The 10 Worst Places To Live In The United States For 2026

The 10 Worst Places To Live In America For 2026

If you were looking for a match and Memphis came across your screen, you would definitely swipe left. Memphis, my friends, needs some real TLC.

Here in Memphis, crime is the highest in the country, and 1 out of 17.7 residents was robbed here according to the latest FBI numbers. That’s not the first place you think of making home, is it? Additionally, you have a 1 in 54 chance of being the victim of a violent crime, which includes all sorts of bad stuff. That’s really high.

When you look at adult education in Tennessee, the folks in Memphis have the 76th highest dropout rate. And other factors that make Memphis undesirable are the low median incomes and home prices.

The unemployment rate is the 19th highest in the states, at 8.31%

Sadly, Memphis is a really lousy place to live.

Review Of Memphis by HomeSnacks User

Very low cost of housing and no state income taxes are big advantages. Some surrounding communities have low crime and have good public schools, be careful of the local community and who you know. Not too unfriendly but fear new ideas, creativity and mistrust new people and anyone complaining about moving in to leave bad areas because of fear what would say about them. Somewhat luddite and expensive to fly in and out as Delta abandoned their hub in the small airport which is not international is keeping people out along with the reputation of the more dangerous localized areas and they’re relatively mistrusting while liberal in and near the city in a conservative state. The issues are being worked on by the new Governor and big companies such as just opening a new facility in historic but areas in need.

Good is no state income tax and low cost of housing with low property taxes and some nice areas. Bad is high cost of flights, need to be careful about where to live and go.

Review Memphis

What’s the worst city in America for 2026? The city of Birmingham, Alabama. If you live in Birmingham, you’re either going to tell us we’re idiots because you’re fiercely protective of your city, or you know it’s a tough place to live. The fact remains, Birmingham has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, where 5.84% of the population is out of work. That’s far above the national average, and households only bring in about $46,051 a year on average.

So most people in Birmingham are broke.

And then there’s the crime. Birmingham is one of the more dangerous places you can live in America. You have a 1 in 15 chance of being robbed here every year. And things have been getting worse, lately, too. In many parts of Birmingham, respect for human life has eroded, and some people care very little about their communities anymore.

Job wise, most of the jobs here aren’t great jobs, and are low paying. There’s little you can do to really move up in the world in the greater Birmingham area. Other parts of Alabama aren’t much better, Mobile and Montgomery also have issues with crime and poverty.

Review Of Birmingham by HomeSnacks User

This place is very racist and not good at all its like a ghost town.

Its very racist and not a good place to live.

Review Birmingham

Our next stop is the terrible, terrible city of Shreveport, Louisiana. Actually, Shreveport isn’t the worst place you could possibly live, but on paper, it ranks really high as a bad place to live. Here’s why.

First off, crime is really high. You have a 1 in 16 chance of being robbed and a 1 in 113 chance of being a crime victim here for every year you spend in the city limits of Shreveport. Gang activity probably has something to do with that.

Shreveport is the slowest growing city in America, too. Did you know Shreveport ranks 3rd in the nation for least gender equality? That means the number of men versus women is really low.

No wonder homes are cheap; you can get one yourself for only $139,800. What else makes Shreveport so noxious? It has to be the most boring and stagnant place in Louisiana to live, quite honestly. So it’s not really a shock to anyone when a story comes out that paints Shreveport in a negative light. People don’t get upset and say “that’s not our Shreveport” they usually go “yup, that sounds about right”.

Next up is the seriously unimpressive city of Dayton, Ohio. This city also makes sense to me based on firsthand experience. Dayton is quite a depressing place. Whenever I drive through Ohio, I try and always time my trip so I don’t have to stop in Dayton for gas. And it’s not the only Ohio city we’re going to talk about…

If you live in Dayton, this might not be a surprise, but you have the 17th highest crime rate, per capita in the country. Every year you spend here, you have a 1 in 20 chance of being the victim of a property crime like a car break in or home invasion robbery. Plus there were 1,806 violent crimes in the last FBI reporting year. That means if you spent a year there, you’d have a 1 in 100 chance of being a major crime victim.

