This City Has Been Named the Worst City to live in Oklahoma

Oklahoma, a state renowned for its diverse landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and welcoming populace, still harbors certain areas that are less than ideal for habitation. These locales grapple with issues like elevated crime rates, meager incomes, subpar educational opportunities, and a host of other challenges that deter both residents and visitors. This article delves into the city in Oklahoma that has earned the dubious distinction of being the least desirable to live in, backed by a comprehensive assessment of multiple factors and statistics.

The Criteria

To ascertain the least livable city in Oklahoma, we’ve meticulously applied the following criteria:

1. Violent Crime Rate: This measures the number of violent crimes (comprising murder, rape, robbery, and assault) per 100,000 people.
2. Property Crime Rate: This gauges the number of property crimes (encompassing burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft) per 100,000 people.
3. Unemployment Rate: It signifies the percentage of the labor force without employment.
4. Poverty Rate: This quantifies the percentage of the population residing below the poverty line.
5. Median Home Value: This indicates the median value of owner-occupied housing units.
6. Median Household Income: This reflects the median income of households in the city.

Our data sources encompassed the most current information obtainable from entities such as the FBI, the U.S. Census Bureau, and other reliable sources. We allocated a score ranging from 0 to 100 to each city based on these criteria, with 100 signifying the most unfavorable. The city garnering the highest score claims the dubious title of the worst city to live in within the state of Oklahoma.

The Worst City

For the year 2023, Idabel has earned the unenviable distinction of being the worst city to reside in within the state of Oklahoma. Nestled in the southeastern region, proximate to the borders of Texas and Arkansas, Idabel houses a population of 6,879 inhabitants and a rather dismal score of 89.5 out of 100. Several factors contribute to Idabel’s dubious honor as the least favorable place to call home in Oklahoma:

1. Idabel bears the ignominious distinction of boasting the highest violent crime rate in the state, registering 1,301 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. This translates to a staggering 1 in 77 odds of falling victim to a violent crime in Idabel, far surpassing the state average of 1,106 per 100,000 residents.
2. The city also lays claim to the highest property crime rate within the state, with 8,795 property crimes per 100,000 individuals. This disheartening statistic equates to a sobering 1 in 11 chance of being a victim of property crime in Idabel, a figure that far surpasses the state average of 4,977 per 100,000 residents.
3. Furthermore, Idabel contends with the second-highest unemployment rate in the state, with 9.9% of its labor force grappling with unemployment. This rate significantly exceeds the state average of 5.4%.
4. The city suffers from the third-highest poverty rate in the state, with a staggering 35.7% of its population living below the poverty line, a stark contrast to the state average of 15.6%.
5. Idabel boasts the lowest median home value in the state, with properties valued at a meager $54,800, well below the state average of $147,800.
6. To compound matters further, the city wrestles with the fourth-lowest median household income in the state, with an average income of just $30,833, again trailing the state average of $54,449.

The Conclusion

Based on the rigorous criteria we’ve applied, Idabel emerges as the least desirable city to reside in within the state of Oklahoma. This city grapples with alarmingly high crime rates, low income levels, depreciated property values, and elevated poverty and unemployment rates. Although there may be some redeeming qualities to life in Idabel, such as its proximity to nature and cultural diversity, these merits are regrettably overshadowed by the prevailing challenges. Thus, we cannot, in good conscience, recommend residing in or visiting Idabel unless there exists a truly compelling reason to do so.