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n2doc

(47,953 posts) Thu Jun 26, 2014, 05:05 PM Jun 2014

Where Are the Hardest Places to Live in the U.S.?

Annie Lowrey writes in the Times Magazine this week about the troubles of Clay County, Ky., which by several measures is the hardest place in America to live.

The Upshot came to this conclusion by looking at six data points for each county in the United States: education (percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree), median household income, unemployment rate, disability rate, life expectancy and obesity. We then averaged each county’s relative rank in these categories to create an overall ranking.

(We tried to include other factors, including income mobility and measures of environmental quality, but we were not able to find data sets covering all counties in the United States.)

The 10 lowest counties in the country, by this ranking, include a cluster of six in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky (Breathitt, Clay, Jackson, Lee, Leslie and Magoffin), along with four others in various parts of the rural South: Humphreys County, Miss.; East Carroll Parish, La.; Jefferson County, Ga.; and Lee County, Ark.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/upshot/where-are-the-hardest-places-to-live-in-the-us.html?_r=0

11 replies

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Highlight:

Where Are the Hardest Places to Live in the U.S.? (Original Post) n2doc Jun 2014 OP

Kick. Great read. Agschmid Jun 2014 #1

Very interesting! nt femmocrat Jun 2014 #2

I'm a bit surprised at their rankings. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2014 #3

That is a very good point. n/t truedelphi Jun 2014 #4

Excellent post. K&R Louisiana1976 Jun 2014 #5

That map says I'd be better off living on the North Slope of Alaska. dawg Jun 2014 #6

But you might be better off Blue_In_AK Jun 2014 #9

My list would be somewhat different Demeter Jun 2014 #7

The southeast is glowing like an xmas tree. xfundy Jun 2014 #8

if you can afford to retire, the SE is a great place to live. dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #10

And yet, the greenest/bluest county in Arkansas on that map, Art_from_Ark Jun 2014 #11

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

1. Kick. Great read.

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 05:12 PM

Jun 2014

Thanks for posting.

femmocrat

(28,394 posts)

2. Very interesting! nt

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 05:26 PM

Jun 2014

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)

3. I'm a bit surprised at their rankings.

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 05:40 PM

Jun 2014

Certainly by income, Ky is down there, but on the per-capita income scale, 5 of the 10 worst counties are in South Dakota, predominantly ones that are covered by Indian reservations, and Clay Co. Ky is only clocking in at 18th worst, and the only Kentucky county to crack the 20 worst.

I also know that obesity and diabetes rates are considerably higher among native americans than white americans, unemployment rates run up to 80% on some of those same reservations, and so on.

I'd love to see their raw numbers for each category, because it sure looks like they simply ignore the counties that are reservation counties in South Dakota so they can talk about Kentucky.

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)

4. That is a very good point. n/t

Reply to Erich Bloodaxe BSN (Reply #3)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 06:05 PM

Jun 2014

Louisiana1976

(3,962 posts)

5. Excellent post. K&R

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 06:16 PM

Jun 2014

dawg

(10,624 posts)

6. That map says I'd be better off living on the North Slope of Alaska.

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 06:25 PM

Jun 2014

I *ahem* disagree.

Blue_In_AK

(46,436 posts)

9. But you might be better off

Reply to dawg (Reply #6)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 06:55 PM

Jun 2014

living in Southcentral Alaska. It's pretty awesome here.

Demeter

(85,373 posts)

7. My list would be somewhat different

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 06:29 PM

Jun 2014

1. Drought
2. Unemployment
3. GOP dominated government
4 White (or any other ) Supremacy
5. Police and court corruption
6. Useless, ineffective education system

xfundy

(5,105 posts)

8. The southeast is glowing like an xmas tree.

Reply to n2doc (Original post)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 06:51 PM

Jun 2014

Wonder how they tend to vote? Hmmmm.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

10. if you can afford to retire, the SE is a great place to live.

Reply to xfundy (Reply #8)

Thu Jun 26, 2014, 11:09 PM

Jun 2014

Access to good medical care
very low cost of living
Excellent house prices in all price ranges

Retirement dollar really goes far down here.

Art_from_Ark

(27,247 posts)

11. And yet, the greenest/bluest county in Arkansas on that map,

Reply to xfundy (Reply #8)

Fri Jun 27, 2014, 02:53 AM

Jun 2014

Benton County, in the extreme northwest, consistently votes for Republicans, and 2 members of Arkansas' 6-member Congressional delegation, both Republicans, are from Benton County.

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