More and more people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Chicago to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: what suburbs of Chicago are the worst?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Chicago ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Chicago area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Chicago proper, although Western Springs certainly tries.
We examined the 165 biggest suburbs of Chicago to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Illinois lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Chicago in terms of quality of life.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 worst suburbs around Chicago for 2024
- Lake Station
- Gary
- East Chicago
- Robbins
- Harvey
- Burnham
- Chicago Heights
- Dixmoor
- Markham
- New Chicago
Now don’t freak out.
What’s the worst suburb of Chicago? Lake Station ranks as the worst suburb of Chicago for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.
Or, if you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in Illinois check out the best places in Illinois overall or the worst.
And remember, there are some good places to live around Chicago too.
The 10 Worst Chicago Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 13,352
Median Income: $53,588 (12th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 18.2% (highest)
Median Home Value: $138,357 (8th lowest)
More on Lake Station: Data | Cost Of Living
We’ll get the ball rolling with Lake Station, the absolute worst place to live around Chicago according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Lake Station beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 12th worst in the Chicago area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 8th worst when it comes to home values.
But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Lake Station.
You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area. There aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.
/10
Population: 69,136
Median Income: $36,874 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 13.5% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $70,534 (lowest)
More on Gary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Welcome to Gary. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.
This city is 24.1 miles to Chicago. Income levels here are the lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $36,874 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.
But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.
/10
Population: 26,363
Median Income: $39,434 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (44th highest)
Median Home Value: $118,324 (6th lowest)
More on East Chicago: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Chicago suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see East Chicago on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.
In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school dropout rate is poor compared to other Chicago suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
4. Robbins
/10
Population: 4,804
Median Income: $47,174 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 14.7% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $88,239 (3rd lowest)
More on Robbins: Crime | Cost Of Living
If you live in Robbins, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 5th lowest Chicago suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the 4th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Chicago. Remember, we looked at 165 cities for this study.
Robbins is about 13.5 miles to downtown.
/10
Population: 20,035
Median Income: $40,898 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 14.6% (6th highest)
Median Home Value: $87,215 (2nd lowest)
More on Harvey: Data | Cost Of Living
Harvey has the distinction of being a Chicago suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, Harvey has the 2nd lowest home values in the metro Chicago area, where the median price is $87,215. The median income is $250,001.
Harvey has an unemployment rate of 14.64% which ranks 6th worst.
6. Burnham
/10
Population: 4,028
Median Income: $53,397 (11th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 12.3% (15th highest)
Median Home Value: $145,568 (12th lowest)
More on Burnham:
Burnham has 4,028 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)
Incomes are towards the bottom, and the poverty rate sits at 11.004273504273502%.
/10
Population: 27,366
Median Income: $56,755 (16th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 13.8% (10th highest)
Median Home Value: $159,279 (17th lowest)
More on Chicago Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Ah, Chicago Heights. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Chicago.
It’s the place with the 10th most out of work residents in the Chicago metro area (13.83%).
8. Dixmoor
/10
Population: 3,017
Median Income: $57,823 (2lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.5% (6highest)
Median Home Value: $104,726 (5th lowest)
More on Dixmoor:
Dixmoor is a city about 14.1 miles from Chicago, but Chicago probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Dixmoor has the 6th most uninsured people, 2worst incomes, and has the 6highest unemployment rate (5.54%) in the entire Chicago metro area.
Homes only cost $104,726 for a reason. That’s cheap for Chicago standards.
/10
Population: 11,592
Median Income: $47,955 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 14.0% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $124,311 (7th lowest)
More on Markham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
If you absolutely have to live near Chicago, then Markham might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Chicago suburb.
About 14.0% of residents are out of work.
10. New Chicago
/10
Population: 2,111
Median Income: $56,761 (17th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.3% (24th highest)
Median Home Value: $147,459 (13th lowest)
More on New Chicago:
Rounding out the ten worst Chicago suburbs to call home is New Chicago.
