For Rahm Emanuel, the bad news just keeps coming. With his approval rating plummeting, the Chicago mayor’s beloved city was ranked the fourth most miserable in America this week.
And for good reason: Chicago is at risk of becoming known more for gun violence than for any of its more positive traits. The city’s homicide rate in January was the highest in a decade, and it has been a frequent example in the debate over gun control.
Other factors played into the ranking as well. Chicago’s dismal winter weather, long commute times and plummeting home prices all make the city miserable, despite its ardent supporters.
Most miserable of all on Forbes’ 2013 list of miserable cities is Detroit. Once the bustling center of the auto industry, Motor City now finds itself in a financial emergency on the verge of state takeover. Detroit also has the highest violent crime rate in the country. And as if that wasn’t enough, home prices were off 35 percent in the last three years, the worst drop in the country.
As Detroit Mayor Dave Bing told Forbes, “Right now, it’s all about survival.”
Forbes released its list of the 20 most miserable American cities this week, calculating misery in the 200 largest metro areas in the U.S. by looking at factors like violent crime, unemployment, foreclosures, taxes, home prices, commute times, weather and net migration.
Unsurprisingly, Flint, Mich., ranks second most miserable, with the second highest out-migration rate in the country. Flint has been run by an emergency manager since 2011. Third is Rockford, Ill., qualified by a combination of high unemployment and high taxes.
More surprising was New York City, which ranked number 10. The Big Apple landed on the list for having both the highest taxes and the longest commute times in the country.
You can see the whole list here.
