Tucson Among The Worst Cities In The U.S.

Tucson, Arizona is among the top worst cities to live in according to a report by 24/7 Wall St. With the highest crime rate in the state, a inadequately staffed police force, continuing loss of jobs, Tucson is ranked #28 among the worst cities.

Tucson beat out Gary, Indiana which came in at #29. Perhaps Tucson’s brightly painted garbage cans were a factor in that tight race.

Tucson is one of the only cities in the Southwest to rank among the worst places to live. The city’s poverty rate of 25.2% is far higher than the national poverty rate of 14.7%. Tucson’s economy has grown slower than most cities’ in recent years, and unemployment in the area remains slightly above the national rate. The number of jobs in Tucson rose by just 2.1% from 2013 to 2015, roughly half the national employment growth over the same period.

Tucson also struggles with one of the highest property crime rates in the country. There were 6,643 property crimes reported per 100,000 Tucson residents in 2015, more than double the national rate of 2,487 incidents per 100,000 Americans. According to one local criminologist, the high prevalence of property crime may be due to the transient nature of many Tucson residents. While the average American moves every 5.2 years, the average Tucson resident moves every 3.5 years. The population mobility makes it difficult to establish a strong community, which is one of the best defenses against property crime.

Quality of life in an American city often depends on the neighborhood one lives in, as abject poverty and crime can be found just blocks away from prosperity. Still, as much as a city can be judged on the whole, some cities face widespread problems that detract from their residents’ overall quality of life.

Americans take into consideration a number of factors when deciding where to live, including the quality of schools, the strength of the local economy and job market, the area’s safety and culture, as well as its climate. Cities that perform well by these measures are more likely to attract new residents, and those that do not tend to drive residents away.

To determine America’s worst cities to live in, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on the 551 U.S. cities with a population of 65,000 or more as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau. Based on a range of variables, including crime rates, employment growth, access to restaurants and attractions, educational attainment, and housing affordability, 24/7 Wall St. identified America’s 50 worst cities to live.