Located 28.6 miles outside the city, New Chicagos is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 24th highest unemployment rate (9.26%), and poverty is far above the area average.
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Chicago for 2024
To figure out how bad a Chicago suburb is to live in, we used Saturday Night Science to identify the kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.
Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2018-2022, this is the criteria we used:
- High unemployment rate
- Low median household incomes
- Low population density (no things to do)
- Low home values
- A lot of high school dropouts
- High poverty
- High rate of uninsured families
We defined a suburb as any town within 30 miles of Chicago.
We also limited the analysis to places with over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 165 suburbs to evaluate around Chicago.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 165 in each category, where 1 was the “worst.”
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index, the “Worst Suburb near Chicago.” We’re looking at you, Lake Station.
We updated this article for 2024, which reflects our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Chicago.
Summary: The areas around Chicago where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2024
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Chicago with Lake Station casting itself ahead of the pack.
The worst suburbs of Chicago are .
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Chicago aren’t all bad. Western Springs takes the cake as the best place to live around Chicago.
- Western Springs
- Kenilworth
- Wilmette
For more Illinois reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Illinois
- Cheapest Places To Live In Illinois
- Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois
- Best Places To Retire In Illinois
- Richest Cities In Illinois
- Safest Places In Illinois
- Worst Places To Live In Illinois
Detailed List Of The Worst Chicago Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Station | 13,352 | $53,588 | $138,357 |
| 2 | Gary | 69,136 | $36,874 | $70,534 |
| 3 | East Chicago | 26,363 | $39,434 | $118,324 |
| 4 | Robbins | 4,804 | $47,174 | $88,239 |
| 5 | Harvey | 20,035 | $40,898 | $87,215 |
| 6 | Burnham | 4,028 | $53,397 | $145,568 |
| 7 | Chicago Heights | 27,366 | $56,755 | $159,279 |
| 8 | Dixmoor | 3,017 | $57,823 | $104,726 |
| 9 | Markham | 11,592 | $47,955 | $124,311 |
| 10 | New Chicago | 2,111 | $56,761 | $147,459 |
| 11 | Whiting | 4,574 | $59,740 | $192,015 |
| 12 | Riverdale | 10,528 | $41,144 | $102,314 |
| 13 | South Chicago Heights | 3,986 | $52,115 | $154,159 |
| 14 | Hammond | 77,390 | $52,368 | $158,375 |
| 15 | Blue Island | 22,934 | $57,537 | $173,852 |
| 16 | Summit | 11,036 | $51,040 | $232,276 |
| 17 | Bridgeview | 16,939 | $61,426 | $262,747 |
| 18 | Worth | 10,859 | $54,893 | $231,491 |
| 19 | Dolton | 21,283 | $54,748 | $141,786 |
| 20 | Maywood | 23,385 | $64,767 | $201,551 |
| 21 | Thornton | 2,169 | $65,714 | $162,494 |
| 22 | Hazel Crest | 13,737 | $57,247 | $163,912 |
| 23 | Park Forest | 21,042 | $58,907 | $138,815 |
| 24 | Stone Park | 4,566 | $74,448 | $223,187 |
| 25 | Franklin Park | 18,374 | $74,167 | $272,778 |
| 26 | West Chicago | 25,632 | $92,335 | $331,937 |
| 27 | Glenwood | 8,542 | $69,614 | $188,408 |
| 28 | Broadview | 7,957 | $59,261 | $233,906 |
| 29 | University Park | 7,328 | $63,380 | $171,754 |
| 30 | Lansing | 28,713 | $68,766 | $188,023 |
| 31 | Justice | 12,525 | $60,083 | $259,779 |
