Detroit Named The Neediest City In America
Detroit named the neediest city in America (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
It’s not always good to be number one. Detroit was recently named the neediest city in America.
WalletHub conducted a study to find the neediest cities in the country. When all was said and done Detroit was alone at the top.
Detroit Named The Neediest City In America
In the study, WalletHub compared 180 U.S. cities based on 28 indicators od economic disadvantage. Some of that criteria includes overall poverty, food insecurity, and uninsured rates.
WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe said, “When most people hear the word ‘needy,’ they immediately think about physical needs like food, healthcare and shelter. Many other factors that can contribute to a city’s neediness aren’t immediately obvious. Cities also need to address problems like school dropout rates, lack of access to quality internet, overcrowding in housing units, poor mental health and more.”
When all of the criteria was exampled and the data was crunched, Detroit was left on top. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. According to WalletHub‘s study, Detroit is the neediest city in the country.
According to WalletHub, Detroit was at the bottom in part because it has the largest unemployment rate in the country at 8.3%. The poverty in Detroit was also in the bottom three.
Another concern pointed out by WalletHub was Detroit has the second-highest violent crime rate in the country (per 1,000 residents). Additionally, WalletHub‘s study shows Detroit has one of the highest overall crime rates in the nation.
Per WalletHub, Detroit scored a total of 61.43 on their scale. That was nearly four points above the runner-up which was Brownsville, Texas.
Fresno (California), Gulfport (Mississippi), and Cleveland (OH) round out the bottom five. Of the 180 cities in WalletHub‘s study, Overland, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City was rated the best.
Hopefully we can continue to see improvements in downtown Detroit. Over the years we’ve seen development in the downtown area. That should help bring in jobs and improve the unemployment rate.
You know what they say, it’s “Detroit vs. Everybody.”
Top 5 Reasons Detroit Shouldn’t Be On The Ugliest Cities List
There are some cities across the U.S. that look stunning, while there are others that make you want to look the other way. A travel site has compiled a list of the ugliest cities in each state. When making them list they considered lack of maintenance and poor design choices.
In Michigan, one can find several beautiful places such as those with lakes, scenic views, waterfalls, and more. According to Alot Travel, a travel site, Detroit is considered one of the ugliest cities.
Why did they list Detroit as one of the “ugliest” cities?
Though Detroit is on the up and up, the travel site said that “It’s got a reputation for being a bad place to live, and it’s also a pretty ugly place to live too.” They even pulled a comment about the city from a Reddit user that said, “I mean, just look at a satellite map of Detroit. Once you leave the i94, m10, i75, i375 rectangle (the path that Woodward takes), it gets real ugly real fast.”
Many Detroit outsiders think of the city and instantly picture post-apocalyptic images of abandoned vehicles and crumbling homes, churches, and streets. While others may see Detroit as an ugly city, we know where to find beauty beyond what outsiders may believe.
Despite what their list says, what makes Detroit a beautiful city? The city’s culture, sense of community, low cost of living, options for entertainment, its outdoor scene, make it beautiful. Not only is it located in the Great Lakes state, but there are also stunning places to check out within Motor City.
See the full list of the ugliest cities from all 50 states here.
Here are 5 reasons why Detroit is not the ugliest city in Michigan.
Cort Freeman was born and raised in Metro Detroit. He was named Clarkston High School 2009 Class Clown 13 years after graduating. Totally normal thing to happen. That’s thanks to his time spent as an Intern at Comedy Central and Social Media Correspondent for The Colbert Report. Cort has done comedy across the country, both standing up and sitting down. When he’s not trying to make you laugh on-air and online, he’s probably at home enjoying his favorite shows like Seinfeld, South Park, and The Office. He’s also totally uncomfortable writing about himself in the third person. Cort enjoys writing about comedy, food, sports, and entertainment. So, basically anything and everything.
