Surprising New Jersey City Named Worst Place to Live in the Entire State
I've lived in New Jersey my entire life. I've spent my career on the radio championing the Garden State, especially my home at the Jersey Shore.
When one thinks about the worst place to live in NJ, the usual suspects will likely come to mind.
Off the top, my first guess was Camden.
Camden has had a rough go of it for decades. The city has been plagued with high crime and murder rates.
However, Camden continues to evolve and leaders are working on a brighter future focusing on waterfront projects and the arts.
The worst New Jersey city to live in is not Camden, so it must be Newark, right?
Wrong. Newark does have its issues. There's crime, poverty income inequality, and racial and social inequality as well.
Continued efforts to improve education, infrastructure, and safety give Newark hope for better days ahead.
The lifestyle website Wall St. 24/7 went state-by-state identifying the "worst cities to live in." Here are the criteria they used to make their picks.
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. We considered all places in the U.S. with sufficient data and populations of at least 8,000. Our list includes cities, towns, villages, boroughs, and unincorporated communities.
Based on this information, it was determined that a South Jersey town is New Jersey's worst city to live in.
Bridgeton is located in Cumberland County and despite its charm, the town has some major problems.
The poverty rate is a staggering 35 percent. The average in New Jersey is just under 10.
The median household income is just shy of $40,000. Compare that to $89,000 statewide.
This report also looked at drug-related mortalities. The average in New Jersey is 33 per every 100,000 residents. In Bridgeton, with a population of just over 26,000, the average is sadly 56 per every 100,000 residents.
This is not my own personal opinion. Additionally, I always believe that one can't always look at just "the numbers."
Did you know that experts are warning of 25 towns in New Jersey that you should absolutely avoid? Some of these will surprise you.
The 25 Most Dangerous Cities in New Jersey
Gallery Credit: Matt Ryan
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