| 32 | Steger | 9,518 | $58,816 | $152,512 |
| 33 | South Holland | 21,287 | $79,567 | $215,572 |
| 34 | Alsip | 18,866 | $63,131 | $234,315 |
| 35 | Northlake | 12,683 | $71,767 | $259,717 |
| 36 | Crest Hill | 19,886 | $68,377 | $245,521 |
| 37 | Melrose Park | 25,177 | $64,400 | $271,925 |
| 38 | Calumet Park | 7,193 | $55,717 | $141,156 |
| 39 | Merrionette Park | 2,014 | $52,286 | $198,535 |
| 40 | Posen | 5,442 | $60,094 | $178,337 |
| 41 | Cicero | 84,189 | $64,325 | $240,318 |
| 42 | Prospect Heights | 15,861 | $84,459 | $272,322 |
| 43 | Rosemont | 3,864 | $70,455 | $322,719 |
| 44 | Bellwood | 18,611 | $72,228 | $214,243 |
| 45 | Richton Park | 12,721 | $69,691 | $200,123 |
| 46 | Stickney | 7,031 | $67,067 | $252,479 |
| 47 | Crestwood | 10,737 | $73,219 | $179,810 |
| 48 | Burbank | 29,122 | $81,060 | $268,632 |
| 49 | Matteson | 18,898 | $88,591 | $243,534 |
| 50 | Schiller Park | 11,600 | $65,862 | $268,641 |
| 51 | Countryside | 6,322 | $78,603 | $315,101 |
| 52 | Bensenville | 18,673 | $76,489 | $306,287 |
| 53 | Midlothian | 14,200 | $66,994 | $213,753 |
| 54 | Lyons | 10,687 | $59,399 | $241,874 |
| 55 | Chicago Ridge | 14,284 | $65,168 | $195,768 |
| 56 | Hanover Park | 37,222 | $88,460 | $279,141 |
| 57 | Country Club Hills | 16,578 | $73,554 | $187,244 |
| 58 | Wheeling | 38,823 | $80,054 | $264,444 |
| 59 | Palos Hills | 18,278 | $79,306 | $245,614 |
| 60 | Romeoville | 40,132 | $96,409 | $282,294 |
| 61 | Hillside | 8,213 | $68,250 | $242,948 |
| 62 | Olympia Fields | 4,922 | $98,659 | $314,166 |
| 63 | Berwyn | 56,556 | $71,300 | $274,675 |
| 64 | Oak Lawn | 57,665 | $77,221 | $256,433 |
| 65 | Griffith | 16,182 | $74,350 | $230,174 |
| 66 | Crete | 8,425 | $91,549 | $274,099 |
| 67 | Hometown | 4,299 | $56,841 | $186,644 |
| 68 | Addison | 35,685 | $82,547 | $325,203 |
| 69 | Glendale Heights | 33,088 | $83,588 | $273,482 |
| 70 | Hickory Hills | 14,915 | $81,385 | $290,409 |
| 71 | Highwood | 5,227 | $105,282 | $389,661 |
| 72 | Rolling Meadows | 24,054 | $91,287 | $288,538 |
| 73 | Bolingbrook | 73,755 | $102,057 | $317,734 |
| 74 | Des Plaines | 60,087 | $86,552 | $293,438 |
| 75 | Homewood | 19,868 | $86,437 | $230,828 |
| 76 | River Grove | 10,532 | $72,466 | $268,385 |
| 77 | Niles | 30,637 | $75,783 | $348,195 |
| 78 | Berkeley | 5,283 | $79,691 | $260,880 |
| 79 | Wood Dale | 13,903 | $86,441 | $304,707 |
| 80 | Elmwood Park | 24,281 | $75,784 | $304,247 |
| 81 | Lynwood | 9,087 | $80,789 | $254,441 |
| 82 | Palatine | 67,223 | $93,383 | $312,692 |
| 83 | Oakbrook Terrace | 2,695 | $68,125 | $356,020 |
| 84 | North Riverside | 7,245 | $63,625 | $305,218 |
| 85 | Streamwood | 39,556 | $94,951 | $280,844 |
| 86 | Forest Park | 14,165 | $78,625 | $238,889 |
| 87 | Schererville | 29,573 | $79,662 | $326,976 |
| 88 | Warrenville | 13,945 | $95,919 | $307,146 |
| 89 | Harwood Heights | 8,942 | $77,617 | $336,787 |
| 90 | Skokie | 67,076 | $91,892 | $358,422 |
| 91 | Norridge | 15,291 | $84,539 | $354,846 |
| 92 | Monee | 5,120 | $86,849 | $307,912 |
| 93 | Villa Park | 22,753 | $90,287 | $302,069 |
| 94 | Tinley Park | 55,571 | $99,628 | $297,581 |
| 95 | Indian Head Park | 4,022 | $100,455 | $310,425 |
| 96 | Carol Stream | 39,656 | $103,525 | $330,804 |
| 97 | Schaumburg | 77,571 | $92,818 | $304,016 |
| 98 | Hoffman Estates | 51,744 | $107,428 | $343,446 |
| 99 | Palos Park | 4,836 | $128,370 | $472,000 |
| 100 | Oak Forest | 27,199 | $89,758 | $263,395 |
