Saint Louis Named Third Worst City In United States

ST. LOUIS, MO — Do you live in St. Louis? If so, according to a new report from 24/7 Wall St., you live in the worst city in Missouri and the third worst nationwide. Only two cities ranked below St. Louis on the list: Flint, Michigan, and Detroit.

The report ranked cities in eight categories, including crime, economy, education, environment, health, housing, infrastructure and leisure.

According to the report's finding, violent crime in St. Louis is five times the national rate and the third highest rate of any U.S. city. What's more, almost a quarter of St. Louisans live below the poverty line. That's about 10 points higher than the national poverty rate.

Here's a breakdown of some other numbers in the report:

• Population: 311,404
• Median home value: $125,800
• Poverty rate: 23.8 percent
• Percent with at least a bachelor's degree: 34.1 percent

Problems like poverty and crime often go hand in hand, the report argues, leading to a vicious cycle for many cities. For St. Louis, the median household income is well below that of Missouri, and home values have not kept up with other parts of the state. A home is often a family's biggest (or only) investment and depressed home values can seriously hurt a family's attempt to build wealth.

It should be no surprise, then, that the population of St. Louis has decreased by more than 11 percent over the past decade, even as the overall population of the United States has grown by more than 7 percent.

What do you think? Do you agree with the report's findings, or does St. Louis have some silver linings that it missed?

Click here to read the full report and see where other cities fell on the list.

Photo by J. Ryne Danielson/Patch