What is the Worst Illinois City to Live in? It’s Full of History

What is the worst place to live in Illinois? While there is something subjective about whether a town is good or bad, there’s also some science baked into a recent ranking that thinks it knows the best Illinois city to avoid. It is full of history though.

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I actually think this is one of the more underrated parts of Illinois, but what do I know. A study by 24/7 Wall St just a few weeks ago declared the worst city to live in for each state. Here’s the exact methodology they used to come to their conclusions:

Using data from the Census Bureau, the FBI, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 22 measures to identify the worst cities to live in in every state. The measures used in the index fall into one of three broad categories: economy, community, and overall quality of life.

They considered basically any city that had at least 8,000 residents.

With all those numbers crunched, they determined that Cahokia, Illinois was the worst Illinois place to call home.

What makes Cahokia, Illinois so bad?

The poverty rate they shared was over 35% and there is a much higher drug-related mortality rate compared to the rest of Illinois. The median home value and household income is also terribly low compared to the rest of the state.

Don’t discount the amount of history in the Cahokia, Illinois area with the legendary mounds nearby. Many types of civilizations used to call this part of America home and there’s still lots to explore. But, the numbers do infer a depressed area that sadly should probably be avoided as of now.