This is the dumbest list i have ever seen. First off, it ignores actual bad suburbs. Where is Cicero or Maywood or Dolton or Gary? Second, the education score suggests a flaw in the logic. Kids in Lyons go to Lyons Township, one of the top 50 high schools in the state. Grade schools for locals might be used. Westchester would go to Proviso, which is a shitty school, but MANY of those kids go to private schools, and Westchester on its own is a fine place. Third, the home values is misleading. By ignoring the bad suburbs, you are then leaving the remaining lower middle income, to middle income areas, which inherently have lower home values than the places above it, which are the very nice suburbs. Lastly, Riverside being included on this list completely makes this list worthless. Home values and income are higher because it is a affluent suburb. Its on the list for lack of density. However, its lack of density is what makes it a nice place. The entire suburb is a historic landmark, and it was built as a getaway from the dense city. There are very few businesses within Riverside because it is nearly entirely residential, and the downtown is hidden(nestled) inside of winding streets that make it difficult for outsiders to even get to, which is kind of the point.
Also, this is suggesting that these suburbs are worse than Chicago, but what you really mean is the very nice, expensive neighborhoods within Chicago, like Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Old Town, etc.. But that ignores outlying neighborhoods that are very nice like Sauganash or Beverly. It also wants you to forget that places like Englewood, Roseland, Garfield Park, and Little Village even exist as part of Chicago, because obviously you would rather live in all of these suburbs than those areas.
Actually, high school students from Lyons attend Morton West High school.
Thanks for pointing that out Jim. Its good to know that out of this entire blog post, THAT is what you had a problem with. You should definitely continue finding the one error in offhanded blog comments, pointing them out, and then not commenting on the ridiculous post that resulted in the comment in the first place. Way to contribute to the conversation.
Also, I know a Lyons resident whose children went to LT and RB. So, actually, unless they are lying about residency, then you are not 100% correct either.
They do go to Morton West. I live in Lyons.
Mr. Hovanes,
While I agree with you for the most part, you are completely wrong about Lyons residents going to Lyons Township High School. Lyons students go to Morton West High School. I should know as I’m a Lyons resident and my siblings and friends that live in Lyons attended Morton West. Please make sure to do your research next time instead of just assuming.
Really, this is the problem you have? Everything else in this article and my post are ok, as well as Lyons being on this list. But, me mistaking which High School a town goes to in the comments section of a stupid blog gets you so riled up that you feel the need to reply to me and not the blogger who posted this? Why on earth would anyone do “research” for a comment they posted? Are we getting graded for our comments? Also, have you done your research? Are you sure 100% of the entire footprint of Lyons goes to Morton West? Because I know a Lyons resident whose children went to RB, and one that went to LT.
Dude, Lyons residents basically go to Morton by default. Yes, you posted this three years ago, but you reacted poorly to the comments and just because you know one Lyons resident doesn’t mean anything. The vast majority go to Morton.
