9 New Jersey cities listed in 50 most miserable cities in America, report says
New Jersey has some of the most miserable cities in the country, according to a new report.
Business Insider identified the 50 most miserable cities in the US using census data from 1,000 cities.
The report took multiple factors into consideration including population change, percentage of people working, median household incomes, percentage of people without healthcare, median commute times and the number of people living in poverty.
The state with the most miserable cities was California, with 10 in the top 50. New Jersey was second, with nine, and Florida had six.
Here are the 9 'most miserable cities' in New Jersey that made the list:
#4 Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic has 70,000 residents, 58 percent of people working and a third are living ii poverty. Its youth council said the city had problems with drugs, violence and poor sex education.
#5 Newark, New Jersey
Newark has 282,000 residents, 62 percent are working, 28 percent are living in poverty and the median commute time is over 35 minutes. The city has also struggled with race relations and violence.
#8 Camden, New Jersey
Camden has 74,000 residents, nearly 57 percent of people are in the workforce and 37 percent live in poverty. The average household income is the lowest on the list.
It's had a high rate of crime and has been known as one of the most dangerous cities in the country.
#11 New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick has 56,000 residents, 54 percent of people are working and 35 percent are living in poverty. The city has had a problem with crime. In 2017, the city's assaults involving guns rose 64 percent, according to Business Insider.
#15 Union City, New Jersey
Union City has 68,000 residents, almost 70 percent of whom are working while 23 percent live in poverty. It's only 1.28 square miles, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the U.S.
#17 Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton has a population of 84,000, almost 60 percent of which are working and 27 percent are living in poverty. Neighborhood gangs have been known to fight one another and gun violence is a problem, according to Business Insider.
#19 Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson has 145,000 residents, 57.5 percent of its population is working and 29 percent live in poverty.
#29 West New York, New Jersey
West New York has nearly 53,000 people. Almost 70 percent are working and 22 percent are living in poverty. The median commute time is 37 minutes and Business Insider says cleanliness and parking are two big issues for its new mayor.
#30 Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield has 50,693 people, 70 percent of whom are working and a fifth of whom live in poverty. Nearly one-third are without health insurance.
One Pennsylvania city also made the list.
#38 Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading has 88,495 residents, almost 62 percent of whom are working and 36 percent live in poverty. In 2011, The New York Times said it was the poorest city in the U.S.
An estimated 44 percent of households are on food stamps, among the most in the country, according to Business Insider.