Finally, the folks who live here earn the 3rd lowest salaries in America’s big cities at ~$30,000 a household — that’s simply not enough to get by for most folks. People in Dayton need money BAD. They’ll take anything they can get their hands on – Christmas lights, Ja Rule Tickets, even your cracked cell phone.

Review Of Dayton by HomeSnacks User

Dayton was listed as the 3rd worst city in the country…. I can’t believe there are 2 cities worse than mine

Junkies, junkies everywhere

Review Dayton

Practically right next door is Cleveland — it ranks as the 5th worst city you can live in America.

What makes Cleveland so abominable? Well, the weather here stinks. It’s a gray, cloudy, dreary and very cold place for a majority of the year. They’ve made an attempt at fixing up the downtown area a bit, but there’s still a bunch of downtown that’s dangerous and very sketchy. And don’t EVER get off the freeway in east Cleveland. I did that once to let my dog out to pee and I seriously thought I was going to get shot. Like a block from the off ramp. And, remember, i grew up in San Bernardino, so I’m tough.

On paper, Cleveland is miserable. Cleveland has a 10.78% unemployment rate, which is the 4th worst in the entire country. It has far below average income levels and the 10th highest crime rate in the country.

If you look up Cleveland on forums, you’ll see headlines like this:
“Cleveland is the most depressing, boring place on earth”
“Why is Cleveland filled with so many negative people?”
“Why do Clevelanders hate Cleveland?”

Some place called the Economic Innovation Group called Cleveland the most distressed place in the country, citing factors such as a lack of educated, successful people. Did you know a quarter of all Cleveland residents doesn’t even have a high school degree? For people in Cleveland, that means 25%. Or, 1 in 4. And, 1 in 5 homes in Cleveland is vacant.

Review Of Cleveland by HomeSnacks User

I have lived in Cleveland, OH for five years now and I enjoy the many attractions there are including sporting events, downtown, variety of food places, and the night scene.

Downtown Cleveland, University Circle, and Little Italy are my top 3 favorite places in Cleveland. The things I do not like about Cleveland are the brutal winters due to the lake effect and crime rate in certain areas.

Review Cleveland

Moving right along on our terrible tour of America brings us to America’s favorite punching bag, Detroit.

Well, good for you, Detroit, you’re not the absolute worst place to live.

Detroit has all sorts of issues. Particularly with its economy. 1 in 5 people in Detroit is out of work, which is the highest rate in America. And, home prices are around $40 or $50,000, which is the lowest rate in the country. You could be an unemployed joker and still afford a house in Detroit.

Remember when the entire city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy? The city was slashing jobs, cutting services and closing parks. They even shut street lights off on many blocks in town. But Detroit is apparently getting better. People talk about a resurgence of jobs, a new attitude, and lower crime rates. While many areas of Detroit ARE improving, overall, the city as a whole is still doing very poorly.

We’re all pulling for you Detroit.

Everyone except Cleveland.

Review Of Detroit by HomeSnacks User

Despite the downfalls the city has/is facing it is still a place full of culture and history. I LOVE the fact that they are so sports orientated. I grew up being a huge fan of sports and there is no bigger sports town than Detroit. Redwings, Pistons, Tigers and Lions are all supported with large amounts of pride!

Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park, the new football and hockey arenas. The hockeytown cafe all the casinos and the theater. There is so much history and so much pride in the historical places still!

Review Detroit

Review Of Houston by HomeSnacks User

The area in Houston that I live the crime level is average, not very much but it does exist. Houston has so many exciting things to do and see. You can visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science or the Downtown Aquarium or you can dine at one of our many fine eateries.

Houston is such a huge city, but every community has its charm. I love our Hermann Park and Houston Zoo area. You can visit the Miller Outdoor Theater and catch a free theatrical or musical performance under the stars. There is beautiful diversity of people in Houston, so naturally there are many different cultures and types of food to experience here.

