The US Cities Experts Say Will Be The Hardest To Live In By 2025
When the United States became more urbanized, so many of its 182 cities were full of hope and promise, often due to an influx of revenue from local industries. When those industries dry up, however, the people in a city can get desperate. And when they're desperate, people can get dangerous.
As a result, there are a lot of cities with cultural exports and local landmarks to be proud of but a lot of hardship that comes with living there. And since America's cities are always rising and falling, it's good to stay up to date on where the most crime and other danger is happening.
Memphis, Tennessee
Although Memphis, Tennessee is revered as the birthplace of Elvis Presley and known as a major city with unique community values, that sadly doesn't stop it from being considered America's most dangerous city. According to U.S. News and World Report, that ranking is based on FBI crime reports per 100,000 people.
Indeed, WalletHub similarly ranked Memphis as the least safe city for similar reasons but their analysis went further. Memphis also ranked near the bottom for financial security (in terms of the likelihood of getting a job and affording insurance) and in natural disaster risk, as the city is also prone to tornadoes.
Detroit, Michigan
It was hard to name a city that was hit harder by the 2008 recession than Detroit, and in fairness, the city has shown some encouraging progress in re-developing and rebuilding in the decade-and-a-half since then. However, the city's safety index shows it still has a long way to go, at least as far as the FBI and WalletHub are concerned.
U.S. News and World Report ranked Detroit in the bottom three for crime, while WalletHub considered it America's hardest city to attain financial security in. They identified the city as having a significant natural disaster risk to boot.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Although Fort Lauderdale didn't rank particularly high in the FBI's crime statistics, WalletHub's data suggested that it was still in the bottom ten for home and community safety. It was unclear why these figures differed so much, but WalletHub's data indicates that the Florida city is still a tough place to live even in the FBI's right.
That's because Fort Lauderdale is also in the bottom ten for financial security and for natural disaster risk. Indeed, that latter issue is indeed a significant factor for many Florida cities, especially as hurricanes become more frequent.
St. Louis, Missouri
While St.Louis is considered a very safe place in terms of natural disaster risk, the same can't be said for the historic blues and chess hub's crime statistics and financial security. According to WalletHub, the city is on the lower end of the financial security rankings, but in the bottom ten for home and community safety.
As U.S. News and World Report explained, the FBI has an even more grim report about St. Louis's safety prospects in 2025, as they consider the Gateway to the West the city with the second-highest crime rate per 100,000 people in the United States.
Birmingham, Alabama
Although tornadoes have been known to rip through Birmingham on occasion, WalletHub considered the famous Alabama city fairly close to the national average for natural disaster risk. Instead, Birmingham has bigger problems in terms of crime and financial security.
That's because it's just barely out of the bottom 20 for financial security and only slightly better in terms of crime. According to U.S. News and World Report, however, the FBI disagrees even with this somewhat optimistic assessment and consider Birmingham the fourth-worst city for crime per 100,000 people.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans has long been a troubled city and that status was hardly helped by the horrific destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, one of the worst natural disasters to hit U.S. soil. According to WalletHub, however, New Orleans is typically considered fairly below-average in terms of disaster risk.
However, the financial and community safety portrait of the Big Easy makes it clear that it's nowhere near as fun to live in as it is to visit. Not only does New Orleans rank in the bottom ten for financial security, but WalletHub considers it the second-worst city for crime. The FBI is only slightly more optimistic, ranking the city sixth for crime.
Baton Rouge, Lousiana
Although U.S. News and World Report noted the Louisiana capital didn't make the FBI's bottom 25 in terms of crime per 100,000 people, WalletHub's data is far more grim about the city's community and home safety prospects in 2025. Indeed, the service actually ranked the city dead last by this metric.
That wasn't the only way Baton Rouge suffered in WalletHub's standings, as the city's natural disaster risk is well above the national average, while its financial security rating is within the bottom 40. Still, WalletHub's community and home rating was the largest factor in why they considered Baton Rouge the fourth least-safe city in America.
