2015 and 2017 compared to the national overdose death rate of 20 per 100,000.
Atmore	Alabama	39th	Atmore also appears to have been affected more than most cities nationwide by the opioid epidemic.
Denison	Iowa	40th	A high school education is a basic prerequisite for most jobs, and in Denison, only 63.3% of adults have a high school diploma, a far smaller share than the 87.7% of adults nationwide.
DeRidder	Louisiana	41st	The city's poverty rate of 23.6% is well above the comparable 14.1% national rate.
Lithia Springs	Georgia	42nd	Lithia Springs has a smaller than average concentration of places like restaurants, bars, and fitness and recreation centers.
Bay St. Louis	Mississippi	43rd	Bay St. Louis residents are also more likely than most Americans to lead sedentary lives. Some 35.6% of area adults get no exercise beyond going to work.
Augusta	Georgia	44th	More than one out of every 10 workers in the area are unemployed, and more than one in every five residents live below the poverty line.
Middletown	Ohio	45th	Middletown is a relatively poor area, with a majority of households earning less than $40,000 a year and 11.5% earning less than $10,000.
Moss Point	Mississippi	46th	Moss Point has a median annual household income of just $38,210, well below the national median of $60,293.
Greenville	Mississippi	47th	The number of people living in the city declined by 7.7% in the last five years.
West Pensacola	Florida	48th	Unemployment is widespread in the area as 11.6% of West Pensacola's labor force is unemployed, nearly double the comparable national five-year unemployment rate.
Oskaloosa	Iowa	49th	In Oskaloosa, the typical home is worth just $96,700, less than half the national median of $204,900.
Piney Green	North Carolina	50th	Piney Green appears to be lacking in public transit options as 0% workers use it public transit for commuting, according to the census.