Review Houston

Brownsville Texas really isn’t all that great. And if you move there then you’ll know.

First off, homes here average $195,993 a year. That’s the 16th lowest home price value in the USA. You can judge a city by the cost of the homes there, and when homes cost well under $100K a year, that means, well, no one wants to live there.

What else makes Brownville so lousy? Well, unfortunately, the reality of living in a border town means higher crime. Statistically, border towns are far less desirable when you measure quality of life factors.

Many Brownsvillians will defend Brownsville, saying it’s a diverse place, and it’s affordable. Plus, there are a bunch of places in Brownsville to get Mexican food, which means…are you kidding me? They have a MR. TACO? OMG, we might have to move Brownsville off this list. Guys, seriously. Why is Brownsville on here? They have a Mr. Taco there.

Our next stop is the terrible, terrible city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Actually, Tulsa isn’t the worst place you could possibly live, but on paper, it ranks really high as a bad place to live. Here’s why.

First off, crime is really high. You have a 1 in 16 chance of being robbed and a 1 in 113 chance of being a crime victim here for every year you spend in the city limits of Tulsa. Gang activity probably has something to do with that.

Homes are cheap; you can get one yourself for only $217,450. What else makes Tulsa so noxious? It has to be the most boring and stagnant place in America to live, quite honestly. So it’s not really a shock to anyone when a story comes out that paints Tulsa in a negative light. People don’t get upset and say “that’s not our Tulsa” they usually go “yup, that sounds about right”.

Review Of Tulsa by HomeSnacks User

Crime is progressively getting worse in the city. The highways are in poor condition, and there are no seasons other than hot hot summer or cold cold winter.

The weather is awful. Two seasons, sweltering summer and bitter winter.

Review Tulsa

Review Of Columbia by HomeSnacks User

Columbia is an affordable city to live, but as it is the capital of the state, it does lack in tourist aspects. Columbia has a growing art and and music life, but it is a bit disconnected between different areas of the downtown region. Crime happens in all areas of the city.

Riverbanks Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country, so it is our tourism claim to fame. I am also quite proud of our library system.

Review Columbia

Next 10 Cities

Methodology: How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

To rank the worst places to live in America, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It’s safe to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy.

Using FBI crime data and the most recent 2020-2024 American Community Survey data, this is the criteria we plugged into Saturday Night Science:

• Population Density (The lower the worse — meaning there’s less to do for indoor entertainment)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Low home prices
• A lot of uninsured individuals
• A high portion of uneducated adults
• High Crime
• High Poverty

We analyzed the biggest cities in the country. We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the worst places to live in America. This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment — don’t freak out.

If you’d like to see the complete list of cities, scroll to the bottom of this post to see a link to the entire data set.

What’s the worst place to live in America for 2026? The worst place to live in America is Memphis, TN based on the most recent crime and census data around quality of life.

The best place to live in America? Naperville, IL. More on that later.

Summary: The Worst Big Cities in America

If you’re looking at cities in the US where crime is high, people are broke, and the public schools are lousy, this is an accurate list.

The worst cities in the United States are Memphis, TN, Birmingham, AL, Shreveport, LA, Dayton, OH, Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI, Houston, TX, Brownsville, TX, Tulsa, OK, and Columbia, SC.

Now, do these cities have any redeeming qualities? Sure. We were being a little hard on most of them while trying to make our point, but there’s some culture in most of these places.

If you live in Memphis or any of the other cities we talked about. Hopefully, you’re working to make your city a better place. If not, you have nothing to complain about yourself.

In case you’re wondering which cities almost made the list: Rockford and San Antonio as well as Pasadena are also terrible places to live.

Here are the best cities in America, according to science:

1. Naperville
2. Sunnyvale
3. Cary

For more reading, check out:

• Cheapest Cities To Live In America
• Most Dangerous Cities
• Worst States In America
• Best States In America
• Best Places By State

Table: Worst Places To Live In America