Gary, Indiana
It wasn't so long ago that the long-troubled city of Gary, Indiana was considered America's murder capital. Indeed, the University Of Chicago has since released an advocates' forum report describing the city's poorest residents as trapped in a "hyperghetto" with a lack of financial opportunities. Indeed, photos like this show more abandoned storefronts than occupied ones.
However, neither the FBI nor WalletHub have put Gary on their rankings for America's worst or least-safe cities for 2025. Although that may sound like things have improved in the city, the reality is that so much of its population has left that there weren't enough residents to qualify for the ranking, as just over 67,000 people live there now. If anything, it's slowly becoming a ghost town.
Little Rock, Arkansas
It's fair to say that the Arkansas capital didn't fare well in WalletHub's safety rankings, as while it's considered a hard city to achieve financial security in, it performed even worse in the service's other major metrics. As this photo makes clear, living in Little Rock carries a serious risk of experiencing natural disasters, often tornadoes.
However, WalletHub had even fewer encouraging words to say about the city's crime rate, which it considered within America's bottom 15 in terms of community and home safety. Unfortunately, the FBI was even less optimistic about Little Rock's future, as U.S. News and World Report noted the bureau considered it the fifth most dangerous city in America.
Baltimore, Maryland
Although the issues plaguing Baltimore were vividly expressed in the TV show The Wire, the sad reality is that little has apparently changed in the decade-and-a-half since the show ended. The city may not have made the FBI's bottom 25 for America's cities, but WalletHub was far less optimistic about the city's 2025 prospects.
While it's true that it's not a particularly likely city to be hit by natural disasters, the financial security circumstances are within the nation's bottom 15. Meanwhile, the community and home safety circumstances are considered the fourth-worst in the nation, which points to a high crime rate.
Cleveland, Ohio
According to local NBC affiliate WKYC, there is reasonable evidence to suggest that Cleveland has had multiple serial killers lurking throughout the city for years. While this has yet to be fully confirmed, both the FBI and WalletHub agree that a great deal of violence is taking place there, whether serial killers are responsible for it or not.
According to U.S. News and World Report, the FBI considers Cleveland America's seventh-most dangerous city as 2025 approaches, while WalletHub ranks the city 11th in this respect. In addition to the above-average risk of natural disasters for Cleveland residents, the city also makes WalletHub's bottom ten for financial safety.
Oakland, California
Although U.S. News and World Report noted the FBI didn't consider Oakland among the 25 most dangerous cities in the United States, WalletHub sharply disagreed. Indeed, Oakland was considered the within the bottom ten of U.S. cities for community and home safety. Specifically, it ranked seventh from the bottom in this respect.
While the city's ranking for financial security was also below-average, the second-biggest risk of living in Oakland concerns its risk of experiencing natural disasters. This is a problem endemic to California and there are cities in the Golden State that are worse off in this respect, but the risk is still elevated.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Although Philadelphia has long been a place of great historical and cultural importance for the United States, places like the city's infamous Kensington neighborhood show the grim reality under the cheesesteaks and iconic architecture. Although U.S. News and World Report considered Philadelphia the 17th most dangerous city in America, WalletHub's data suggested an even more grim outlook.
That's because the service ranked Philadelphia eighth from the bottom in terms of community and home safety, which is often influenced by crime rates. Although the city was slightly below-average in terms of natural disaster risk, it also fared poorly in terms of financial safety.
San Bernardino, California
Although the long-embattled California city was not listed among the FBI's 25 most dangerous American cities obtained by U.S. News and World Report, San Bernardino cut a grim profile in WalletHub's data. Understandably, its position on the Pacific Ring Of Fire was reflected by San Bernardino's exceedingly high natural disaster risk.
However, it's also true that WalletHub's data suggest a financial safety index that barely made it out of America's bottom ten. Sadly, this was also true of the service's community and home safety index for San Bernardino, which was ranked 170th in the country. Again, that's just barely out of the bottom ten.
