USA Today has published a ranking of the 50 worst cities in which to live and Little Rock and Fort Smith made the list at 19 and 50, respectively.
Crime rates are major drivers of the rankings by 24/7 Wall Street, it would appear. Education, economy, air quality
19. Little Rock, Ark.: Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, ranks as the worst city to live in the state and one of the worst in the country. One of the most dangerous cities in the country, Little Rock’s violent crime rate of 1,533 incidents per 100,000 residents is nearly quadruple the national violent crime rate of 386 incidents per 100,000. The high violent crime rate may discourage some from relocating to or starting a family in the city. In the last decade, Little Rock’s population increased by only .2 percent, even as the U.S. population grew by 7.1 percent.
50. Fort Smith, Arkansas: By a number of measures assessing economic opportunity, education, crime and public health is one of the worst cities to live in. Just 20 percent of adults in the city have a bachelor’s degree, far less than the national college attainment rate of 31.3 percent and the smallest share of any major city in Arkansas.
These rankings don’t mean much to me. But they get around. If there’s any consolation, Little Rock finished ahead of Springfield, Mo., and Memphis, among others.
UPDATE: But wait. LR does great on the hipster index.