No. 1 Cleveland, Ohio
Residents of the Mistake by the Lake endure brutal winters, high crime and a tortured sports history. They are voting with their feet as the net migration out of the metro area was 71,000 over the past five years.
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No. 2 Stockton, Calif.
Stockton relinquished its most miserable city crown to Cleveland this year, but the city still faces jarring unemployment and violent crime. Unemployment is expected to average 18.5% in the metro area this year.
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No. 3 Memphis, Tenn.
Violent crime is second worst in the country and public officials are getting locked up at an alarming rate. On a positive note, the city’s sole pro sport franchise, the NBA’s Grizzlies, is winning some games after losing 72% of the time the past three seasons.
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No. 4 Detroit, Mich.
Thousands of homes in this ravaged city were available for less than $10,000 last year. After shrinking for six straight years (including 9% in 2009), Detroit’s economy is actually expected to expand in 2010.
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Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
No. 5 Flint, Mich.
The city of Flint is buying up houses and demolishing them in an effort to shrink the size of the city to a sustainable level. The area received $25 million in stimulus funds from the federal government to help with the plan.
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AP Photo/David Adame
No. 6 Miami, Fla.
The weather and no personal state income tax are nice, but the city rates in the bottom 10% of areas when it comes to commute times, violent crime and corruption. Foreclosures hit 7.2% of homes in 2009, 10th worst in the U.S.
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No. 7 St. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis is a baseball town, but what about those Rams? The NFL team has won only six games out of 48 the past three years, the fewest wins in football.
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AP Photo/David Duprey
No. 8 Buffalo, N.Y.
This snowbelt city is still the second largest in New York state, but the population has fallen more than 50% over the past half-century as the industrial base waned.
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No. 9 Canton, Ohio
The home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and home of President William McKinley has seen a net migration out of Canton in each of the past 15 years. Only 18% of the adult population has a college degree.
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No. 10 Chicago, Ill.
The Windy City flamed out in its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics despite a last-minute plea from President Obama. Bigger problems are the nation’s highest sales tax rate (10.25%) and long commutes.
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No. 11 Modesto, Calif.
Only Merced, Calif., has a higher unemployment rate than Modesto over the past three years. It is expected to average 18.5% in 2010. Foreclosures affected 8.5% of homes in 2009 according RealtyTrac, sixth worst in the U.S.
No. 12 Akron, Ohio
Home to Goodyear Tire and LeBron James, misery will be off the charts if favorite son James bolts the Cavaliers after this season for a new NBA team. Akron’s 2.25% local income tax rate is one of the highest in the state.
AP Photo/Orlin Wagner
No. 13 Kansas City, Mo.
High taxes and crime rates hurt Kansas City’s standing, but what moved them up our misery list were its two awful pro sports teams. The Royals and Chiefs combined finished outside of last place only once in the past three years.
AP Photo/M. Spencer Green
No. 14 Rockford, Ill.
Once known as the Screw Capital of the World because of the billions of screws and bolts made locally, Rockford has struggled with high crime as well as soaring unemployment, which is expected to average 16.9% this year.
See Also: Miserable Cities: Stockton’s Makeover
No. 15 Toledo, Ohio
Cost of living is cheap in Toledo (15% below the national average), but that has not kept residents from leaving as there has been a net migration out of the metro area every year over the past two decades.
AP Photo/Tina Fineberg
No. 16 New York, N.Y.
Yes, the biggest city in the U.S. has much to offer in the way of cultural opportunities and corporate headquarters. But the trade-off is torturous commute times and nosebleed-inducing income tax levels. Both are the highest in the U.S.
No. 17 Sacramento, Calif.
Foreclosures hit 5.6% of the housing units in 2009 in Sacramento. The city has been in a battle with the hometown Kings over funding for a new NBA arena. The Kings are coming off their worst season ever winning only 21% of their games.
No. 18 Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown’s favorite son, former Congressman Jim Traficant, is considering running for Congress again after serving seven years in prison on bribery, racketeering and tax evasion charges. Needless to say Youngstown ranks high on our corruption metric.
No. 19 Gary, Ind.
Gary’s decline kicked off in the 1960s with the deterioration of the steel industry in the U.S. Violent crime rates in Gary continue to be one of the highest in the U.S.
No. 20 Philadelphia, Pa.
The city’s sports fans basked in the Phillies 2008 World Series win, which ended a 25-year sports title drought for Philly. The win can’t mask the city’s problems though: long commutes, high crime rates, lousy air quality and lots of pollution.
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