Kansas City, Missouri
In many ways, the confusingly-named Kansas City has a lot going for it in recent years, at least according to WalletHub. In addition to having a particularly low risk of being set upon by natural disasters, the city was also a little above-average in terms of financial safety.
Yet, while finding a job there may be easier than in many other cities, there are nonetheless some serious issues with crime in Kansas City. In addition to being in the country's bottom 30 for community and home safety by WalletHub's estimation, the city also made the FBI's top ten list for America's most dangerous cities.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Curiously, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina doesn't appear on WalletHub's index for America's safest cities at all. Considering that their data both chronicles the best of the best and the worst of the worst in this respect — and that Myrtle Beach has a large enough population to qualify unlike Gary, Indiana or Niagara Falls, New York — it's a strange and unexplained omission.
According to U.S. News and World Report, however, the popular vacation spot is a lot less fun to live in than to visit in the FBI's estimation. That's because they ranked it as America's ninth most dangerous city.
Denver, Colorado
As far as WalletHub is concerned, Denver is pretty below-average when it comes to safety. Although it's slightly below-average in terms of natural disaster risk, it's also below-average in terms of financial security. However, neither of these considerations address Denver's most significant safety factor.
Instead, the real concern is that the city's community and home safety ranking is in WalletHub's bottom 15 compared to the 181 other cities listed among its dataset. According to U.S. News and World Report, the FBI go as far as to put Denver in the top ten of America's most dangerous cities.
Washington, D.C.
Although the nation's capital didn't make the FBI's list of America's 25 most dangerous cities and WalletHub's data had some encouraging encouraging figures for the Washington D.C.'s near-future, there is one aspect of life there that simply can't be ignored.
While it's true that Washington D.C. is actually fairly above-average in terms of financial security and at about par in terms of natural disaster risk, its community and home safety rating was exceedingly low. That means WalletHub's data suggests the city's crime rate is among the top five highest in the country.
Houston, Texas
As far as WalletHub's data is concerned, Houston, Texas, is a hard city to feel secure in for a whole host of reasons. Not only is Houston's financial safety ranking in the bottom 30 among America's cities, but it's also the most likely city in the nation to be struck by natural disasters.
Unfortunately, Houston's crime statistics aren't any better, as WalletHub puts the city within the bottom 20 for America's community and home safety rankings. Sure enough, U.S. News and World Report reported that the FBI also considers Houston one of the top 20 most dangerous cities in the United States.
Richmond, Virginia
Virginia's capital didn't make the FBI's list of America's 25 most dangerous cities, but WalletHub's data told a different story of what life is like in the southern city. Although the service considered the city below-average in terms of natural disaster risk, its ranking of 125th for financial safety is less encouraging.
That said, that figure also does a lot to explain the exceedingly low community and home safety ranking Richmond has in WalletHub's dataset. That's because this rating is in the bottom ten for America's cities, which is a sign that the city has a very high crime rate.
Chattanooga, Tennessee
In many ways, Chattanooga is showing some fairly encouraging signs as a city, as WalletHub's financial safety index is just outside of the nation's top 50. It's also a place with below-average risk of facing a natural disaster, which can't be said for entire regions of the country.
However, it seems Chattanooga is still struggling with a high crime rate that's undermining its strengths. WalletHub puts the city's community and home index just outside of the nation's bottom 20, while the FBI considers it within the top 20 for America's most dangerous cities. According to U.S. News and World Report, the bureau ranks Chattanooga 16th.
Orlando, Florida
As balmy and close to Walt Disney World as Orlando may be, the central Florida city has more than its share of hazards for permanent residents. As many might expect, its geographic location carries significantly elevated risk of experiencing natural disasters, while its financial safety index is significantly below average.
As is often the case, this figure from WalletHub has a discouraging correlation with Orlando's community and home safety index, as it's considered within America's bottom 15 among cities for its high crime rate. After all, nobody likes to say, "We're number 169!"
