This American city found to be least desirable due to crimes, living cost

According to the Clever study, 73 per cent of Americans are content where they are, but 59 per cent feel dissatisfied, and 43 per cent admitted to feeling embarrassed by their state

Washington DC, has been found to be the least desirable city in America, according to a new poll conducted by real estate company Clever. This is the second year in a row that Washington, DC, has topped America’s ‘least desirable’ city list. A staggering 33 per cent of survey respondents ranked it among the top five worst cities in the country.

For the study, the firm polled 1,000 people in June and analysed migration data from the US Census. According to the New York Post, the study found that 65 per cent of Americans said sky-high living costs are making Washington, DC, unliveable. In addition, the city’s reputation has also taken a hit due to a surge in crime. As many as 274 murders were reported in the city in 2023, the highest number in over two decades, the report said.

 

However, Washington DC, was crowned the best place for working parents. This was due to its high scores in work and health categories, remote work opportunities, and a strong network of paediatricians.

New York, Los Angeles on least least-desirable list

Besides Washington, other cities – including New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – also featured on the list of least desirable cities. These cities were on the list largely due to their unaffordable housing markets, according to the Clever study.

Meanwhile, Baltimore, which leads the country in murder and robbery cases, ranks seventh on the least desirable list. Similarly, Detroit, which has high rates of rape and aggravated assault, is also mentioned on the list. Other cities that landed on the list – mostly due to their crumbling industrial infrastructure – were Birmingham, Alabama, and Buffalo.

The report also mentions that California has fallen out of favour, coming in last in a recent Consumer Affairs poll due to ‘poor’ standards of education, health, and safety.

In contrast, Tampa, Florida, was found to be America’s most desirable city for 2024. According to the study, 73 per cent of Americans are content where they are, but 59 per cent feel dissatisfied, and 43 per cent admitted to feeling embarrassed by their state.