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Many people in the United States will face financial hardships at some point in their lives, whether it's homelessness, food insecurity, or poverty. In fact, around 11.1% of the current population lives in poverty and are at an economic disadvantage compared to individuals who are more well-off. Depending on where you live, economic uncertainty can be even higher in some communities than in others.
WalletHub looked at more than 180 cities around America, including 150 of the most populated destinations, to determine which cities are the "neediest" and require the most support, be it addressing high school drop out rates, poor mental health, high crime rates or other factors that impact a person's mental and physical health. Five cities in Ohio found a spot on the list, including one locale that ranked in the top 5:
- No. 4: Cleveland
- No. 38: Toledo
- No. 48: Cincinnati
- No. 54: Akron
- No. 88: Columbus
Coming in at No. 4 overall, Cleveland is not only the neediest city in Ohio, but it's one of the cities in the entire country that needs the most support. In addition to ranking poorly in terms of economic well-being, it has some of the highest rates of poverty for both children and adults.
These are the 10 neediest cities in America, according to the report:
- Detroit, Michigan
- Gulfport, Mississippi
- Brownsville, Texas
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Laredo, Texas
- Augusta, Georgia
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Birmingham, Alabama
To determine its ranking, WalletHub compared 182 cities around the U.S. across two factors: economic well-being and health & safety. These factors were then evaluated using 28 relevant metrics, including child poverty rate, unemployment rate, homelessness rate, high school dropout rate, economic mobility, food insecurity rate, share of depressed adults, suicide rate, crime rate and more.
Check out the full report at WalletHub.com to read up on more of the "neediest cities" in the country.