Bob,
I don’t live in Chicago, but I visit a lot. What you are saying is true. I think Maywood should be on the top of the list. I visited a friend there and I never want to back to that place. I think the wrong people did the research. Lol
This is one of the dumbest lists I’ve ever seen and couldn’t be more incorrect. There are many suburbs with worse crime, poorer education, and lower home values than these. I can name 10 right here: Harvey, Ford Heights, Sauk Village, Chicago Heights, Dolton, Riverdale, Phoenix, Dixmoor, Maywood, and Markham.
Let’s not for Calumet Park and Robbins…
Correction:
Let’s not forget Calumet Park and Robbins…
Well said
Where did they come up with this? With all due respect to the south suburbs, it strikes me that places like Robbins and Ford Heights (and probably Harvey and Chicago Heights) should score far worse on all criteria. If you stick to the west suburbs, where are Cicero, Berwyn, Maywood, Bellwood, Stone Park and Northlake? Ok, the criteria was that they called out the “24 biggest suburbs”. Um, Cicero has 85,000 residents. Palatine? Mount Prospect? This looks like a hatchet job. Some “study”. Facts? Not even close.
No i feel that ep is the best extended neighborhood of chicago and this article must be taken with a grain of salt.
Totally disagree let me name a few for you Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Harvey, Markham, Calumet Park, Dolton, Riverdale.
This is the worst article I have ever read and does not have any real standings. I have lived in a lot of these towns. The thing that is off that you don’t see on this list is Maywood or Melrose but Riverside is on there? Are you on crack?
I have no idea how this list was derived…the so-called author doesn’t give actual data other than home prices and median income which are no assurance of standard of living. And places like La Grange, La Grange Park, Riverside and Western Springs? But not places like Chicago Heights, Dixmoor, Evergreen Park or Hometown?
The author got his 10 minutes of fame. The premise is as flawed as his so called research.
Agreed, he wanted to make people mad so he’d get lots of hits. He’d take infamy over real journalism.
Definitely on crack. Walk across the bridge from Lyons to Riverside and back. Tell me where you would rather live. Duh. Guy is an idiot.
Harwood Heights #1 lmfao this guy must be from Norridge and got his license suspended from Harwood Heights Law.
PS get a new hobby you suck as a blogger
What about Robbins, Summit, Ford Heights, Chicago Heights, Dixmoor, Bridgeview and Harvey??
Even the facts cited are not correct. Look up the information in Wikipedia and they are totally wrong.
And for news stations to air this without fact checking is atrocious.
This list truly is laughable. Westchester is basically two different towns under one name. The north and east side of town are basically more like Broadview and Bellwood –lower income/a little more crime. While the south and west sides of town are more like LaGrange and Oakbrook — beautiful high priced homes ,and extremely low crime. Granted, the school system sucks, but most folks send their kids to private school anyway, because they can afford it. Those that can’t afford it usually fit in with the demographics of the public school, anyway. So, Proviso is still a major step up from what they’re used to. Westchester definitely is a boring town, but who cares? It’s still nice, safe, and a great place to raise a family. It’s also centrally located, and gives easy access to the city, trains, buses, highways, and other amenities. Sorry, but this list truly is a joke.
As a person that has lived in Westchester and Lagrange I can tell you that Westchester is decent but nowhere near as nice as Lagrange or Oakbrook. Westchester is just a step-up from Broadview. You said “Granted, the school system sucks, but most folks send their kids to private school anyway, because they can afford it. Those that can’t afford it usually fit in with the demographics of the public school, anyway.” I Kinda found that a bit troubling because it had a raciest undertone to it. School systems are one of the major factors in good city vs bad city comparison along with crime. Even the private school system in Westchester is crappy, which is the real reason why some Westchester students go to proviso west….. The others just didn’t want us around that demographic of people….so in a nutshell no Westchester shouldn’t have been on the list, due to there being poor and disenfranchised areas in and around chicagoland.