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee has a very low risk of dealing with natural disasters compared to other major American cities, but WalletHub noted that Wisconsin's largest city falls well short when its comes to the service's other safety considerations. Indeed, it has a below-average financial safety index and an even worse community and home safety index.
Specifically, the crime rates in Milwaukee are such that WalletHub considered it one of the bottom 25 cities for safety, ranking it 159th. According to U.S. News and World Report, the FBI considered it even more dangerous, ranking it as America's 12th most dangerous city.
Jackson, Mississippi
Although no Mississippi city came up in the FBI's list of America's 25 most dangerous cities, WalletHub's data had some concerning things to say about the Hospitality State's capital. As is often the case throughout the southern United States, one issue is the elevated risk of natural disasters in Jackson compared to most of America's other major cities.
However, an even more concerning figure held that both Jackson's financial safety index and its community and home safety index were in the nation's bottom 20. Indeed, those two statistics likely make it hard to feel safe or prosperous there.
Atlanta, Georgia
While it's true that Atlanta has become one of America's biggest cultural hubs over the past two decades, that hasn't meant the city has necessarily become much safer for its residents. According to WalletHub, it doesn't help that the city is in America's top 20 for the natural disaster risks.
The service's data also puts Atlanta's financial security index very low on the list of American cities, while there's apparently almost exactly as much of a risk of experiencing a crime as there is of experiencing of a natural disaster there. That's because Atlanta ranked 163rd in both categories.
Jacksonville, Florida
As is common among Florida cities, WalletHub noted that Jacksonville has a significant natural disaster risk. However, the sad reality of the service's data is that this is one of the less stark figures in determining how safe the home of the Jaguars is.
Those who live there likely find it hard to afford insurance, judging by WalletHub's financial safety index, which is in the nationwide bottom 20. This is also true of Jacksonville's community and home safety index, as the Florida city's crime rate led it to score 164th by this metric.
Columbus, Ohio
Although Ohio's capital is about par in terms of natural disaster risk, WalletHub's dataset positions Colombus as fairly below-average in terms of financial safety. However, that's also not the city's biggest concern when it comes to how safe the service's data suggests it is.
While it's true that U.S. News and World Report suggested that the FBI considers Cleveland and Dayton more dangerous Ohio cities than Colombus, the fact that the state capital just barely escaped the bottom 20 in WalletHub's community and home safety index hardly says anything encouraging about its crime rate.
Dallas, Texas
Although Dallas outperforms fellow Texas city Houston in every metric accounted for by WalletHub, there's a significant difference between being safer than Houston and actually being safe. For one thing, Dallas is still in the top ten for natural disaster risks among America's cities and it's not much more encouraging from a financial and public safety perspective either.
Not only is Dallas well below average in terms of financial safety but the city is also within the bottom 20 for community and home safety. Indeed, there's only a three point difference WalletHub noticed between Houston's crime rate and Dallas's figures.
Los Angeles, California
Considering how infamous Los Angeles's gang culture is, it might come as a surprise to learn that it isn't considered America's most dangerous city. Nonetheless, it's still within the top 25 by WalletHub's estimation (yet curiously, not the FBI's) due to multiple factors. Firstly, Los Angeles is a notoriously expensive city to live in, which makes its low financial safety index unsurprising.
Yet, while that's where Los Angles performed the worst, its natural disaster risk was as high as most people would expect for a major Californian city. Yet, while the FBI considered San Francisco a more dangerous city, WalletHub's data showed that city's community and home safety index significantly outperforming that of Los Angeles.
Tacoma, Washington
The FBI and WalletHub disagree on which of the Evergreen State's cities are the most dangerous, as the FBI considered Seattle just outside of their top 20 for danger. However, WalletHub's data suggests that Tacoma is actually the city with the higher crime rate of the two.
This is puzzling because both Tacoma's natural disaster safety and financial safety index outperform Seattle's (with Tacoma respectively being 12th best and 44th best in the country by these metrics). Nonetheless, WalletHub positioned Tacoma as nine points lower on the community and home safety index, making it 155th in the nation.