All the same, anyone familiar with Michigan knows there are places that need some real TLC right now. And it’s not just Detroit. In fact, there are cities that might need a hug even more than Detroit. Here are the 10 cities in the Great Lakes State who have it a little rough right now.
- Flint
- Beecher
- Escanaba
- Buena Vista
- Lapeer
- Highland Park
- Greenville
- Saginaw
- Pontiac
- Muskegon
How we determined which cities have the most issues in Michigan
To figure out cities that are in need of some attention, we rely on a complex algorithm that considers only the kinds of things people like, and then it tabulates what cities have the least amount of those things. We don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that people like the following things:- Good schools
- Lots of jobs
- Low crime
- High incomes
- Solid home prices
- Lots of things to do
How we crunched the numbers
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data, the government census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Sperling’s Best Places, this is the criteria we used:- Population Density (The lower the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- High Housing Vacancy Rate
- Education (Low expenditures per student and high Student Teacher Ratio)
- Long Commute Times
- High Crime
- The Worst Weather
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
1. Flint
Source: Flickr user NESJUMPAN
Population: 103,263Unemployment rate: 4
Median income: $36,081
Crime index: 163.4
Flint needs some tough love.
Years ago, someone told me the sun never shines in Flint. That’s not true, of course, but you can understand why she might say that when you analyze certain facts about Flint. Of the 176 cities considered in this ranking, Flint had the least to be proud of across the board.
Not only does Flint have Michigan’s lowest home value rank, but it also had the fourth and fifth highest rankings in unemployment and crime respectively. Statistics like that will certainly make the sun shine a bit dimmer, and it will win you the title of “Worst City in Michigan.”
If you know anyone in Flint, tag them on Facebook and tell them you love them. They can probably use it right about now.
2. Beecher
Source: Wikipedia
Population: 10,963Unemployment rate: 46
Median income: $35,425
Crime index: 133.0
It is sadly fitting how the most famous event ever to occur in Beecher was a tornado that killed 116 people. Since then, it seems like the Beecher name has only ever been associated with awful news.
In fact, the most newsmaking episode to emerge from Beecher in recent years was the fight to recall board members who took a $36,000 trip to San Diego at the taxpayers’ expense. Rather than taking trips, their time would have been better served handling Beecher’s crime, student-teacher ratio, adjusted income and home value ranks, which are all in the bottom sixth of all Michigan cities. This is the kind of city mismanagement that will put your hometown on a list of Michigan’s worst cities.
Beecher isn’t an actual city, it’s what the state refers to as a census designated place. Even more reason to send folks in Beecher some love.
3. Escanaba
Source: Flickr user msprague
Population: 12,609Unemployment rate: 8.7%
Median income: $33,349
Crime index: 121.2
Escanaba probably shouldn’t even be on this list, because it’s a great community with a lot going on. Even so, Escanaba’s rankings do indicate that perhaps they could use a hug right about now.
Although it ranks in the bottom half of our rankings in crime and education, Escanaba stands out as being the only Upper Peninsula city in our top ten. However, if you’re a huge fan of living on the lake, and like the experience of living in the U.P., you can do worse than in Escanaba.
Future job growth is also expected to grow to 36% in coming years here, too. (Hugs).
4. Buena Vista
Source: Flickr user snre
Population: 6,498Unemployment rate: 63
Median income: $33,844
Crime index: 137.7
If it seems unthinkable for the small suburb of a major crime-infested city to somehow be worse off than the large city, think again. Although Saginaw has long been associated with high crime and high unemployment, life for the nearly 7,000 residents of Buena Vista is actually worse according to our statistics.
Buena Vista ranks in the bottom half of every major category, and the city’s home values are the sixth lowest in Michigan. Couple that with crime and income ranks in the bottom eighth of all Michigan cities, and you’ll understand exactly how Buena Vista could be a worse place to live than Saginaw. #SendBuenaVistaLove
5. Lapeer
Source: Google
Population: 8,899Unemployment rate: 19
Median income: $39,293
Crime index: 109.1
Lapeer is the birthplace of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, and it seems sadly appropriate that such one of the smallest cities on this list was able to produce one of the worst human beings on earth. The folks up here could use some kind thoughts right about now.