So you are going to tell me that all of the crap hole suburbs that are around and east of I-57 as well as around and south of I-80 are better than these places!? Perhaps this is a list of “the worst non-ghetto suburbs” or “worst of the median income $30,000+ or better suburbs” This could have been better done.
This post is so inaccurate. I can name Chicago suburbs 10x worse. Stone Park…Alsip…Blue Island…Harvey…Maywood…Bellwood…North Riverside…Cicero…Forest Park…North Lake…Waukegan…Midlothian…Calumet City…Riverdale…Posen…Phoenix…Crestwood…Dolton…Country Club Hills…Homewood…Flossmore…parts of Evanston…
This reads more like an opinion piece. The title should read 10 Suburbs I Don’t Like For Personal Reasons.
The list is TOTAL BULL SH*T. What about Elgin, Cicero, and Joliet. It just goes to show anybody can create a list on the internet.
Seriously hardwood heights first? I live here and for a FACT it’s a really nice and beautiful neighborhood. Average income is Definetely Higher then what is told here. There also says to be low population density? You have the pool, the parks, the mall, the many restaurants, many other stores, Indoor Parks, Fields for sports. I have never gotten bored living here in hardwood heights for the past 15 years. The income here is fine and Compared to a lot of other suburbs in Chicago. This shouldn’t even be close to first worst. The education mentioned is also.a joke. Ridgewood Highschool is one of the Top highschools in the state. And that should not be ignored.
Well, buddy, I think you mixed up Norridge and Harwood Heights. The pool is a part of Norridge, the parks, mall, and Ridgewood too.
Although I still live in Stone Park it’s hard to believe we didn’t make this list. Guess it’s not as bad as I thought.
You put Elmwood Park in the list? Do you even live in the Chicagoland area?
That alone should have been a clue you didn’t know WTF you were talking about, but then you confirmed it by including Riverside and LaGrange!
Wow – how amateurish can you get? Who wrote this? Has the author ventured to such burbs as Melrose Park, Stone Park, North Chicago, Ford heights -East Chicago Heights (which was called the poorest suburb in America by reports) Harvey,Phoenix, Robbins – really you could name several south Cook country suburbs…those suburbs are very impoverished and have a very high crime rate…this writer is very ignorant on the subject and shows that any dolt can write a blog…
one more comment – apparently this author makes all kind of mostly inaccurate and ignorant list for states/cities all over the country (He has probably never even been in most of this places). The danger of all this is that if you go to his website his stuff gets picked up by all kinds of media outlets – radio, TV, newspapers and so forth. These media outlets run with this stuff like it has merit when most of it is very poorly done and inaccurate. The author makes his living by doing this through ADS and so forth – makes money trashing towns and cities, like his list of ten most dumbest cities and so forth. Maybe some of these advertisers and media outlets should be notified of how ignorant Nick James and Roadsnacks is…
Mr. HOVANES. Go to the LT high school website. LYONS IS NOT in the HIGH SCHOOL district.
The saddest thing is the fact this drivel was picked up by news sources and passed along as some kind of legitimate article
[ which, in fairness, it doesn’t purport to be ]. It was written by some internet gnome who admittedly wouldn’t recognize any of the communities mentioned if his alien spacecraft dropped him there.
Note this is the same author who, in another list, somehow ranked Elmwood Park and Brookfield – two of the worst from this list – as ‘better’ than Oak Brook and Northfield [ Obviously the wealthy folk who populate those towns have no idea how miserable they are ]. And somehow determined there are 24 on the worst to best list when in Cook County alone there are 119 suburbs. And somehow determined that ‘ low population density ‘ – i.e. fewer residents per square mile – equals fewer amenities. Really? Given that criteria, the best places to live would be places with high concentrations of public housing, right?
Say something outrageous that you cannot quantify, qualify, or justify concerning a subject you are totally ignorant of to get hits for advertising pennies, welcome to what passes for internet gnome journalism.
