These NJ Cities Among The Most Miserable In The US

NEW JERSEY — A new analysis has identified the 50 most miserable cities in the United States, and nine New Jersey towns made the list.

Business Insider recently reviewed U.S. Census data from 1,000 cities, taking into consideration population change, the percentage of people working, median household incomes, the percentage of people without healthcare, median commute times and the number of people living in poverty.

See the data and how Business Insider weighted it for the ranking.

The result was a list of cities that have several things in common, according to the analysis, including fewer opportunities, devastation from natural disasters, high crime and addiction rates and, at times, many abandoned houses.

While California had the most miserable cities at 10, New Jersey was second with nine.

These are the most miserable cities in New Jersey, including their rank and comments from Business Insider on why the towns made the list:

Passaic (No. 4)

What BI said: "Its youth council said the city had problems with drugs, violence, and poor sex education."

Newark (No. 5)

What BI said: "The city has had problems with lead poisoning its water supply," Business Insider wrote. "The city has also struggled with race relations, which bubbled up in violent riots in 1967, and has its fair share of violent crimes, particularly in 2013."

Camden (No. 8)

What BI said: "It used to be a manufacturing city, but that fell to pieces between the 1950s and the 1970s. It's had a high crime rate and been known as one of the most dangerous cities in the country, but it is improving."

New Brunswick (No. 11)

What BI said: "It has had problems with crime. In 2017, the city's assaults with guns rose 64%."

Union City (No. 14)

What BI said: "It's only 1.28 square miles, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the U.S."

Trenton (No. 17)

What BI said: "Its violent crime isn't increasing, but neighborhood gangs have been known to fight one another, and gun violence is a problem."

Paterson (No. 19)

What BI said: "From 2009 to 2016, the city's tax revenue fell by 38%. It's also had problems with blight. At one point it had 1,250 abandoned homes, but that dropped to 770 in 2016."

West New York (No. 29)

What BI said: "Cleanliness and parking are meant to be two of the biggest issues for its new mayor. The median commute time is 37 minutes."

Plainfield (No. 30)

What BI said: "It used to be a violent city — in 1990, there were 719 violent crimes, but since then things have improved. Still, in 2016, there were 12 murders."

Gary, Indiana, was the most miserable city in the U.S., according to the list, followed by Port Arthur, Texas, and Detroit.

See the full ranking and complete information for each city at BusinessInsider.com.