Although it has the highest home values of any city on this list, it still ranks in Michigan’s bottom third in crime, and it’s firmly in the state’s bottom fifth in income, education and unemployment. Further contributing to Lapeer’s ranking among the dregs of the state is the fact that it spends less money on its students that all but four cities in Michigan.
6. Highland Park
Source: Flickr user aduthie
Population: 11,971Unemployment rate: 1
Median income: $26,361
Crime index: 165.3
Highland Park is entirely surrounded by Detroit, and it is so bad that Detroit’s government won’t even consider absorbing Highland Park into the larger city due to the fact that all of Detroit’s unflattering crime and unemployment statistics would instantly be made worse. If you live in Detroit and you’re passing through Highland Park, give a friendly wave and a smile. You need each other’s support right about now.
Highland Park ranks first in all of Michigan in unemployment, third in overall crime, second from the bottom in ideal student-teacher ratios in classrooms, and it has the fourth worst average income level in the state. In fact, the only thing saving Highland Park from ranking as the worst overall city in Michigan is the fact that it easily ranks in the state’s top third in money spent per student, making its terrible rankings in the other areas all the more baffling.
7. Greenville
Source: Wikipedia
Population: 8,465Unemployment rate: 36
Median income: $34,156
Crime index: 124.1
Greenville may seem like a surprise entry on this list considering its natural features, Danish festival and community theater. However, having several major factories and businesses either close or skip town will take its toll on any city.
Last year, Greenville’s incomes ranked just shy of Michigan’s basement, and its crime rate is in the state’s top twenty percent. In all other major categories we considered, Greenville ranked squarely in the state’s bottom half. No matter how great your festivals are, statistics like these will land you among cities in Michigan that have some issues to address.
8. Saginaw
Source: Flickr user spiesteleviv
Population: 51,776Unemployment rate: 5
Median income: $36,392
Crime index: 151.1
When Flint made its appearance earlier on this list, you probably suspected its Mid-Michigan partner wouldn’t be far behind. When the region was hammered years ago by the decline of U.S. manufacturing, Flint and Saginaw bore the brunt of the blow. Not much has changed since then.
Saginaw landed in the bottom in all of the areas where cities prefer to be at the top, and that includes the fifth worst unemployment rank, the eighth worst crime rank, and home values in the state’s bottom ten percent. Sadly, none of this helps the perception that Saginaw is one of Michigan’s worst cities. #SendSaginawHugs
9. Pontiac
Source: Flickr user davehogg
Population: 60,105Unemployment rate: 2
Median income: $37,435
Crime index: 144.1
There would be a temptation to put Pontiac on this list simply because the Silverdome, with its deflated roof and gutted interior, is one of the biggest eyesores in the state. It’s hard to think of it as the sight where 93,000 fans once gathered to watch Wrestlemania III.
An eyesore that definitely landed Pontiac on this list of worst cities is the city’s unemployment rank, which was second from the bottom, incomes and home values in Michigan’s lowest 20 percent, and a crime rate in the top 20 percent. With statistics like that, we couldn’t keep Pontiac off this list even if the Silverdome’s ruins were made of actual silver.
The people of Pontiac are undoubtedly trying to pull themselves up from their bootstraps and could use a kind thought right about now.
10. Muskegon
Source: Flickr user ericrichardson
Population: 38,061Unemployment rate: 18
Median income: $32,253
Crime index: 147.1
Any city that could produce someone like Iggy Pop would be expected to be a little on the rough side, and Muskegon doesn’t disappoint in that regard, although it does disappoint its residents.
Incomes in Muskegon rank the seventh lowest in Michigan, its crime rate and student-teacher ranks are both in the state’s bottom ten percent, and its unemployment and home values are in the bottom 20 percent. Even though Muskegon spends more money per student than almost any other city in the state, this is the one city in Michigan where you have to ask whether holding lakefront property is worth it.
So, that’s the list. Granted, Michigan is still the reigning best state in the country, and you can be proud to dwell in Michigan no matter where you live. Even if you live in Flint, things could be a lot worse; you COULD be living in Ohio.
Disclaimer: This article is an opinion based on data. It should not be taken as fact.
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