The personal finance website compared 182 American cities — including the 150 most populous and at least two of the most populous in each state — using data from multiple federal sources, including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and FBI. Each city was assigned a score for economic well-being based upon metrics including rates of child and adult poverty, unemployment and homelessness, as well as a score for health and safety based on metrics including rates of uninsured residents, food insecurity and crime. Overall, 28 factors were evaluated to compile the ranking.
These 15 cities are home to the most people in need, according to WalletHub:
1. Detroit
2. Gulfport, Miss.
3. Brownsville, Texas
4. Cleveland
5. Shreveport, La.
6. Laredo, Texas
7. Augusta, Ga.
8. New Orleans
9. Corpus Christi, Texas
10. Birmingham, Ala.
11. St. Louis
12. Fort Smith, Ark.
13. Memphis, Tenn.
14. Philadelphia
15. Los Angeles