This list is a joke, especially when you see the extended list. Some of the best suburbs are on that extended list. LaGrange is beautiful, cultured, and diverse. Wilmette has access to many great things. Beside the “scientific” data, many of these places have a strong sense of history and community– hard working families of all backgrounds have lived there for years and know and respect each other. I’m originally from Westchester and it’s a very safe place to live with nice, modest homes–you are a hop, skip and a jump away from countless great things. All of these towns also provide access to one of the best cities in the world. How could someone who lives in a different part of the country really evaluate these places? I don’t care about his data or right to free speech when I say this: the author is a jerk, based on his language alone. Loserville? Where is your heart?
Harwood Heights coming in at #1?! Park Ridge#21? Burr Ridge #22?! Morton Grove #13?! Right off the bat this so called “infotainment article” loses all credibility.
Perhaps you should actually live in the state before put together an article such at this.
As Matt stated above, this list should have been filled with Stone Park…Alsip…Blue Island…Harvey…Maywood…Bellwood…North Riverside…Cicero…Forest Park…Ford Heights, North Lake…Waukegan…Midlothian…Calumet City…Riverdale…Posen…Phoenix…Crestwood…Dolton…Country Club Hills, Homewood & Flossmore to name a few.
Just goes to show you that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet!
Hey, people, remember when Momma said not to believe everything you read….whoop, here it ’tis. But don’t be equally jerky and opine back that ‘other’ towns and villages fall short and throw stones at them. That’s a defensive posture that is part of unfair fight policy folks. Besides, I lived in many of those ‘wretched’ communities your throwing back, including Markham and Posen. Home is where the heart is. Friends, family a lil local store and your all good. Now I live in the sixth worse as this man pens? Lol Ok, obviously you’ve never been to Zoo nights! Nah, nah, nah, nah nah! Pblttt!
Don’t bit the worm….even Donald Duck, I mean Trump gets publicity for bad behavior dontcha know?…..lemme go watch my deer in the back yard….shhhhhhhh
This is where this roadhouse guy is spouting from……F Y and I
We ain’t hatin’ ….but u sure don’t know the Chi! Ask MJ, he’ll tell ya!
North, South Carolina rank in top ten poorest states
(WECT) – The U.S. Census Bureau released two pieces of data Tuesday: poverty numbers and the median income for 2010 and both North and South Carolina are in the top ten.
The Huffington Post is reporting the national poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1% which is up from 2000 and the highest it’s been since 1993.
24/7 Wall St. took the released census data from all 50 states and identified the ten states that have the lowest median income.
North Carolina came in as the 10th poorest state in the country, according to the data analysis from 24/7 Wall St.
The Tar Heel state has one of the lowest median incomes in the country with $43,275. NC also has the 9th highest poverty rate and unemployment rate in the U.S.
South Carolina also made the list as the 7th poorest state. They have the fourth highest unemployment rate in the country with a median income at $42,059.
According to reports, Governor Nikki Haley is working to develop a jobs training program to improve the readiness of the state workforce.
The poorest state, according to 24/7 Wall St., is Mississippi. AT 21.3%, the state has the highest poverty rate and has a median income of $36,850.
Here is the complete list of poorest states in America, according to 24/7 Wall St:
10- North Carolina
9- Alabama
Riverside has too many professionals and families with disposable income!!! It must be a terrible place to live. Q
I remember CCH and Hazelcrest from the 70’s to mid 80’s. I no longer reside in Chicago. But from the late 80’s on until millennium I visited. I stopped. I can’t. Reading this and other things and hearing it breaks my heart. And these aren’t the only casualties. And everyone knows why. But you aren’t supposed to say therefore limiting any intelligent conversation or solutions. It happens everywhere some places are more obvious. Big cities always are. Just sad. It makes me teary. Those days will never return. And oh it’s not just about race it’s deeper than that. But you’re not allowed to talk about it.