Miserable Cities

America's Top 20 Most Miserable Cities

Can cities with soaring unemployment, high taxes, long commutes, violent crime and crummy sports teams push their residents toward a state of misery? It certainly doesn't sound far-fetched. At the very least, these metro areas are bound to land a spot on Forbes' list of America's Most Miserable Cities -- even if their residents have learned to keep their chin up and assiduously carry on.

Find out if your city was ranked among these 20 depressing metro areas.

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Miserable Cities Can cities with soaring unemployment, high taxes, long commutes, violent crime and crummy sports teams push their residents toward a state of misery? It certainly doesn't sound far-fetched. At the very least, these metro areas are bound to land a spot on Forbes' list of America's Most Miserable Cities -- even if their residents have learned to keep their chin up and assiduously carry on.

Find out if your city was ranked among these 20 depressing metro areas.
20. Philadelphia The Phillies 2008 World Series win ended a 25-year sports title drought for Philly. Nevertheless, a great win can't hide the city's challenges, which include long commutes, high crime rates and pollution.

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19. Gary, Ind. Violent crime rates and a deteriorating steel industry have negatively affected the city's reputation.

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18. Youngstown, ... Former Congressman Jim Traficant is considering running for Congress again. He served seven years in prison on bribery, racketeering and tax evasion charges. And that's just a glimpse at the city's corruption.

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17. Sacramento, ... Sacramento's foreclosures hit 5.6 percent of the housing units in 2009. On the sports front, the Kings are coming off their worst season ever, winning only 21 percent of their games.

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16. New York The Big Apple has a lot to offer by way of cultural opportunities. However, long commutes and grueling income tax levels add to its ranking among the most miserable cities. The city's income tax levels and commutes are the highest in the country.

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15. Toledo, Ohio The cost of living is fairly cheap in Toledo. Despite that, there has been a net migration out of the metro area every year over the past two decades.

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14. Rockford, Il... Rockford continues to struggle with crime problems and soaring unemployment, which is expected to average 16.9 percent in 2010.

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13. Kansas City,... Kansas City has taken hits due to outrageous taxes and high crime rates. What's more, pro sports teams the Royals and the Chiefs are almost always finishing in last place.

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12. Akron, Ohio Akron's local income tax is one of the highest in the state.

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11. Modesto, Cal... Modesto's foreclosure rate is expected to average 18.5 percent in 2010. The city is the sixth worst spot for foreclosures in the U.S.

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10. Chicago The Windy City has the nation's highest sales tax rate. Long commutes also pose a challenge for residents.

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9. Canton, Ohio Canton has seen a net migration out of the city in each of the past 15 years. Furthermore, only 18 percent of the adult population has earned a college degree.

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8. Buffalo, N.Y. Buffalo's population has fallen more than 50 percent over the past 50 years, largely due to declining industrial demand.

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7. St. Louis Meet me in St. Louis... or not. St. Louis is a baseball town, but what about those Rams? The NFL team has won only six games out of 48 the past three years, making a record for the fewest wins in football.

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6. Miami Long commute times, foreclosures, unemployment and corruption are among the city's challenges.

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5. Flint, Mich. The size of Flint, Mich. simply isn't sustainable for the area's suffering economy. As a result, the city is buying up homes and destroying them to get the area to a more manageable level.

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4. Detroit Detroit's economy has been shrinking for six consecutive years, though there's hope that it will expand in 2010. The ailing housing market has driven home prices down.

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3. Memphis, Tenn... Violent crime in Memphis ranks second highest among U.S. cities. Corruption by city officials has also proven to be an issue.

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2. Stockton, Cal... The city of Stockton continues to face rising unemployment, high crime and nearly unbearable commutes. The average commute is one of the highest in the country.

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1. Cleveland This city's high crime rate, soaring unemployment and foreclosure crisis contribute to its status as America's most miserable city. Perhaps these factors explain why the net migration out of the metro area was 71,000 over the past five years.

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The Happiest Sta... Click here to see the 15 most cheerful places to live.