Don't know where St. Louis falls, but at least we aren't in the top 10. Finally, a list with a respectable methodology.



Note: Each city name links to it's individual scores.



Rank____City______________Misery Measure*



1.............. Detroit..................................696

2.............. Stockton, Calif......................689

3.............. Flint, Mich.............................675

4.............. New York.............................668

5.............. Philadelphia.........................648

6.............. Chicago................................634

7.............. Los Angeles, Calif................632

8.............. Modesto, Calif......................631

9.............. Charlotte, N.C......................625

10............ Providence, R.I....................611



*Misery Measures are derived at by ranking the 150 largest metropolitan areas on six criteria -- income tax, violent crime, Superfund sites, commutes, weather and unemployment – and then adding their ranks. For example, New York ranked worst (150th) for commutes, 150th for income tax, 99th for unemployment, 78th for number of Superfund sites, 105th for violent crime and 86th for weather, which add up to its Misery Measure of 668.



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jlblues wrote:Don't know where St. Louis falls, but at least we aren't in the top 10. Finally, a list with a respectable methodology.



Note: Each city name links to it's individual scores.



Rank____City______________Misery Measure*



1.............. Detroit..................................696

2.............. Stockton, Calif......................689

3.............. Flint, Mich.............................675

4.............. New York.............................668

5.............. Philadelphia.........................648

6.............. Chicago................................634

7.............. Los Angeles, Calif................632

8.............. Modesto, Calif......................631

9.............. Charlotte, N.C......................625

10............ Providence, R.I....................611



*Misery Measures are derived at by ranking the 150 largest metropolitan areas on six criteria -- income tax, violent crime, Superfund sites, commutes, weather and unemployment – and then adding their ranks. For example, New York ranked worst (150th) for commutes, 150th for income tax, 99th for unemployment, 78th for number of Superfund sites, 105th for violent crime and 86th for weather, which add up to its Misery Measure of 668.



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Not to rain early on the "We're less miserable than Chicago" parade, but more on the inanity of all this endless listing...



http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/the_world_ ... p?page=all

I already know St. Louis is less miserable than Chicago, I don't need Forbes to tell me that.

Even though we're not "miserable," Forbes can bite me.

The damn MSA is watering down our "misery" factor. We should be at least number 5!

Ouch, Detroit can't catch a break! I suspect they didn't adjust income tax to wage levels. But you know, I think this shows that even our most successful cities have the same miserable aspects as us and Detroit, it's just that the successes outshine the problems in places like New York and Chicago, and Charlotte.

I guess I moved from Missouri to misery. But just as you could joke that St. Louis isn't overridden with crime but underpopulated with capita, Charlotte isn't short on jobs but flooded with migrants.



From Forbes:

The biggest surprise on our list is Charlotte, N.C., which is ranked ninth. Charlotte has undergone tremendous economic growth the past decade, while the population has soared 32%. But the current picture isn't as bright. Employment growth has not kept up with population growth, meaning unemployment rates are up more than 50% compared with 10 years ago.

Then again, when you start with extremely low unemployment, the rate of change can be high and still end up with lower unemployment than the nation. And obviously, the picture won't be "as bright" as crazy past decades of phenomenal growth, but to now only steadily grow during a recession is a "problem" I'm sure other cities would love to have.



Though St. Louis isn't a victim of this latest flawed methodology, it's good to see a city usually making all the top-ten best lists get a dose of humility with making the top-ten worst for once. Of course, the media here spun the vast majority of best lists (ironically largely also from Forbes) as cause to see this one as a fluke. It would be nice for St. Louis media to have similar confidence that these lists should never be taken too seriously.

New York is ranked badly because of its commute times? I can count off a dozen St. Louisans right now that would love to have the commuting options NYC does. To each his own I guess. Forbes must cater to the taxi and limo set.

And I thought Forbes' lists were stupid.

alexihnen wrote:^ I don't think the list above came from Forbes....

I think STL meant to put the emphasis on Forbes'.