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Guess Which 6 Cities Are Even Worse Off Than Detroit

Detroit's bankruptcy filing last week may have secured its spot in everyone's minds as the armpit of America, but Detroit's Mayor Dave Bing insists that his city is not the only one in such dire straits. He told George Stephanopoulos 'that there are over 100 major urban cities that are having the same problems...we may be one of the first [to go bankrupt], we are the largest, but we absolutely will not be the last." Indeed, even cities like Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and Chicago are experiencing what credit-rating agency Moody's calls "budgetary pressure." So how does Detroit stack up against some of America's other struggling cities? We list the worst performers in the most critical categories.

by Julia Black

Detroit is Not Alone

Detroit's bankruptcy filing last week may have secured its spot in everyone's minds as the armpit of America, but Detroit's Mayor Dave Bing insists that his city is not the only one in such dire straits. He told George Stephanopoulos 'that there are over 100 major urban cities that are having the same problems...we may be one of the first [to go bankrupt], we are the largest, but we absolutely will not be the last." Indeed, even cities like Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and Chicago are experiencing what credit-rating agency Moody's calls "budgetary pressure." So how does Detroit stack up against some of America's other struggling cities? We list the worst performers in the most critical categories.

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Highest Unemployment: Yuma, AZ

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Yuma, Arizona has the highest unemployment rate of any metropolitan area in the country at 30.1 percent. Detroit, meanwhile, has an unemployment rate of 9.0 percent.

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Worst Education: Las Vegas, NV

It should come as no surprise that educating children is not exactly the City of Sin's strong suit. Parenting.com rates Vegas as the worst education system in the country due to low per-student public spending rates, and a terrible average student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom. Detroit wasn't even in the bottom ten!

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Most Dangerous: Flint, MI

FBI data tells us that Flint, MI (nicknamed "Murdertown, USA" in a recent New York Times Magazine article) is the most dangerous city in America. An estimated 62 murders, 106 forcible rapes, and 662 robberies take place per every 100,000 people. (Flint's neighbor Detroit takes the number two spot when it comes to violence, with nearly comparable stats.)

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Worst Credit Ratings: Stokton, CA (tied with Jefferson County, AL)

Both of these cities were hit disproportionately hard by the financial crisis of 2008, and kept borrowing money at a rate they couldn't afford. As a result, both cities landed credit-rating agency Moody's worst ratings for local governments: Caa3. Jefferson County filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and Stokton followed suit in 2012. After declaring bankruptcy last week, Detroit joined the club with a general obligation tax rating of Caa3.

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Unhappiest: Portland, OR

If you're not a coffee shop dweller, turns out Portland can actually be kind of rough. Yup, apparently the "Dream of the 90s" is dying in Portland... Business Week's report on "America's Unhappiest Cities" took factors like depression, suicide, divorce, unemployment, and even the number of cloudy days per-year into consideration. Portland ranked high in a, well, depressing number of those categories, earning it the number one spot on the list. Detroit is number four.

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Worst Economic Mobility: Memphis, TN

A new study suggests that the city you grew up in plays a large role in determining your shot at upward economic mobility in life. Citing factors like education, family structure, and economic geography, this report estimates that children raised in Memphis (in the bottom fifth of family income) have just a 2.6% chance of rising to the top fifth. Detroit's children, meanwhile, had a still-unpromising rate of 5.1%.

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